My other addiction(part 1)

Category: Misc
I'm sure most of you are unaware of the fact that I am a smoker. I don't proclaim my right to smoke or complain about the lack of public places in which I am allowed to smoke so how would you know?
This post isn't going to be about that either .
I have this terrible addiction which is depriving me of sleep and causing me to ignore my friends and loved ones. This addiction is called...The Sims 2.
It is a role playing/simulation game invented by EA. You know of Sim City fame?
How did I become imbroiled in this terrible Sim Culture you may ask?

The Introduction:
I blame my father for my addiction to this game. For one Christmas when I was about 16 or 17 I received a PC game in my stocking. My brothers had all received games for their PlayStation and I guess my Dad didn't want me to feel left out. Since I hadn't shown any interest in the PlayStation, but was always on the PC I gues he figured this would be an appropiate game. The game that he gave to me was called Sim Tower. The basic premise was to build a building in which you could add various establishments such as Offices, Condos and Restaurants. As you met various requirements your building would get a star rating and you'd get to add more goodies to your building. This was the beginning of the end for me. I would spend hours at a time just trying to reach the next star rating. Since it's not a timed game the hours would speed by as I sat in front of the computer. Luckily I was still in school and had a bedtime and was forced to vacate the computer. So the game was not allowed to infiltrate my life completely.

The beginning of the end:
Because I had registered my initial game with EA they would periodically send out newsletters talking about the games that they were working on and the release dates. One of these newsletters mentioned a new and intriguing game called The Sims. The game talked about getting involved in the lives of the little people that populated their previous games. Being able to move them through their lives. Make them go to work and dance and even pee!!! I was enthralled. By this time I was in college and didn't really have a lot of disposible income. But I made sure that I had the money for this game when it was released. It lived up to all that it said it would. Being a Virgo I enjoy being in control. What better way to fulfill my yearn for control than a game that puts the happiness of little computer generated people in my hands? I loved it. I would start out intending to spend just a few hours playing before I went to bed at night. The next thing I knew the Sun would be coming up and birds would be singing. No problem I was young and didn't need much sleep anyway. I'd catch a nap between classes and be good to go. Little did I know that EA had more in store for my poor sleep deprived body.

My first Expansion Pack:
EA in it's endevour to improve their game and make it more lifelike developed Expansion Packs. Now m ySims could get more exciting jobs. Cooler clothes and go out on dates. Even Woo-Hoo(that would be sex for those of use in the real world)! Yet again I spend hard earned money and the hours in front of the computer increase and my sleep lessens.

I Break for Reality:
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing and I was able to lessen the hold that EA and The Sims had taken on my life. Friends, school, work, all helped to bring my out of the world of The Sims and back to reality. The game would now sit idly for several months at a time. Every once in a while I would break it out when I had a weekend to lose and be perfectly happy.

EA tightens it's grip:
Then I got another email from EA. Why oh why do I continue to register my games? You would think I would have learned. This newsletter is complete with screenshots and links to the website, so you can watch tantilizing videos. Is that my beloved Sim in 3D? Yes it is. Not only is the content richer and more enthralling but it has even more aspirations. More interactions. You can even make videos and invent stories. On top of that the the realease date is dangerously close to my birthday. It was like a sign. This game would be mine.