Pardon the bump, but I have some advice.

We currently live in a world where we share everything online. We feel as we MUST share every aspect of our lives with people who we really don't know. Even in the gaming world, we share everything about our progress. I know that 'sharing is caring' and Social Media is fun, but I think sharing a lot comes with some drawbacks. One of them being overwhelmed with content. Too much exposure. Being too simulated (pun intended).

I believe one thing that has impacted my feelings of boredom with The Sims 2 is sharing and observing on Social Media. I can't explain it, but every time I take a break from the game, along from Simblr, SimTube (YouTube), Simscord (Discord), etc... I feel a boost of creativity and want to play again. Unfortunately, I fall in the trap of needing to see what other players are doing in their game and the burnout feeling returns. When I don't play the game, I'm watching others play it. When I'm not watching others play, I'm playing the game. That is too much Sims for my brain to handle and to fix that, I drop the game like a hot potato for months on in.

For those who are old enough. Remember back in 2004, where we would just play The Sims for hours on in and then go to bed? We would play the game and wouldn't feel the need to share pictures or videos with people online. We didn't look on Ask Jeeves, Yahoo Search, or Google to find Let's Plays or Sims reactions videos. Some of us were active in the BBS forum, reading stories and downloading CC, but only for a few hours a day. Sharing gameplay was more restricted back then and it was fine because we still could have fun just playing the game.

Anyway, my advice is to get back to basics. Pull away from sharing or even looking at Sims Social Media. No YouTube, no Simblr, no reading gameplay threads, no sharing pictures of your cute Nooboos online, no Discord notifications. Just play the game and then go to bed.

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TL;DR: To prevent boredom or burnout, go old school and play the game without the internet. Ignore anything Sims related on Social Media. Stop sharing your gameplay online.

Thanks for sharing. you certainly make some good points!

I don’t know how you all feel about this, but I am of the opinion that because of today’s attention economy and rampant social media content we should seek to not just be consumers but also creators. This shifts our interactions with social media and its effects on us from doomscrolling, depression, lack of human connection to participents and creators of our own lives. We are the main character in our own lives instead of the passenger in someone else’s narrative. I have struggled with social media addiction and low self esteem due to it myself. But I notice when I start to create I feel happier. I still keep ties with my family and friends in real life but I also spend time on what matters to me which is interacting with people who share my interests like all of you. Also I enjoy reading your stories and gaming strategies. But I pace myself and consume a little per day while also creating my own hoods and living a virtual life with my sims .

Sorry for being so philosophal my mother was a philospher at birth. It runs in my blood. 🩸😂 okay then, back to my Alderdale babies