The Sims is a great game franchise, but The Sims Bunker is for times of anxiety, depression and stress, or for when you need to work out a problem creatively.
The Sims Bunker began as a way to relieve extreme stress, anxiety, and depression from being a single mom in college, when the original “The Sims” game was released in 2000.
I was going to school in the competitive field of advertising and found that The Sims were great as almost a psychological spa treatment, where, if I “entered” for 3-4 days as a raw, nervous, depressed, wreck of a person, I would be recharged creatively for several months or more, until life got too hectic again and I needed another “treatment”.
I also found that The Sims allowed me to be creative, when I was too burnt out from being creative professionally to function. There are probably few feelings worse to an artist, than feeling so wrung out that a shower seems impossible, let alone an actual creative project!
Decorating a room or designing a house in The Sims 4, then staging screenshots, is just as creative to me, as creating an original photograph or digital collage, it’s just a different medium. It’s “post-photography“, if anything ever was, and gamers have had this figured out for decades!
The Sims Bunker is simple:
Step 1: Download & install The Sims 4. It’s literally free. You don’t have to spend money, as long as your computer or gaming system is good enough to play the game. This part probably takes the longest, so do this first! If it’s already installed, fire up the game since it takes so long to load for most of us! If you play with mods, update them now! This part can take an hour (more if you’re installing all the DLC, which costs money!) 🌐🛜
Step 2: Decide where you want to be for the next 3-4 days and set up your PC or gaming system for optimal relaxation. Pick a cozy spot where you can comfortably use a game controller, a mouse or your track pad. I also light lavender candles, cuz I’m extra and I like to engage all five senses like they would at a spa! It helps me clear my mind and stay in the moment! 🕯️🧘🏼♀️😌
Step 3: I know this part sucks, but try to FORCE yourself you have a shower. 🛀🏻 It’s not mandatory, I’ve definitely gone trash panda chic in the Sims Bunker a time or two, but trust me, you’ll feel better and enjoy this more if you start off fresh and clean. Plus, this gives the game time to load/download/install and for your scented candles to fill the room. 🧖🏻♀️ (Disclaimer: don’t leave candles unattended! *cough*)
Step 4: After showering, put on your favourite, most comfiest clothes. (Preferably clean ones! If you’re having executive dysfunction, choose clean over comfort!) This could be pajamas or sweat pants, satin or flannel, it doesn’t matter! Be naked if you want! 🙈 The only people who are gonna see you for the next few days are the people who live with you and possibly Uber Eats drivers!
Step 5: Gather your softest, fluffiest blanket, your favourite pillow or Squishmallow, and TWO beverages of your choice. (I do not recommend alcohol, the point of this is hydration because this is a marathon, not a sprint, but you do you. 🤷🏼♀️)
Step 6: Grab a snack. (More on snack selection at a later date, but basically you want something you can eat with one hand, because you’ll be using your other to play the game!)
Step 7: GO PEE! You don’t want to have to get up just as you get into the game! Getting up = IRL interruptions! 💦🚫
Step 8: Get comfy and immerse yourself in Sims (or a similar game) for as long as your schedule allows, or until you feel like doing something else! For me, the process usually takes about 3-4 days.
Like I said, it’s pretty simple, but somehow magic! 🪄🔮
When I come out the other end, my mind is clearer and whatever problem I was having or state I was in when I started seems to have a solution or has dissolved!
So, The Sims Bunker became a way of life.
Now, when I’m burnt out from life, professional or just in general, I retreat to The Sims Bunker, immerse myself in a game for a few days, and usually all is well!
I’ve been doing this for almost 25 years, since The Sims game franchise began, and I’m pretty sure that without this neutral outlet, my bipolar, anxious nature would have gotten the better of me by now, to disastrous results!
This site is where I chronicle my Sims stories and mental health journey through gaming, the way I used to on LiveJournal and Patreon, and still do on Twitter/X. Hopefully it’s of benefit to someone somehow. 😊✌️
