Look Inside Here SIM Lovers!

[Lori Hamill]

I am running a THEME Contest! YAY!

Two theme's to pick from, either "Why I Love The SIM" OR "What The SIM Means To Me"

It would be nice to have your entries written and posted here - however, if you don't like writing (or typing) you can use video, pictures, or whatever you can put together that you can provide a link for or somehow make it so we all can view it. There are no real rules but try to be honest and sincere as there will be judging. All entries will need to have a TITLE (besides the theme). This part of the contest will run until October 31 (Halloween). I will than run a poll(s) depending on how many entrants there are for people to vote on which entrant they like best. That will run until November 8th. There will be Win, Place and Show prizes and some Also Ran Prizes of Sim Cash. (Everyone will get something.)

Win - $45,000 Game Points
Place - $20,000 Game Points or $800,000 SIM cash
Show - Whichever is left over
Fourth Place - $50,000 SIM cash

If anyone wants to donate SIM cash or Game Points than the prizes will increase.

A Big Thank You to Kent Saunders and Regina Moore for their donations and increasing the amount of prizes!!

Thank you Cleo Patra for your donation and another increase in the Prizes!

[Pam Maier]

The Love because of Connection
The reasons I love the Sim are endless and I could write forever, however this must have a ending sometime so sadly I must limit the reasons. The one that makes me love the sim the most of all is the connection. This is a second family and a second home to me, whenever I need advice or help with either sim or outside issues the people in this game has always been there. There is no secret agendas and everybody is honest to each other about horses and races. When I joined I was a complete newb and I had three wonderful mentors in my beginning stages that would answer my questions no matter how stupid i thought they were. They helped me see the qualities of each of my horses and how each horse can be a joy to run and i am and will forever be eternally grateful for them. I just celebrate my first full real life year on sim and man has it been a ride and I am still learning with the help of friends and others on the chat. Another reason I love the Sim is because of the one and only Steward. I have played a lot of horse games and I have never met another owner and admin of a site that has been so involved. I enjoy the opportunities she has put on the site that help with real skills, like writing articles and broadcasting for public speaking. On top of all of that she constantly takes in to consideration what her players are working on and requesting and tries to work on it as soon as she can. So thank you Steward for making this a wonderful place to be and everybody else I have met, who have helped me or if I have not met you, I hope that will change. The love of this game comes from the people who are in it and the people who run it and that is what makes this so special.

[Cleo Patra]

I don't have time to enter properly, so I'm donating $250,000 and 10K Game Points to the prize pool.

What I will say about why I adore the SIM is that it has kept me amused since 2007. I've met SO many great people, especially the Steward herself. Going to Disneyland with her and Katy last year was a highlight of that trip. I've made lifelong international friendships, particularly with Scott and Art but also with several other SIM players. I gave up coding in 2010, but I'm still in awe of what the Huff Daddy has achieved from a coding point of view. Even more impressive is the combination of that with the SIM team's ability to make the game a long term addiction for so many of us. It is VERY hard to do that. I also love playing with my fake ponies cause they win stuff far more often than real ponies and they never die, or get injured or any of that drama-rama.

[Sten Rino Haakonsen]

Why I Love The Sim

* Because it has A Coummunity like no other horse game online which gives me the chance to get to know and become friends with a lot of people I wouldn't have known otherwise
* The sim gives me the chance to live out my dream of being a horse owner and learning and failing to own and train champion race horses
* This game has a Steward in it who is a lot more active than any other leaders of any other horse game online which I only see as a very positive thing ( so thank you for that Stewie)
* Also features Scott Eiland and his wonderful that I just have to listen to every chance It comes out with a new one
* Gives me the chance to Own a horse like Old Dan
* It also has a very nice betting feature that give me the chance to bet on horses without losing any real life money (which is a good thing since I suck at betting in real life lol)
* and unlike any other horse simulator online it has the opportunity to learn about and train and race a lot of different types of race horses and not only one like most other online horse simulators does

As a final word I would like to thank The Steward for creating this gameworld that creates something that all the people of the sim would never would have had otherwise
U have created like this huge world inside the world that allows all it's inhabitants to raise and train race horses and compete whith in each other in friendly horse racing competition

And also thanks to all the players of the sim for making this the truly amazing game that it is

[Tammy Stawicki]

In the why I love the sim category...

