Test Your Real Sims Bars to Prevent Stalling
Maxis The Sims teaches an important lesson about human behavior: most of the time we’re just trying to satisfy a set of basic needs. In the Sims world, these needs are hunger, comfort, hygiene, bladder, energy, fun, companionship, and room, each represented by a slowly dwindling streak. And they are so true that you should check your own before you leave home or go on a long journey.
A big part of your morning routine is to keep these streaks out before you hit the road: breakfast, shower, choosing clothes, downloading a podcast to keep yourself entertained on the train. But when you do something outside your normal routine, such as traveling on weekends or traveling on airplanes, you can forget about these important things (awell-known psychological phenomenon ).
So add Sims to your “wallet, phone, keys” checklist before you leave home. Then consider if you will be away from food, water, or shelter for longer than usual and pack accordingly. Even this strange need for “space” is real: see if you can upgrade your seat on an airplane.
Apart from the real issue of hunger or discomfort, empty Sims strips can make you annoyed or anxious. Like HALT triggers for destructive behaviors (hunger, anger, loneliness, fatigue), these everyday needs can escalate into terrible decisions, especially if you misinterpret them. (I’m much more likely to get into an argument when I’m tired and undernourished, because my dull brain turns “I’m hungry” into “I’m mad at my friend.”)
The list is simple, but the real job is to learn to recognize those needs more often. Hang a reminder on your front door or bathroom mirror. Review the checklist out loud with your partner. Practice meeting each need in the same order every time, so memorizing one always reminds you of completing others, such as remembering the next song in your favorite playlist.
In The Sims, one of the decisions is often to buy something new. But the game doesn’t reward overspending. In real life, consider if the shiny new item you want to buy will actually fill one of these columns better than something cheaper, or if you already have one. Once you think of your needs in trite Sims bar terms, many impulse purchases seem silly.
We often think of real life in terms of the game: “level up” our employees, earn “points” with people. But The Sims teaches us that if life is a game, then it is not a game of constantly moving upwards towards the ultimate goal. This is a game in which you need to support yourself, adapt to new events and find stability without stagnation.