The Designers Using the “The Sims” as Architectural Software
When Kayla Sims, 24, embarked on renovating her first home she was, of course, going to use the life simulation game The Sims to do it—and not just because of her last name. The content creator known as lilsimsie has almost 2 million subscribers on YouTube and streams herself playing the game on Twitch daily. Sims’ most popular videos are builds, where viewers watch her create homes in which every room in the house is built with a different budget or color, for example.
Sims is obviously an extreme user of the game, but she says that, in her experience, Simmers who love building frequently use the app to help them design their IRL spaces. "People that play The Sims a lot do [use it] when they’re moving into a new place and trying to think about layout and it’s the easiest tool. There are tools like that are more professional, but if you already play The Sims and you’re like, where am I going to put my couch? Let me real quick build it in The Sims and then move it around a bit," she explains, noting that the base level of the game is now free, making it accessible for all. "You can actually see it in 3D, change colors and swap out things so easily. It’s helpful when you’re trying to picture what it’s going to be like in real life."
Two years ago, when Sims bought a house that needed renovations, she didn’t just use the game to design the interiors of her bedroom, bathroom, and office. In the case of the kitchen gut job, she actually showed her Sims build to her contractor, who was able to replicate it, even though he’s never played the game.