I am not a rich girl
I am not a rich girl. I will never own a real thoroughbred race horse, and I will certainly never breed one. However, thanks to the sim I have bred and owned many a fake racehorse. I get to develop bloodlines and watch my homebred run, then her daughter, then her granddaughter. I spend my days planning their training and racing schedules and watch them grow and develop. I get to listen to a podcast where people talk about my horses. Watch them run in the steward's cup and have people all over the world congratulate me if I'm lucky enough to win. And while I may never own that real life racehorse I do still love them. Thanks to the sim I have a place online where I can meet and talk with other racing fans. I used to make many a trip to the track by myself presim poststim I got to be surrounded by friends (well at least until I stupidly moved to Seattle).

[Elphaba Thropp]

Simhorseracing.com: My Second Life

So, what do I love about the sim? There are a huge number of reasons of why I love it! First of all, the creator of the game is not some untouchable overlord (No, offense Steward.) like in many other games (Yes Minecraft, I’m talking about you.). No, in the sim, the Steward participates in the game, which includes calling the big races on a audio livestream each sim year, and she even creates a huge auction full of her yearlings, called the Trial by Summer Auction. Before I joined the sim, I had never seen a game where the creator actually played it alongside other players, and this is only one of the reasons of why the sim is so special to me. Another reason is the horses. Even though my horses suck at winning, I still enjoy logging on and imagining that I am walking past their backstretch stalls, patting them and calling each by name. Even though I have less money on the sim than in real life (My horses never win. I usually have around $5,000 after every Sunday when we pay for the horse’s boarding), I love playing the game, and I excitedly await the day that I buy (or breed, for that matter) a horse that deserves a headshot. Finally, probably the most important reason is how older players treat the new players on the sim. On many other games, the reaction newbies get is “LOL NOOBS GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK” (Minecraft, I’m talking about you again.). On this game, the reaction we newbies get is “Cool! New Players! Welcome! Do you need any help with figuring out what to do? I’m here to help!” That is very special to me. Since I am still a New Player, the reaction I got when I joined the sim, (and that I still get) is unlike any other game I have played. I would suggest this game to anyone, even if they don’t know much about racing, simply because of the friendly atmosphere! Simhorseracing.com truely is my second life.

[Jo Ferris]

I would donate prizes, but I'm a little bit broke-ish and still have 50 mares to breed...

Why I love the SIM

'The Unknown'
There are too many things that I love about the SIM, so I'll have to narrow it down to just a few.
I love the unknown-ness to the game, especially with mixed breeds you can have a random horse in your barn rise to the top. Now, this does more often than not go the other way with a very nice looking horse turning into a dud, but it keeps the game interesting and one lucky buy can put you on top, this is what has happened to me on more than one occasion. It started with my first big horse, a Paint mare named Neverinthemiddle, she was a create a horse, the GPs that created her were gifted to me by another player who I still can't thank enough. She went on to win two Steward's Cup races, one SIMMY award and earned just over 400k, and this was in the 'old days' where purses were smaller than they are now, not bad for a horse that galloped Wings (productive)! Nowadays, a horse like her wouldn't be able to win a claimer, but she was racing the year before those speed demons started to appear. She was the boast I needed to figure out the game and figure out that Paints were my favorite. Never wasn't my only lucky break though, Crossword Puzzle (Thoroughbred Dirt Sprinter stallion) was another, I bought him for 500k as a yearling, he went on to win $2.2 million, two SIMMY awards and one Steward's Cup. I tried to pursue Thoroughbred dirt sprint racing, but never found my footing and didn't feel the same way with them as I did with paints. After trying for several years, I gave up on them and pursued a mixer only stable. If there is one thing I have learned in mixers, it's that you never judge a book by it's cover, or in this case, never judge a horse based on it's pedigree, especially it's female family. Every single one of my big horses has been out of a mare that ether never won a race, or, if they did actually win a race, they didn't win many. The only exception to this is In Midflight, she is out of a stakes winning mare, every other one of my homebred stakes horses though have momma's that couldn't race, this includes horses like Rocket Test, Flying Pebble, Jiggery Bug, Charming Freak, Special As Me, West Italy, NSFW, Scorpion, Monkey Face, Ghost of the Past, Boone, Nine Fat Cats, ect.....
That has to be my favorite part of the game, you never know when a good looking horse will turn out to be a dud, or when an average (or less than average) looking horse could become a champion. More often than not, it doesn't go your way, but when it does, it can take you to the top of the division.

