Mermaid Cove ~ Meet The Mermaid

Would you believe this all started with my wanting a blue kitchen for my Sims?

OK, so it really started at New Year's, 2001. My husband and I were visiting friends, and their son was playing "The Sims." I heard the music and the gibberish, and had to go see what he was doing. He showed me the basics of the panel, and let me play for a few minutes ~ and that's when I decided I had to have this game.

It took a while to work it into the budget, but I eventually found an excuse to buy the original version in June of '01. Then, of course, I had to find another excuse to buy "Livin' Large." "House Party" soon followed as a gift from my husband; for Christmas, "Hot Date"; for my birthday, "Vacation." Yes...I am a SIM-A-HOLIC.

Of course, by now the addiction is so firmly established, I no longer need an excuse to buy a new expansion pack. The fact that it's released is reason enough...as it was with "Deluxe Edition," then "Unleashed"...which my mother gave me for my wedding anniversary (I think she gave my husband underwear <G>). When "Superstar" was released, all I had to do was mention it to my husband, who said simply, "Happy Mother's Day." Finally, I pre-ordered "Makin' Magic" without even mentioning it to anyone else!

What is it about "The Sims" that makes it so popular, and so habit forming? Part electronic doll-house, part strategy game...but more than either. For me, a big part of the attraction is the ability to customize nearly every component, to build and decorate the houses of my dreams without having to make a major investment in craft or decorating supplies. Back when I was a teenager (oh, so many years ago), I wanted to be a fashion designer when I grew up. That didn't pan out, but now I create Skins and custom Meshes for Sims, so I'm finally enjoying my dream.

I have time for all this because my kids are grown, and I'm on disability. My whole life is on the Internet...well, there, and Sim City with the Sims! My husband is a truck driver living out his own life-long dream after 20 years in computers, so he's very understanding when it comes to my spending so much time staring at this screen...playing the game, creating Sim-Stuff, chatting on message boards, or maintaining this web site (I'm a self-taught graphic artist and web designer).

My husband also knows that my real friends are online, and respects that. My parents think I'm a bit warped, but they also appreciate the happiness that the game, and especially the online Sims Community, have brought to my life. They've even given me three of my Expansion Packs as gifts! Also, if not for my brother, a successful commercial artist, I wouldn't have the wonderful tools I use to create graphics for objects and skins (Photoshop and a Wacom Tablet/Stylus).

So, to my husband, my parents, and my brother:
THANK YOU!
I LOVE YOU!

I'd also like to thank the generous programmers who created the programs that allow us to do everything from simply re-coloring the objects that come with the game, to creating brand-new things. (I've even created a Sim of myself; you'll see her milling about in the screen shots, and you can download her from the Colorful Characters section. I couldn't have done that without the great programs offered FREE [or at very little cost] by their creators.) To all of them: THANK YOU!

THANK YOU, too, to those other object-creators, to the mesh-makers, to the tutorial-writers, and to my friends at ROMOTS (Refugees Of Mall Of The Sims) and other message boards* ~ all of whom make up a wonderful, giving Internet community. I am truly honored by your company.

* My "hangouts" in addition to ROMOTS:
Seabrees
The Attic
FUBAR
Sim Tribal Council (now part of Marbles48)
Livin'-It-Up.net Forum

My username at these boards is Hairfish or NotAnotherHairfish.

Updated: April, 2004

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