By Tammy Ashworth (January 2, 2003)

"Be Somebody. Else." This is not only Electronic Arts’ logo for its latest gaming release, The Sims Online, but the mantra for a new generation of gamers.

The Sims Online, or TSO as players call it, is the sequel to The Sims, which since its introduction in 2000 has vaulted to become the most popular computer game in history. Over 20 million copies of The Sims and its expansion packs--Living Large, House Party, Hot Date, Vacation, and Unleashed--have sold since then, gaining some 4 million habitual players along the way.

At first glance, TSO and its standalone predecessors might seem to hold little appeal for a sophisticated, technologically savvy audience. After all, who wants to tell a digital man to put down the toilet seat when he’s done in the bathroom, or send his town-dwelling girlfriend a bouquet of roses on their anniversary? What is the point of controlling every aspect of a computer-generated character’s life?

But that’s just what the Sims dynasty is all about: Giving players control in an otherwise turbulent modern world. Satisfying our craving for normalcy at the peak of the technological age by going back to the basics. The Sims isn’t just a game; it’s an escape – from wars on terror, one hit wonders, and countless other societal maladies.

The Sims Online, then, is the ultimate escape.

Imagine forming an alter ego and connecting with thousands of other players and working together toward the same goal of creating new and thriving businesses in safe, verdant communities. Communities with generic names such as Calvin’s Creek or Blazing Falls, names untainted by crime or disease, whose very mention evokes visions of an ideal time when the world was good and TV was black and white.

It’s no wonder that over 80,000 players signed up for the free beta test version of the game, spanning from October until the game’s release earlier this month.

In a world where most MMORGs – massively multiplayer online role-playing games – revolve around violence and bloodshed, TSO is unique: No sickness, no death, and no craven villains to battle. The occasional enemy might rip your heart out and stomp on it, but it’s nothing that some serious time on the dance floor can’t fix. Fortunately, most TSO inhabitants are the same: Friendly and enterprising, willing to help out a new player or take a business risk to earn some Simoleans.

This is not to say that the game, like anything else, is not without its drawbacks. Unlike its standalone predecessors, The Sims Online, as one might imagine, requires an Internet connection to play – and a certain degree of sociability. TSO, which is not so much a game as a massive chat interface with gobs of distracting eye candy to mask the fact, revolves around teamwork and communication as much as most other MMORGs rely upon kill counts and gore. So if you’re not a social butterfly, much less open to the idea of conversing with complete strangers, then TSO is probably not right for you.

The emerging and as yet unbalanced economy presented in the game has also created controversy on the game’s player-only message boards. A prime piece of beachfront real estate might cost as little as $3,000, while a pool table will put you out roughly twice that amount. Others worry about the difficulties of "catching up," with the play testers, many of whom have well-established businesses and reputations throughout their respective communities – and the Simoleans to show for it.

But there’s nothing murky about the monthly fee that TSO expects from its players. The first 30 days of playtime is free, with a cost of $10 a month for each month thereafter. Players are charged via credit card, which is required at registration for age verification purposes – another potential drawback for younger players.

Even as I contemplate these weaknesses, they do not overshadow the game’s endless possibilities. It is just a game, but The Sims Online is also the starting point for a new era of human-centered online gaming technology, bridging the geographical and social barriers to create a new global sense of identity and cohesion.

It won’t solve the world’s problems, nor does it promise to. The Sims series and especially TSO do, however, provide a much-needed release for countless players worldwide, and one that’s becoming increasingly hard to find.

So go ahead and be somebody. Else.