I also love the community, so many great people from all over the world play this game. I have made many SIM friends over the years, we help each other out, give each other advice, congratulate each other in our accomplishments and support each other when times are hard. The chat room is a place that gives you an opportunity to interact with others, ask for advice, share your success and maybe even give out horses/receive horses from others. The whole community is there for you if you should need them, many veterans are more than happy to help out the newbies and give them help, whether they listen or not they keep trying to help.

And that is a fairly long explanation (oops...) as to why I love the SIM.

As always, many, many thanks to the Steward and others that make this game what it is!!!!

[Howard Cake]

I have not been here long so I can't talk specifics to the SIM but I can discuss what has drawn me to the SIM and the beauties of what I see in the SIM.

What Attracted Me to This Game
I love the challenge of building and creating something that was not there. Of taking my intelligence and hard work to develop and execute a plan to accomplish my goals. My goals as of now start small but the SIM gives me room to grow as my abilities grow. It gives a wealth of goas to achieve both as a short term and long term. As everyone that has started before me I am looking for that first win, to surviving bankruptcy to developing a strong stable. I also see longer term goals of winning a stakes race, breeding my first horse, and trying to compete with some of the best minds in the SIM. It is exciting to have so much to accomplish.

Other parts of the SIM that I find intriguing is the flexibility provided by the SIM. The choice of what you want to focus on is with each person. There is not one way to play this game or even just one goal to accomplish. Do you want a large or small stable? Do you want to focus on racing or breeding? The choice of what you want to do is yours, it is not a predeveloped success that everyone achieves. We are not all racing to reach the same goals.

The other side is the horses and the emotional connections you can make with them. The excitement of galloping the new horse for the first time to discover what you bought to watching them race. The joy you feel when they exceed your expectations verses the frustrations when it just doesn’t quite come together. I am excited to really develop my first horse crush. I look forward to living through the successes and failures of each horse. The connection is special and is unlike what you can get anywhere else.

Finally I love this is a living game. There is no end to the game or set formula for success. Doing this and that does not always equal success. Like life, success comes from hard work and doing the right things but with that there are no guarantees. That even with the best plans that sometimes luck and other factors can cause you not to succeed. All of this makes success, however you choose to define it, even sweeter in the end. I look forward to growing in this game and finding my taste of sweet success.

[Carolyn Eaton]

Tosca Stables:

The RAV 4 drove along the winding, tree lined drive. Some horses looked up and jogged along, matching pace with the SUV until they got to the end of their pasture and the next pasture began until the yearlings raced and fought to be the closest. The pastures stopped at a large circular drive and the “farm” house.

Carolyn stepped out and down the steps to greet the car as it came to a halt. There was a pause in the doors opening as the final strains of the song Center Field could be heard with the slightly off key vocal accompaniment. The driver jumped out. Carolyn approached and greeted her sandy-haired friend. The quick embrace ended with protests from the back seat, upset at being ignored.

