The Sims 4

New character creator makes some depressing sims.

- Joanna Nelius

I’m surprised the Sims 4’s new Q&A-based character creator didn’t exist sooner. Hitting the randomise button when making a new Sim is always fun, but we’ve always had to go through the (sometimes agonising) task of picking their traits and aspirations. The Sims 4 can now do the hard work for us. Answer a few questions, and it will figure out what kind of Sim to generate for you.

Maybe this is down to how I answered those questions, but it’s generated some of the most hilariously depressing Sims I’ve ever seen. I’ve been having a fantastic time playing with them.

Once you answer a few questions in the Sim creation process, The Sims 4 will automatically pick an aspiration, personality traits, a job (or lack thereof ), two skill sets, and some Simoleons. You generally start out with 20,000 Simoleons, unless the story mode gives you more money. That happened with the unemployed, aspiring public enemy it created for me. That guy started with 30,000. Of course the unemployed guy whose life goal is to be hated by other Sims starts off with more money.

After going through the create-aSim a few times, it starts to become apparent which questions give you certain aspirations and personality traits, like this one:

Question: I see trash all over the beach, what do I do?