#the-sims

#the-sims

The art of illustration is thriving in 2025, in defiance of a year where generative AI imagery skyrocketed in its pervasiveness. Taking the top spot is Angelica Frey's deep dive into the enduring influence of the 2000 game The Sims, where isometric dollhouses of quirky NPCs have inspired creatives for 25 years. Likewise, Luca Bjørnsten's crayon illustrations of 90s televisions, VHS tapes and computer screens has transported you all back to earlier days of home technology.

Amazon has a limited-time deal on Goliath's officially licensed board game adaptation of The Sims. Normally $23, The Sims Board Game is discounted to only $16.19. This is an Amazon Lightning Deal with limited quantities. The budget-friendly strategy game would make a great gift for fans of Maxis and EA's wildly popular life-sim series. The Sims Board Game was designed as a replayable experience for up to five players ages 12 and up.

In 1999, a programmer named Patrick Barrett joined the video game studio Maxis to help develop the video game that would become The Sims. Working from an out-of-date design handbook, he coded the game to allow for same-sex relationships-even though the studio initially decided not to include queer relationships for fear of backlash. The game was demoed to press with a wedding scene at E3 1999, and during the demo two female Sims kissed.

The Sims Board Game adapts the life management gameplay of the video games into a replayable tabletop experience for 2-5 players, launching for $20 on August 15.