“Which one would you like me to get?” Carolyn asked.

“Liam, he’s more OK with people he doesn’t know well. Keira will just fight you.” Em replied.

They wrestled the babies out, and Carolyn’s Tosca staff stepped in to unload the mounds of baby gear and haul it up to the nursery next to the guest room. Carolyn led Em and her family to the study while the staff set up the chambers. A pleasant, attractive woman waited for them. She wore an anachronistic white starched apron over a black stuff dress.

“Mary, this is my friend Emily, and her twins Liam and Keira.” Mary did a bob curtsy, but smiled and winked at the twins. Liam giggled. “Em, I managed to convince some London friends to loan me their nanny for the week.”

“Along with an additional week in New York for all the wonderful shows.” Mary’s voice had the perfect English lilt. She turned to Emily in a slightly conspiratorial way. “She even got me tickets to Something Rotten, which I have been told is completely impossible.”

“Not if you know the right people.” Carolyn smiled. Mary took that as her cue and bent down to the two toddlers.

“Now, if you two are ready for some games…” Mary clapped her hands together and Liam and Keira both lit up, each small hand taking one of the nannies’. “We’ll be off then.” Em watched almost jealously as the English woman led the two most magical people in her life out the door. Em automatically trusted the woman, mostly because of the woman who had hired her. Carolyn would never trust just anyone with Em’s children.

Carolyn smiled at Emily. “Tea, or something slightly stronger?”

Emily laughed, a sound she had not been as accustomed to of late. “You know I don’t drink, tea will be fine.” Carolyn poured the cups of aromatic black tea and handed Em one and they sat by the bay window, overlooking the horse farm. They sipped their tea until Carolyn could sense Em was ready to speak. Carolyn understood burnout, having experienced a deep level of it herself at one point, all three factors: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of sense of personal accomplishment. Em had helped her through that, and Carolyn now felt it was her time to return the favor.

They looked out over the closest pasture, always reserved for Tosca Stables’ best mare. It had been home to the first resident Pinafore, followed by Thorn Bird and now Olive Branch. The current resident seemed reluctant to make an appearance. “So when do I get a tour?” Emily asked, finishing her mug of Harney & Sons Darjeeling.

“Whenever you’re ready. Golf cart or walk?” Carolyn asked. The day was as pleasant and clear a Texas fall day as anyone could ask for.

“Walk. I have just been driving for 10 hours with two toddlers. Physical activity will be good.” Carolyn nodded and tied up her paddock boots.

The two women were of a height. Carolyn had more grey to her dark hair, but was fit and active, making the younger woman stride out to keep up. On their way to the back pasture they picked flowers. The furthest out was the cemetery. Gently Weeps, Thomas Jefferson and Thorn Bird had joined the other graves since Em last visited. Em lingered over Weeps’ marker.

“She was the prettiest filly, great on the track and just beautiful.” Em commented, dropping some fall mums on her grave.

“She was.” Carolyn agreed. Carolyn never passed up Pinafore’s grave as she passed through the ever enlarging graveyard. The next pastures were of her many pensioners, but it seemed oddly empty since the oldest were in their early twenties. The gravediggers had been busy this year. An odd virus had taken all those over 22.

They stood looking over the pensioned fillies. Sea Horse Racing and Camoflauge jogged to the fence, looking for treats. Carolyn dug through her pockets for the molasses plugs the two loved. “You realize, the two of those together cost me less than a million?” Carolyn commented.

“Yeah, I knew they both went cheap.” Em smiled, patting Sea Horse Racing on her nose. They walked on to the retired studs. Each with their own pasture, the largest to the biggest stud ever to stand at Tosca.

