SimNation
The possible symbol of SimNation.
SimNation is the fictional country in which all Sims games take place. Citizens of SimNation are known as "Sims." The country's official animal is the llama, and the official language is Simlish. Its official currency is the Simoleon (§), although in some more isolated rural areas MagiCoins are also used. One may assume that SimNation has a very strong economy, considering how items are priced in Simoleons in The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. There are notable things, such as garden gnomes and plastic lawn flamingos, which are or have been stereotypical aspects of American suburban culture. Real countries such as France, Norway, Japan, China, Egypt, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States are sometimes mentioned in object descriptions, and even visited in certain expansion packs.
According to SimCity 2000, the national population is 10,000,000 in 1900 and 150,000,000 in 2050, making the average population growth 933,333 per year. As the game progresses beyond the year 2050, it can reach up to 5 billion.
History
The oldest and earliest known Sims were SimNatives. They inhabited the islands that are now Vacation Island, Twikkii Island, and the islands featured in various versions of The Sims 2: Castaway. They are implied to still be around, though perhaps in a distant and unseen area.
The opening cinematic of The Sims Medieval shows a young monarch of the medieval period (c.450-1450AD in real-world history) setting sail to found a new nation on an unfamiliar continent that is already home to a number of small, independent kingdoms. This can be interpreted as the creation of the country that would eventually annex its neighbours and become modern-day SimNation, although in gameplay itself this is left up to the imagination of the player. The geography of the medieval kingdom does, however, share some similarities with that shown in installments set in the present day, perhaps adding some credence to the theory that they take place in the same location, albeit several centuries apart.
Years before the start of The Sims 3, Admiral Landgraab sailed to the area that is now Vacation Island. Unfortunately, the natives were disgruntled by his presence, and the poor young admiral's life ends there. However, it seems that his body was later recovered, and he was laid to rest in a tomb in Champs Les Sims.
Geography and climate
Pleasantview, Strangetown, and Melbourne in The Sims 2 for console
The exact location and extent of SimNation is unknown. However, in many Sims games, there are mountains, swamps, deserts, and grassy plains, much like the environment in various parts of the United States. Hence, some players would call it Simerica. However, SimNation's official animal is the llama, which is native to the mountains of South America. It is still possible that llamas do not actually live in SimNation, but are used only as a symbol. Despite this, they do appear in SimCity 4.
SimNation could be an independent part of North America, possibly around real-life Nevada or California, but it is also possible that SimNation is a completely fictional part of the world or even a different world entirely. However, when travelling to the future in the Time Machine in The Sims 3: Ambitions, one box states (Sim Name) has been wandering around the New Earth Space Station, suggesting it is either located on Earth or that the Simlish name of the Sims' world translates as "Earth". When watching the weather channel in The Sims 2 with Seasons installed, the weather map will show a landmass shaped vaguely like India with the eastern coast continuing and not much of the west coast seen. India also has the features of SimNation geography, for example, mountains and deserts.
Locations of SimNation
Cities
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Towns and suburbs
- Old CountryIt was first mentioned in Mortimer Goth's and Gunther Goth's bios in The Sims and The Sims: Unleashed, respectively. It is explained that Gunther, Cornelia, and Mortimer moved from "the old country" when Gunther founded what would become Pleasantview. Some people believe that Riverview is the Old Country; the Riverview cemetery is named "Old Town Cemetery ".
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Universities
Vacation spots
The following destinations may or may not be a part of SimNation:
- Three Lakes
- Twikkii Island
- Takemizu Village
- The Simaican Isles
The following vacation spots are specified as being separate from SimNation:
- Champs Les Sims, France
- Shang Simla, China
- Al Simhara, Egypt
Other
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- Lunar Lakes
- Sunlit Tides
- Medieval Kingdom
- Castrova
- Produsha
- Summerville (Mentioned in Alexandra O'Mackey's bio)
- Simisouri (Mentioned in Wolfe family's bio)
- Toadville (Mentioned in a water lily object description from Vacation)
Life in SimNation
While the vast majority of the citizens of SimNation are Sims, there are many other life states, most of which are derived from Sims themselves. Many of these, such as werewolves, fairies, vampires, witches, and mummies are the result of Sims undergoing some sort of transformation. PlantSims are unusual in that a new member of the species can be produced when a Sim is transformed, or when a PlantSim reproduces by sporulation. Some, such as ghosts and zombies, are related to death; ghosts being the spectral remains of dead Sims, and zombies being incompletely resurrected Sims. Servos, and the earlier SimBots, being synthetic Sims, are something of a special case.
