Even if you’re not a gamer, you’ve probably heard of The Sims™, a video game franchise that lets players create and dictate the lives of virtual characters. Originally released in 2000, The Sims universe has maintained a loyal following by tweaking its technology and adding potential life-emulating experiences for its simulated inhabitants. Now in its fourth version, The Sims is about to take on another aspect of real life: Death.
“Only transitions …”
On October 31, Electronic Arts (EA … the same folks who are behind the wildly popular EA Sports game franchise) will release The Sims™ 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack with “optional Macabre Mementos Digital Content” available for early adopters.
“Achieve your dreams in life by ticking items off your Bucket List or pursue them as a Ghost with Unfinished Business,” says the text accompanying a preview of the pack on YouTube. “There is a ghastly new world to haunt, a career that’ll bring you closer to Grim, Wills to write, Crypts to explore, and even ghostly skills to master. There are no real endings – only transitions – as you move between life, afterlife, and even Rebirth.”
Simulated embalming
With this addition, The Sims universe expands by several neighborhoods, including “the haunting realm” of Ravenwood, the “eerie village” of Crow’s Crossing, and the “otherworldly” Mourningvale. Players can wander through cemeteries, ruins, haunted houses, and of course, a funeral home, where they can be either the grieving family member or the deathcare professional.
“The Undertaker Career is a classic career in which Sims will serve both the living and the dead,” says the official EA announcement. “From grave digging to embalming, Sims who pursue a career in the funeral industry ensure all Sims can move on in peace. Specializing in this before-afterlife care prepares Sims for difficult moments like, Discussing End of Life services or Contemplating Existence. Six feet in they will be rewarded with a Plague Mask, a Murphy Membrane Bust, or a Corpus Commendation Plaque to honor their achievements. It has two branches that Sims can go down: either Mortician or Funeral Director.”
Just like in real life, players acting as family members can plan incredibly elaborate funerals, including food, candles, specific urns or caskets, and memorial portraits. They can create eulogies, define a dress code, and plant a memorial tree, and even create a will that designates which Sims will receive their heirlooms and serve as caretakers for their pets. As morticians, players have the opportunity to learn embalming, grave digging, and even grief counseling.
Could this game serve as a tool for training aspiring funeral directors? We’re not sure exactly how realistic the simulation could be, but if you’d like to check it out, you can preorder The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack now to start playing immediately when it launches on October 31, 2024 on PC via EA app™, Mac® via Origin, Epic Games Store and Steam®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems.
