Ctrl+Shift Feminism: The Sims 4 Simulacrum and How to Manifest Your Dream Life

Words: Sihaam Naik

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Welcome to the world of The Sims 4, where virtual worlds blend seamlessly with your wildest dreams and a few clicks can transform your life. Ever wondered what it would be like to have a dream job, a perfect house, or a loving family without the messiness of real life? Or you could go off the opposite end - and “woohoo” with the Grim Reaper, drown your sims in a ladderless swimming pool and kiss every townie in town. This month’s column is centred around one of my favourite hyperfixations, The Sims, and how the digital dollhouse might be the ultimate guide to manifesting your dream life.

I’ve been playing The Sims for as long as I can remember. My first introduction was through my aunt’s phone — using grubby fingers to get my pixelated character to go to the loo and order pizza. Getting a PSP when I was 10 allowed me to play The Sims 2, where I could make out with maids and escape alien invasions. Amidst bottles of Diet Coke and sleepless nights, I’ve learned a thing or two about seducing women (simlish pick up lines) and dancing (flailing my arms around like a weirdo). I’m not depressed — I am simply passively manifesting my dream life.

The Sims allows us to construct a perfect version of ourselves that speaks to our deepest desires for self-improvement and personal growth. Creating a Sim that embodies your ideal self gives you a taste of what it’s like to live as the person you aspire to be. The practice isn’t just about escaping reality, it’s about visualising your potential and embracing the idea that change is possible. In The Sims 4, you’re not just a homeowner; you’re an architect, interior designer, and financial planner all rolled into one. Fancy a mansion with a pool and a home theatre? Or maybe a cosy cottage with a garden and a white picket fence? Your dream house is only limited by your imagination and Simoleons (the game's currency for the uninitiated).
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Think of your in-game house as a digital vision board. In the same way that cutting out pictures from magazines and pinning them to a wall helps you focus on your goals, meticulously crafting your virtual abode can clarify your vision for your real-life sanctuary. It’s all about immersing yourself in the experience and letting your subconscious mind absorb the possibilities.

I created myself by customising my Sim with my custom content (digital add-in content that you can download and add into your play) and put her into the game. With intent, I shaped her life to reflect mine, and as a result, new things that happened to my Sim got reflected in my daily life as new opportunities arose for me. With The Sims, you can manifest your dream home, career, romance, and everything else into your actual reality.

Navigating social interactions and relationships in The Sims 4 is a mix of charm, strategy, and sometimes pure luck — much like in real life. However, the game offers a safe space to experiment with different social dynamics. Whether you’re orchestrating the perfect meet-cute at the local bar or managing the complexities of a multi-Sim household, you’re honing your interpersonal skills in a low-stakes environment. By observing how your Sim interacts with others, you might learn a thing or two about your own social habits and preferences, after all, your sim has been built with your personality traits and star sign. It’s a bit like a digital rehearsal for real-life interactions, providing insights into how different approaches can lead to different outcomes. Plus a reminder that maintaining relationships requires effort and attention, but the rewards are worth it- like a potential WooHoo or two!

I am customising my Sim to its highest capacity, trying my hardest to keep her life afloat, joining the journalism career (which pays much better than real life… reality simulation, my ass) and having two kids, just like I’ve always wanted. The Sims is a franchise that genuinely emulates creative freedom at its finest. Your imagination is your greatest friend, and this game is your tool. Want to befriend aliens? Run a farm? Become a celebrity? Date everyone in town and have 100 babies? Go for it! Not to mention… the base game is completely free to download now.

So, can a video game help you manifest your dream life? The answer is, in my eyes, a resounding yes. The Sims 4 isn’t just about escaping into a fantasy world; it’s about exploring possibilities and practising the art of manifestation in a playful, risk-free environment. By immersing yourself in the game, you’re programming your subconscious with the idea that these dreams are achievable.

I’ve read about ‘fiction suits,’ something video game creators and comic book writers have been doing for ages: inserting themselves into the narrative. The word “fiction” is often used to evoke and reference stories. The word “suit” is used to reference the clothing that you, or someone else, wears. A “fiction suit”, then, is a suit of clothes that are made entirely of fiction. Alan Moore’s done it. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee did it. Osamu Tezuka did it. Grant Morrison did it so regularly and intently that he named it. By blurring the state of reality and fiction, they can influence reality while breaking the fourth wall. These comic book artists would write themselves into the narrative- like fanfiction- except their likeness molds the canon rather than lives through it. Visualisation is a powerful tool in the manifestation toolkit, and The Sims 4 takes it to a whole new level. When you see your ideal life playing out on the screen, it becomes more than a distant dream — it feels tangible and within reach. Instead of traditional methods of visualisation, like sitting in silence and meditating with a clear goal in mind, I choose to slide on my headphones and feel my laptop burn my thighs as I nudge my pixelated Sim to achieve her wildest dreams (marrying Bella Goth). 

“By immersing yourself in the game, you’re programming your subconscious with the idea that these dreams are achievable.”

As a writer, I also use The Sims to flesh out storylines. Sims are nuanced — with likes, dislikes, traits, and aspirations — and autonomously interact with the world around them. In 2012 aged 10, I wrote many short stories about my Sim, with dramatic storylines centred around her shenanigans. It was an essential exercise in writing through The Sims, which I think is beautiful.

Maybe it’s in human nature to ascribe meaning to everything, and perhaps it is an offshoot of our society to attach productivity to everything. It can’t be enough to play for the sake of playing or enjoy video games without feeling slightly guilty. I regress, but in the end, The Sims 4 is more than just a game. It’s a sandbox for the soul, where you can experiment with different facets of life and see what resonates with you. It’s about dreaming big, playing with possibilities, and realising that the only limits are the ones you set for yourself.