I have a confession to make: Playing The Sims has always turned me on.
In 2000, computer game The Sims entered the world. My dad inexplicably had a copy and my life was forever changed. Currently we are on the fourth iteration of the game, The Sims 4, and while much aesthetically has changed, my instant arousal has been consistent. It was not until I started school with the Sexual Health Alliance that I began to recognize my arousal as a kink response.
Before, I just chalked it up to being… well, young and horny—and making your sims “woohoo” can be pretty exciting. Though I never unpacked the why behind my arousal until now. So why does playing the game turn me on? What, if anything specifically, is my trigger? And, perhaps most importantly, are there other horny Simmers?
Upon examining my state while playing, I’ve established my arousal stems from three origin points: an underlying god-complex, interest in voyeurism, and from an intense state of relaxation.
The Sims world revolves around a god-complex; the entire point of the game is detailed dominance—physical appearance, clothing, personality, lifestyle, goals, needs, desires, advancements are all controllable. The goal is to live out fantasies, to be their god.
You are the creator and manipulator, choosing exactly what your Sim does during the day. With certain cheat codes (truly the only way to play The Sims if you ask me), you can manipulate relationships, force your Sim to fall in love with someone else, boost their relationship to high levels within minutes. You can change their mood, starve or feed them, make them rest or sleep deprive them. You can torture and kill, but you can also reward with pleasing their personality traits, fulfilling their needs, and advancing their skills.
Playing The Sims is an act of dominance. It is also an acceptable form of voyeurism. Since The Sims 2 in 2004, your Sims can “woohoo,” or the G-rated version of “Have Sex” in game. Understandably so, it was a huge hit. According to the Sims Fandom page, there are over 20 “places” to woohoo in The Sims 4 and many more in the earlier renditions.
For those wanting to kick their in-game experience up a notch, there are thousands of downloadable content and mods. One mod, called WickedWhims, allows your Sims to have explicit sex. Normally, when a Sim undresses (when changing, showering, woohooing) the Sim is cartoonishly pixelated. WickedWhims does away with that and comes with loads of features like animated sex and the ability to have orgies, give fellatio, and anal play. Your Sim can don a strap-on, contract STIs, and even watch porn.
While the woohooing is an important part of playing the game, it isn’t the only thing that turns me on. When I play The Sims, I enter a state of total relaxation. Personally I find the building and decorating aspect of the game one of the most soothing activities I can do. Creating is focus-driven, but requires little effort. I am, at once, focused but fuzzy, just barely drifting out of reality. I’m slow, methodical, and the state of utter contentedness is exciting.
As for the community of horny Simmers, I think the creators and downloaders (such as myself) of the WickedWhims mod are evidence enough that I’m not alone.
The Sims 4 is available for download on the Origin store. I highly recommend taking it for a spin.
by Shelby Lueders