Others, such as aliens, genies, Bigfoot, the Grim Reaper, and possibly the original tribe of PlantSims, are not transformed from Sims, and are not normally part of the society of SimNation. However, aliens can enter, and have entered, the Sim gene pool through pollination, and (very) occasionally "go native" and choose to live among Simkind. Also, members of the Bigfoot clan who have befriended Sims have been known to leave their native Three Lakes region and live among Sims.
It is unknown whether these species exist in numbers in the whole world of The Sims universe or only in SimNation, however, it is safe to assume they are a minority.
There are also many animal species. Some are pests, such as cockroaches and flies; others are wild, such as bears, butterflies and beetles, penguins, skunks and fish; others are domesticated, including aquarium fish, iguanas, turtles, several types of birds, womrats, hamsters, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, and horses . Llamas are implied to be present somewhere in the nation, although they have yet to be seen in gameplay.
Religion
Not much is known about the religion in SimNation. There appears to be no official state religion, and religious practice does not appear to play a significant part in the lives of modern-day Sims. SimCity 4 includes the option to build a single, non-denominational House of Worship in the city, although its functions seem to be limited to hosting weddings and organising philosophical debates rather than religious services.
In The Sims 2: University, students majoring in Philosophy will take a class entitled "Who Controls the Pie Menu and Why?", implying that some Sims do take part in some sort of philosophical-religious debate; however, this is probably intended as a joke for the player, who controls the pie menu (usually presumed to be invisible to Sims, much like the PlumbBob) and is therefore in a sense "playing god".
In The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS, a god called the Prime Heifer is revealed. Ava Cadavra attempts to bring it into the physical world, but the player's Sim stops her by destroying the Prime Heifer's statue. After the Prime Heifer's statue is destroyed, Horus Menhoset IX replaces it with a statue of an Egyptian God. It is unknown if the rest of SimNation worships the Prime Heifer and the Egyptian God as well.
In The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, visitors to Twikkii Island may accidentally anger an ancient island god, Jumbok IV, by desecrating the ruins of his temple. The long-dead tribe of island people in The Sims 2: Castaway apparently worshipped a llama god, as another ruined temple containing llama idols can be found on Volcano Island. However, the temples of both gods have fallen into disrepair, suggesting that they are part of an ancient system of beliefs no longer followed by either the islanders themselves or their neighbours in SimNation.
In The Sims Medieval, Sims partake in a form of religion resembling medieval Christianity. While the religion itself has no mentioned name, it consists of two named branches; the Jacoban Church, which relies on being feared, and the Peteran Church, which relies on being loved. Assuming The Sims Medieval and The Sims series take place in the same universe, it appears that neither form of religion survived to (or is mentioned in) the modern age.
Education
Public education in childhood and teen years is free and compulsory for all Sims. SimNation also provide private and boarding schools, in which the latter cost tuition fees. In The Sims 3, some rabbit holes, such as the science labs, have classes that are open to all Sims. A lot of a Sim's education, however, is done at home, through either reading skill books or practicing on their own, such as painting and stargazing.
Higher education is limited: institutions in The Sims 2: University expansion pack do not offer postgraduate degrees, and they restrict their enrollment to those under a certain age. The system of grading and Latin honors that higher education institutions use is similar to the four-year system found in the USA and Canada. The Greek system is also very similar to that seen in the USA. Unlike the real life USA, however, tuition fees and student debt are apparently non-existent, suggesting a generous level of government spending on higher education.
Technology
SimNation is very technologically advanced compared to real-life nation-states. The technology of the country includes Servos and SimBots, the remarkable, and seemingly sentient, humanoid robots.
It is currently unknown if the rest of the world of The Sims universe is as advanced as SimNation. Foreign destinations like Champs Les Sims seem to be on a fairly similar level, although only small parts of these countries are seen.
Government
Job descriptions from the Politics career suggest the government of SimNation is a form of representative democracy. The career in the first two games has positions with names such as "State Representative", "Congressperson", and "Senator" and the job descriptions mention judicial and executive branches of government. This suggest that SimNation is a federation of states, each with their own legislature, and the structure of the federal government of SimNation is similar to that of the United States of America.
