The Sims 4

Developer Maxis Publisher EA Format PC, PS4, Xbox One Release 2014

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Maxis’ life simulator has always been a reflection of the times. When the first game released in 2000, it gave us control over a pint-size suburban America in which kids on bikes delivered the newspaper every day, and a cordless wall phone was the height of modern sensibility. These two items were how your sims would find employment. Boot up The Sims 4, however, and there’s nary a landline to be seen: each of your sims has a smartphone with which they can look for jobs, take selfies, post to their Simstagram story, and browse social media while on the toilet. And the daily paper? A print publication, in 2020? Don’t be absurd.

While the series has revelled in the bizarre and unlikely – being able to date the Grim Reaper springs to mind – the real joy of