The Sims 3 - No More Hamster Cage

No, I'm not talking about womrats in The Sims 3 (I don't know if it will have womrats or not). Several days ago, I read this very enlightening article at gamesindustry.biz called "Prototyping The Sims 3". It seems:

"That came from a phrase Matt [Brown, design lead] used - during The Sims 2, they referred to the Sims as hamsters with jobs. There's a little hamster cage, and they have a little job.... I always thought that was incredibly limiting," Humble continues."

So did I. That's probably why I spend more time designing things for The Sims 2 than playing it. The repetition--which, sadly, feels like a punishment and casts a long shadow over other games I like, too, like World of Warcraft--is something a lot of gamers can't get over, and makes you want to stop playing, sometimes for good. I always wanted The Sims to be more like a "wind-'em-up-and-watch-'em-go" simulation, where I could interfere but didn't have to (like Black & White, which was an incredible game).

It looks like I might get my wish. After creating a series of imaginative prototypes, the designers for The Sims 3 removed most of the micro-management systems from the game and created a relaxing town full of unstable sims for you to laugh at or nurture as you see fit. Hooray! Check out the full article--it really gives great detail as to how a game like The Sims 3 is developed.