Simulate.

The geek in me is shining through this week as I jump back into “Sim City 4”. For those not familiar with the game, you basically build your own city, your own little country actually, with residents called Sims and money called Simoleons. Being the “road geek” that I am, I have the “Traffic Jam” add-on pack which allows you to build more complex highway networks in your city.

I can never get the budget to balance correctly (small surprise there), so I unashamedly use cheat codes to give myself free money. Sort of like the current administration at the White House. I figure if Bush Lite can do it than so can I.

Anyways, in the past when I’ve played Sim City until all hours of the night I’ve had odd dreams afterwards in that I would dream that I was actually living in the city that I had built. I’d hear the music in the background. I’d wander aimlessly around the streets that I had built to nowhere or to the airport that was bigger than the city itself.

Even though I thoroughly enjoy the game, I do have a problem with my “Sims”. For example, I put two male Sims in the same house and I can’t get them to hook up with each other. There never seems to be an interest, despite the flowers and candy. It’s not as bad in Sim City 4 as it is in the game “The Sims” where attention is paid mostly to the residents (Sim City focuses on the city itself); I never remember to give my Sims in that game a toilet and then they bounce around and eventually poop on the living room table. Then I feel bad.

Nevertheless, as winter has finally arrived and I deal with trouble calls this week, I’ll probably pass some time playing “Sim City 4”. It’s a good way to exercise my inner geek.