The Sims 2 fandom is thriving on TikTok, 18 years later

For a game coming out this September, The Sims 2 surprisingly popular on TikTok. A small but passionate collection of fans who have been making videos using old games, showing nostalgia for the classic game. While SimsTok is primarily focused on gameplay and tips for the newest game in the series, there are some highlights for older titles. The #sims2 and #thesim2 cards on TikTok have nearly 200 million views, even as the game becomes increasingly difficult to play on modern consoles.

Nostalgic SimsTok doesn’t just focus on Sim 2: Comparison between the four games is common and hardcore Sims fans often have of them favorite game, the game they will hit and swear to be the best game. Danielle, the user behind daniellebuildsmainly do Sim 4 video, but on one lark decided to post a comparison between different generations of Sims games – and was completely surprised by the enthusiasm of the reactions.

“In my personal time, I will play [The Sims 2] but I would never post about it, because I don’t know if people would care,” she said. “Because I don’t know people who grew up playing it like I did. So I posted a few videos, and they surfaced and I felt like that oh. That’s why I keep posting them.”

Danielle says she now regularly sees people defending their Sims game of choice in the comments of her videos. Other post their own TikToks protect their favorites. The division is usually based on the game they grew up playing. The first Sims launched in 2000, Sim 2 in 2004, and Sims 3 in 2009, so there are some pretty obvious generational markings. To Danielle, whose first Sims game was The Sims 2there’s just something about The game that the newbies can’t grasp.

“The Sims [in The Sims 2] really, they’re just so different, but in such a good way. I feel like they have their own personality,” she explains. “With The Sims 4 you can make different Sims, but they all feel the same to me. “

This is a natural evolution of the Sims 2 fandom

Image: Maxis / Electronic Arts

Danielle’s Sim 2 regular video comparison between gamesor TikToks highlight unique game-specific elements for that generation of Sims. But combining the old game with the new game is not the only way Sim 2 fans celebrate their interests on TikTok.

One of the biggest Sim 2 creator on TikTok, pinokokosha, create wordless, textless videos with little or no accompanying text. Instead, they showed video clips of the game that intertwine into a simple one-minute story. They feel a lot like short, experimental films. In one, an elderly couple spends time in their idyllic house together, until the old man dies and the woman sleeps alone in an empty bed. In againA lone vampire Sim wakes up at night to go work his diner and adopts a stray dog ​​he finds on the street.

Commenters described her videos as “Sims ASMR” and “nostalgic hits”. They are gentle and hit iconic parts of the Sim 2 gameplay has yet to be recreated in subsequent games. In particular, they highlight momentary character interactions, like couples sleeping next to each other spooning each other in the middle of the night, toddlers sneaking out of their cribs to splash in the toilet. birth, and Sims awkwardly picks their noses at a sweet kiss story – all the little details in color The Sims 2 and make it feel so vibrant.

Telling stories has always been a core part of the Sims fandom, but even more so with The Sims 2. The game inspired a culture of sharing original content and fan fiction through Sims 2 official website, independent blogs and forums, and YouTube. Some of these stories focus on the original content, but one particular sign of The Sims 2 are pre-made characters. Every Sims game comes with them, but The Sims 2 people with iconic status in the fandom. Their distinct personalities, as well as Fun legends are connected with each other that Maxis gets into the game, making them memorable for fans.

Users of omgzephyr regularly create videos of pre-made characters, combining narrative-driven videos and funnier snippets on loud TikTok. Casanova Don Lothario is a regular feature in omgzephyr videos, usually just a joke, but other staples of The Sims 2‘S A large cast of actors also participated. Others bring a more modern Internet feel to the previous Sims 2, creating memes using popular TikTok sounds, or even cosplay as family.

The lore goes deep, as the different generations of games are interconnected. It has been part of the Sims franchise from the very beginning. The Sims 2 The characters often appear as pre-made families in The Sims 4or like download or in their own game, passing on their legacy to new fans. Some TikTok creators, like bellagothstan (currently on hiatus at the time of writing), does Wiki-style delve into the complex content of The Sims 2 legend.

And then some try to catch playing experience The Sims 2. Instead of sharing real-life comparisons or “things I miss about The Sims 2,” they recreate the experience using popular sounds. The Sim 2 Still the only game in the series to feature a special event camera, which played an in-game clip to capture key moments in the Sims’ life – including the first Sim “WooHoo’d” with another person. That scene was funny and beautiful PG-13, but that wasn’t prevent players from being tortured when their parents walked in.

Use The Sims 2 to create music videos is also a distinctive mark of the fan base. Sims fans still make music videos with games, but in the days before YouTube was filled with popular creators and Emotional music reigns supreme, there was a certain seriousness among early web users towards old videos. Omgzephyr even posted a experience recreating video.

In the comments, many fans weighed in on their love affair and wished that they could play the game, too. TikTok provides a small window of time when Sim 2 easily accessible, with a fandom that monitors it in real time.

It’s not easy to play The Sims 2 in 2022

Image: Maxis / Electronic Arts

Unfortunately, each generation of Sims becomes more and more difficult to play. For one, it was impossible to find a legitimate copy of the game. EA ran a promotion in 2014 where you could redeem the whole thing Sims 2 Ultimate collection on Origin by proving you’ve got a real copy of the game somewhere, but Promotion officially ends in 2018. Also, even if you buy a copy of the game somehow, be it through an old disc, advertising that EA, or a resold copy, the old software won’t run on the new computer. in a similar way.

Jogging The Sims 2 on a new computer usually means downloading mods and working through the game’s settings to get rid of the black boxes and glitchy graphics. Sometimes that even means going into the internal files and editing the code. And sometimes, even that isn’t enough.

“However, recently, my game would crash while playing,” Danielle said, after recounting the loops she went through to fix the graphics. “And I was like, of course i forgot to save. ”

But the absolute persistence of The Sims 2 fans are not anything new. When The Sims 3 debut, hardcore Sim 2 fans are still stuck by their game on LiveJournal and Tumblr, even as the game becomes increasingly difficult to find and play. There may not be as many creative fans of the game as there used to be, but they are still there – converting content in The Sims 4 arrive The Sims 2, post fanartand yes, create TikToks.

The game’s rarity also attracts a nostalgic audience that can’t be played on its own. More comments about Sim 2-The TikToks involved have a lot of people claiming they were inspired to try and play the game again. And if they can’t get into the game, or can’t get it to run properly, there are sure to be many of the commenters willing to help.

“Please never stop doing these things!” read a comment about one of the videos of pinokokoshka. “You made me play The Sims 2 Again!”