Long story. About 2 weeks ago, I hit what I thought was a milestone in my Simming adventures. So, like other Simmers, I posted on Reddit. I have grown to like the r/LowSodiumSimmers subreddit, as it is low-drama, except for our Sims. So I hit over 6K played time in The Sims just before Labor Day. What I thought was a phenomenal Simming accomplishment was nowhere near the community’s expectation of living vicariously through our Sims.
How I Play The Sims 4
One consideration is that I also need to play the game for work. I know it sounds like madness to play a video game as part of your work tasks. I can assure you I am not always ‘Playing’ the game. Most of the time, I showcase CC, get images for blogs, write tutorials, or test things out. However, if I had to guess, I would estimate that about 75% of my game time is spent in CAS (Create-A-Sim). Even when I’m playing for fun, I still take forever to make and style Sims.
As far as gameplay goes, I have played a couple of challenges. These include: the Not-So-Berry Challenge, completing a lot of CAS challenges, and having a Legacy family with 5 generations. You can actually read about this hot mess express Soap Opera in the making HERE. I also attempted a 100 Baby Challenge, but I mistakenly used my Simself and my partner’s Sim, got too attached to the Sim Kids, and gave up after child 11.
How Long Have I Played The Sims 4
I don’t want to date myself completely, but I have been playing The Sims since the dawn of The Sims. So I have played The Sims 4 on and off since it was released. I was really into WoW when The Sims 4 first released, and my son was a toddler then, so I didn’t play consistently.
I was part of a fan e-zine at that time called Sensation. Long story short, I took a break, then came back to online competitions and started a fan e-zine called Dazzle, DS4M, with a group of friends. At this point, really, the only time I was in-game was for e-zine work. But it was a lot of fun. That, of course, led me to TSR in 2020, and now I play more Sims than ever!
Reddit’s Reaction
A good number of players have a similar hour commitment to mine, in that 7K to 5K range. However, some of you are committed to the level I wish to be (I need about two more days a week). Some players report 30K+ hours, with proof. You can follow along or join the discussion HERE.
Is the Gametime Time Tracker Accurate?
One discussion that came up in my post is whether the game tracker accurately tracks playtime. A few factors make it clear that most seasoned players have much more time than the EA app says.
For one, Offline mode doesn’t seem to count toward the game time tracker. I go offline anytime there is a new update, and I try to stay there until the CAS Columns mod is updated or verified as not broken by the new update. I simply cannot play without it and refuse to play without it.
Of course, the subreddit has also reported glitches or complete time resets. Also, if you convert your game to Steam, you’ll see two different play times, and sometimes Steam, which comes later, shows more.
Final Thoughts
It’s been really lovely to see others’ experiences with game time, and I plan to keep posting on this subreddit, as it seems like a decent group. Learning that my feat of Sim victory was a drop in the bucket has been a bit funny, but we all have different commitments and factors that play into things. It’s definitely been a lot of fun, and a game I would still play even if I didn’t work here.