Father Ralph stood in the middle of his pasture, sniffing the air. He looked at the two women, but his attention was always in his surroundings, especially mares in estrus. Ralphie, as Carolyn always called him, may no longer have enough swimmers to be considered fertile, but the interest was still alive and well. They made their way through the remaining yearlings after the annual sale. They couldn’t help but have their eyes drawn to Peace Be With You among the colts. He was as close to perfect as any Thoroughbred could be. Mt. Ararat among the fillies whinnied for her own attention.

Then they wandered through the broodmares, heavy with their next foal. Carolyn stopped to pet Hattie. She felt guilty about almost always selling her foals. But the bloodlines were solid and marketable. “I promise. Run to Tara is staying with me, even if she’s a claimer.” Em laughed again.

“Do you always talk to them?”

“Always.” Carolyn replied. “They understand much more than you would think.”

Finally, their walk took them where Em really wanted to be. Olive Branch stood grazing at the south end of her paddock. Closest to the weanlings. Her musculature had dropped to broodmare fat, but her lines still told her perfect conformation, the lines that transmitted itself, foal after foal, to her offspring. She had already produced three stakes winners in her first three foals, including Peace Offering, going to Emily’s breeding barn at the end of next year. Olive Branch slowly followed them along the paddock and stopped at the far end, in view of the house. The evening sun was dipping close to the horizon with the cool evening breeze. Emily shivered slightly in her light shirt.

“Let’s go back to the house. You have all week to visit.” Carolyn commented, leading the way back to the welcoming front door and the study. “Tonight’s dinner will be grilled salmon with brown rice and vegetables.”

“Sounds much better than road food.” Emily plopped back down into the deep velvet covered chair, watching the sun set as the horses were led back to their respective barns.

Carolyn handed Em a cup of Hot Cinnamon Spice tea. “I would not have any of it if it weren’t for you. Enjoy it. I know I do.”

[Amy Pond]

A TARDIS Arrives at the SIM

There have been two horse games that I spent a decent amount of time on before the SIM. On the first one, I had the first champion in the game – well, I sold it to someone for a lot of money before that happened, since I was new and didn’t know what kind of horse I had. I can still remember that it was a bay mare named Calypso. Shortly after I used that money to build a nice stable, a young girl gave away a lot of personal information via PM to a stranger and that information included her home address. The Admin decided to shut the site down after that incident and that was the end of me playing on a horse site for awhile. I did find another horse game, but it felt tedious and I felt zero connection to the horses. I aged the horses as fast as possible to kill them and harvest their bodies, since a dead horse on that game meant you got a special coin. If you had enough of those special coins, you could buy a special fantasy horse. All I did was kill crappy horses or buy cheap ones and immediately resell them for a slightly higher price. It sounds awful that all I did was kill horses, but honestly the only thing that motivated me in that game was that one horse. I stopped playing before I killed enough horses to get it – running a virtual slaughterhouse gets boring pretty quick. I didn’t love either of those sites. I probably would have grown to love the first one if it hadn’t been shut down.

This year I found the SIM. I had just finished my first show season on a college team and felt a little depressed that I now had to wait until fall to show again. Due to unfortunate circumstances, my team isn’t showing until November. That’s eight months of not showing! I just did a Google search for horse simulations and that’s how I ended up here.

When I first joined, I loved that we were given a nice sum of money starting out, and also got bonus cash a few times after that, just for playing the game! I also love the generosity of other players. I owe my first win and my first second place to horses that were given to me (thanks April Eddy!) Scott Eiland gave me my silks, and a lot of other players helped me in some shape or form. I was helped so much as a newbie that I can’t even remember everyone that’s helped me.

I love talking to other new players and helping them out if I can, or directing them to the forum if I can’t. They share the same genuine enthusiasm and eagerness to succeed that I have. I like helping the brand new players since I remember how much I appreciated being given quality horses when I started out. It feels nice to talk to someone else who is in the same place game wise that I am and make new friends.