The Politics career in The Sims 3 is more ambiguous as to the precise structure of the government; however, the existence of the office of Vice President again suggests a system similar to that used in the real-life USA.
Military
The military of SimNation appears to be an all-volunteer force. It is open to both male and female Sims; both are able to join the Military career track. In The Sims 2, teens and elders can also take up part-time roles. Unlike most modern military systems, there seem to be no enlistment terms, with discharges being granted effectively upon request.
No known wars have been identified in SimNation's history, although it is implied by Emperor Xizzle in The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS that Sims are at war with Aliens. Probably why, in Strangetown, General Buzz Grunt shows pure hate towards Pollination Technician #9. In The Sims 2: Apartment Life it is mentioned in Vivian Cho's bio that her late husband Etokas died "in the line of duty", possibly implying that he was a soldier; however, this has not been confirmed by the game's creators.
Law
A modern police force exists in SimNation. In The Sims series, crime does not seem to be treated harshly, with fines and short-term prison sentences being the only punishments. This contradicts with the SimCity series, where large federal and state prisons can be built. It is possible that crime is treated more harshly in the inner city areas shown in SimCity than it is in the wealthier areas shown in The Sims games, or that political attitudes to crime have changed in the time between the games.
Several activities, such as computer misuse, larceny, and public detonation are rife, and have few consequences. The police force seem far more concerned with obsessively monitoring and tracking down minors who step off their home lot past curfew, which may explain their incompetence in these other areas.
Healthcare
Sims may or may not require medical attentions, such as receiving vaccinations for flu and allergies in the hospital, and they may receive medical checkup and vaccination clinics by doctors. Most diseases can simply be treated by taking a rest at home. Doctors in SimNation do not appear to need any academic qualifications, at least to get started in the career. Hospitals are seen in The Sims 3, mainly for pregnancy and plastic surgery, though medical outreach programs and emergencies from out of town do also occur.
In The Sims 3, hospitals can be owned by private individuals. Doctors can receive extra payment from drug companies and visiting a doctor costs money. In the SimCity games, healthcare appears to be entirely government-controlled, since medical staff and ambulances are on the city payroll, and funding from the government directly affects the numbers of medical staff.
Strangely, while SimNation seems to be technologically advanced in most areas, the average lifespan of a Sim in the normal life state seems to be quite short by modern standards. This is evidenced by the fact that all the characters who are teens or older in The Sims 3 (at least, those who also appear in later games in the series' chronology, and are unaffected by the time-travel storyline) are deceased by the time of The Sims 2, which supposedly takes place 50 years later. In real-life terms, this would place the average life expectancy of a SimCitizen somewhere in the mid-60s. The reasons for this disparity are unknown. Most likely it is simply a result of the creators' attempt to frame the series continuity in real time, despite the fact that Sims' life stages do not progress realistically. Alternatively, it may stem from the creators' desire not to overpopulate the pre-made neighbourhoods with Sims already in the Elder stage.
Royalty
SimNation appears to be a republic, with no royal family considered as heads of state for the entire nation. However, a few pre-made Sims seem to be of royal or noble descent, although whether they are part of a largely defunct monarchy belonging to SimNation itself or inherited their titles from ancestors in another country is never clarified.
There is a royal family in Hidden Springs named the Vanderburgs. The "Queen" holds the job title Leader of the Free World, and her children are described as "Prince" and "Princess". It is unknown if they are the royal family of the entirety of SimNation or just a part of it; or, indeed, if they are descended from the royalty of another country altogether and simply retain the titles informally.
Princess Zaghawa Maximus is implied to be descended from a royal line, possibly of a SimNative tribe. However, her wealth and status in SimNation are likely due to her celebrity as an opera singer rather than her lineage.
References
- ↑ Although it is still regarded as a neighborhood in the game, the size and build are based off a real city.
- ↑ Like Bridgeport, Starlight Shores is still regarded as a neighborhood in the game, yet the location and décor are based off a real city.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Emerville, East Bay and Finnburgh are mentioned in the sports section of the newspaper in The Sims 3[confirmation needed].
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 These 10 towns and suburbs appear as empty neighborhood templates in The Sims 2 and can be found in the SC4 Terrains folder.
Dates featured: 1-15 January 2012.