Another thing I love is that the SIM is more than just racing and breeding horses. My fellow players make the game even greater, with fun contests (like this one), newbie giveaways, and advice whenever someone needs it. I play the Mixer Handicap contest that Jo Ferris runs every week. It’s a good way to get to know some of the major mixer names and possibly win a horse or two. Last year I placed dead last in the year long standings, which I’m really happy about now. I got two free mare leases and two free stallion breedings. One of those mares gave me Tikbalang, a Stakes Paint that I hope will run his heart out next year. Even if he ends up being a dud I’ll love him since he’s my first ever stakes horse.

SIMvivor is another contest that makes me love the SIM. For a newer player like myself, 1.5 million in SIM cash would be really awesome to win. Well, I imagine it would help any player out, especially if they want to buy a Steward bred. All I can think of personally is how many mixers I can buy with that! So far I’ve managed to make it to the top eight and it will be exciting to see if I can win! I really like the team I was assigned to on the game. I’m glad the game gave me the chance to meet more players like Randall Allen. I know I’m the underdog in the contest since I’m the newest player of all the contestants and my last couple weeks I’ve been in danger of being evicted. I have really enjoyed my time as a SIMvivor contestant so far and I can’t wait to see how the final weeks turn out.

I also love the chat room. It’s a great place to hang out with other players before results come in that day. I attended a live auction that Louise Bayou held in the chat a few weeks ago and it was a lot of fun. It was more intense than the auctions that usually take place and I liked that I didn’t have to worry about last second bidders. I may have bid 12828 K SIM dollars *ahem* on a couple of the horses, but hey, it was a great time! I even got to talk to some new people that night too. If Louise has another one in the future I’ll definitely be in the chat for it.

Right now, what I love most about the SIM is breeding, since this is the first year I started to play around with broodmares. Last year I only bred about five horses since I wanted to spend more time learning about it. This year I’ve bred a little over sixty foals and I just bought ten more broodmares at an auction, even though I told myself I have enough already for this year. A part of me is really eager for it to be Year 43 already so I can see how their potential is as yearlings! I still don’t know everything about breeding or the SIM in general, and its complexity is another thing I love about it.

After a stressful day of work, when customers decide to yell at me over a hamburger, it is really nice to spend the next hour entering my horses for races or hanging out in the chat room. If I got a bad test grade or need to relax it is really nice to spend some time entering horses or drooling over auction/sale horses that I would love to have. Sometimes I need a brief escape from reality and the SIM provides that for me.

I’ve never owned a horse in real life, though that is a goal I hope to reach in the next few years. I don’t mean a racehorse – I just want something for pleasure riding. I have wanted my own horse ever since I was old enough to talk. In the meantime, I can feel like an owner on the SIM.

[Stormy Peak]

What The SIM Means To Me:

Back when I was in the 4th grade, circa 1974, I found the The Black Stallion book series – this after the year before, watching Secretariat win the Triple Crown, and my love for horse racing was out of the gate and running at full speed. My pre-teen days were filled with fantasies of owning/racing magnificent race horses, of breeding them, and racing their offspring too. In my head, I had quite the racing stable! I never thought back then that there could be anything like The Sim where my imagination could be played out in any other way.

As I became an adult, I put away a lot of childhood things, including my fantasy stable. Then I came across the fact that the internet had fantasy horse racing games. I found The Sim and the game play and community was so great, and I revived my childhood dreams of owning a stable full of thoroughbreds.

Then I had some bad stuff happen to me - I had an accident that left me in a wheelchair for 4 months, my injuries cost me a job I had for 25 years, and I ended up on disability. During that time when I was literally getting back on my feet, I lost 3 of my 4 pets, and for the first time ever I had no dogs in my life and went a year without adopting any because I was waiting to see what my financial future was going to be. Once disability payments started to come in then I was able to go out and adopt a few dogs again - but the lose of my pets, that was one of the most lonely times I've ever had...I live alone and the house was so empty without the dogs.

So, yeah, for several years there, my life was just devoid of any fun. I was in extreme pain, confined physically from doing much, stressed about my finances, and grieving over the deaths of my cat, and two dogs. I hit a depression that at times I struggled with on an hourly basis.

I came to The Sim to escape the stresses of the ‘real’ world, and the self destructive thoughts I was entertaining, it was my diversion, a way to keep my mind busy by coming here and buying horses, entering them in races, training them, and celebrating good results nights.
The conversations in the forum, or private messaging also left me feeling so much better after signing out, that I felt like I wasn’t alone in dealing with all this terrible stuff that happened in my life.

So what The Sim means to me, is both a simple and complex emotional thing.
It’s totally fulfilled my childhood fantasies of thoroughbred ownership. I still almost want to giggle over that…lol. Wow, it’s just so funny for me, in thinking about how my long forgotten ‘inner stable’ was brought back to life and I’m totally into playing with it again as a 52 year old woman.

The Sim was also one of the few ‘life savers’ I grabbed onto while going through one of the worse times in my life. It helped me have something, not just to look forward too each day, but for a time it was about the only thing I could do confined and in pain as much as I was there at the first part of my injury recovery, and then in dealing with all the negative emotional stuff that took over my world.

I love the game and admire the wonderful people here who offer up all kinds of game tips and their support when they know someone’s struggling in the game or even in real life. I try to do what I can to help people here too, but must say I have had my fair share of help and it’s a great feeling both ways. The Sim brings the best in some people and it's more than just a game for some people, it's something that Em and all her helpers in the game should be very proud of...that simple horse racing game has matured into a pretty complex game and developed a wonderful community of players along with it.

Stormy

[Mike Eaton]

i created a drunken cray video about this but im going to keep that for my personal collection! Sweet prizes though!

[Johanna Stk]

Why I love the SIM

It is my dream
I have for a long time wanted to work with horses, they are special and amazing animals. In the SIM my dreams of training racehorses becomes reality, training them and racing them. I also love the possibility to do everyting, I like breeding and the expectations you have on the foal the minute you click on 'breed this horse' it is a thing I love. I also love the many divisions and you can always find one you like, you don't have to go with what the other do. It is a game with many options and I love it.
The SIM is also very close to reality in trainig and racing. I feel the same excitement in real life as a I do in the SIM when my horses race. It is a special feeling and I love having it. The community in this game is amazing, I have played many online games and few games have such a nice community. Players are nice to each other most of the time and the veterans are always there to help. It is a game I love and I will continue playing it.

[Ali Hedgestone]

I have been ruminating on why I love the SIM and what the SIM means to me since I signed up in Year 32 on Feb 20, 2012. I has just started my dual master's studies six months before, I must be crazy. The SIM was an instant addiction, and much more interesting than most of my coursework, especially the stats class I was in at the time. At that time many of the classes I was taking were evening classes, yay for free parking! The SIM kept me awake and the other players kept me company through class. I have an extensive past with internet simulation games, video games, and well, computers. I had found the SIM to be one of the best games I had found. I stuck it out through year 32, 33, and 34 before my class, teaching, and research load just overtook my time and sucked the energy out of me. Even though I could not be active, and at one point my horses were all sent to AJ, I still logged in to keep the username active. Having completed my studies and settled into life, I returned in January after a cheery happy birthday message in my messages. Someone still remembered me after 2+ years of inactivity! Begin the great barn rebuild. The SIM is the only game I have ever kept my base account active by logging in.

When I started I instantly found the community amazing, the new player support was phenomenal, and a challenging game with unlimited opportunity. Still do! I could go on and it would have many things similar with the posts above. Except, being the teacher I am, I though I would create a visual representation of what the SIM is and what it means to me. I hope you enjoy.


SIMHorseRacing.com by Ali H, on Flickr

[Lori Hamill]

Contest is now closed. Poll will be going up later today. Thanks everyone for your wonderful entries!