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SBN's fictional documentary series

20 years of The Sims 2: How The Sims sequel became so successful in the world of humans

20 years since Bella Goth's disappearance: How the disappearance of the famous Bella Goth had such an impact on the world of The Sims and the world of Humans, as she became popular among the simmer community

The Sims 2 and 2004: A documentary about the impact of pop culture in the year that The Sims 2 was released, such as the popular movies, video games, series, and also about the second term of George W Bush and 11-M in Spain.

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The Sims x PC PowerPlay

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📺👑 Are They Teaching Future Dictators in Political Science?! The Sims 2 University

🎓 The Sims 2 University: Political Science or Dictator Training?! 🧐

Ever wondered what it would be like to study political science in The Sims 2 University? Well, brace yourself – it might not be what you think! In this hilarious video, we dive into the political science major and uncover the shocking "dictator-in-training" vibe that some of these classes give off. From mind-controlling lectures to courses that sound more like the blueprint for a power-hungry ruler, these Sims are getting a crash course in ruling the world – one semester at a time!

Join me as we explore the wild side of Sims 2 University and try to figure out if these students are preparing for a life of politics or plotting their rise to power! 💼👑

The video by Reese, published on April 5, 2025, offers an ironic analysis of the "Political Science" major in The Sims 2 University. With humor, the creator demonstrates how the major's in-game courses resemble the training of future dictators more than traditional political science education. The video explores the major's curriculum year by year, including its satirical course names and the required skills Sims must develop to graduate successfully.

Description of Political Science in the Game World

In The Sims 2 University, political science is described as the study of people and power, where students learn "the fine arts of manipulation and influence". This major gives Sims control over other characters and can lead to various careers—politics, of course, among them. The game’s humorous approach to the subject reflects a certain social critique of real-world politics.

The video’s creator notes that political science in the game is portrayed as a means of gaining influence and power, which significantly differs from the academic approach in real universities. This interpretation creates a comedic effect while also prompting reflection on how politics is perceived in popular culture.

Curriculum: From Public Speaking to Suppressing Protests

Freshman Year

In their first year, political science students take two courses. The first is "The Soapbox and You", a reference to the tradition of public speaking where people would literally stand on soapboxes to deliver speeches. This course teaches Sims to express opinions, engage in debates, and persuade others.

The second course is "Feudalism: Serf's Up!"—a pun combining “feudalism” with surfer slang. It humorously explores the historical political system in which kings granted land to nobles in exchange for loyalty.

Sophomore Year

In their second year, Sims take "Patriotism: Why Every Country Is Worse Than Yours"—a satirical take on extreme national pride that can lead to a sense of superiority over other nations. The course title ironically critiques nationalism and its distortions of perception.

Another course is "Lab: Making Your Own Monarchy", a tongue-in-cheek exploration of political structures. The video’s creator compares this to games like Risk or Europa Universalis, highlighting the absurdity of building a monarchy in a lab setting.

Junior Year

The junior year includes "Plutocracy: Buying the Vote", a critical look at systems where the wealthy hold power and influence governance. The subtitle, “buying the vote,” satirically hints at using money to sway political outcomes via campaign funding, lobbying, or corruption.

The second course is "Protesters: When to Repress", a dark satire on the dynamics between state power and civil unrest. According to the video’s author, at this point, the Sim becomes a “true Machiavellian.”

Senior Year

In their final year, Sims study "History Majors: Why You Should Hate Them", a playful jab at stereotypical academic rivalries. The video notes that the "History" major in the game includes a mirrored course about hating political scientists.

The capstone project is "Senior Project: Questionable Fundraising Internship", which may reference fundraising for revolutions or regimes—or the selling of questionable goods.

Key Skills for a Successful Political Scientist

To successfully complete the Political Science major, Sims must develop several key skills:

Charisma (5 points) – Reflects the importance of persuasion, public speaking, and interpersonal communication in politics. Political scientists need strong charisma to convince voters, win debates, and construct arguments.

Body (4 points) – An unexpected requirement that could relate to the physical stamina needed during campaigns or to a politician’s appearance, considering their public role. The video also suggests this may reference the often harsh nature of political change.

Creativity (4 points) – Indicates that politics often demands creative thinking and strategic innovation. This can relate to narrative-building, reframing issues for public support, or diplomacy requiring subtlety and tact.

Cleaning (4 points) – A satirical nod to the idea of “cleaning up” political messes—both literally and metaphorically. As a politician, a Sim might get involved in scandals and need to repair their reputation. It may also reference the “dirty work” of politics, including corruption or ethically questionable decisions.

Conclusion

Reese’s video is a witty analysis of how political science is depicted in The Sims 2 University, where the game satirically exaggerates the darker aspects of politics. The creator emphasizes that the "Political Science" major in the game feels more like training for future dictators than a traditional education—complete with courses on protest suppression, public manipulation, and authoritarian regime-building.

This approach reflects a certain cynicism about politics and pokes fun at political stereotypes, all while maintaining The Sims’ signature humor. As the video concludes, a Sim with this major will definitely need “an ethical compass,” or else the town of Pleasantview could be in serious trouble.

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I just found out that Rooster Hood is no longer around. Here's a tribute to The Sims 2 StrangerHood series.

Thanks you Rooster Theeth Dag Dag

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It marks 10 years since the closure of Maxis Emeryville

Maxis Emeryville 1989-2015

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Pictures from 2019.

(Not an AOT fan, btw. I just thought the reference was funny.)

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Had this idea of Jenny and Circe chatting after work

...jenny girl run😭🙏

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20 years of PlayStation Portable

20 years of The Sims 2 PSP

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By popular demand (I saw two people asking) I thought I would throw together a quick guide to using the road editor tool in the newest version of SimPE! You'll see that this is a very easy tool to use, and best of all, goof-proof. If you do mess up (you probably will) it's very, very easy to correct.

Very, very, very important to make a backup of your hood before you ever do any tinkering in SimPE! I also recommend practicing on a test hood you don't actively play in to get a feel for it before you do anything to your main hoods.

We're starting with a vanilla Strangetown. I would recommend going in your game and taking a nice overhead screenshot of the hood like this first to look at for reference of where everything is situated the way that you're used to looking at it.

2. Open SimPE, go to Tools> Neighbourhood> Neighbourhood Browser and open the hood you're wanting to work on. If you're not so familiar with SimPE, opening your hood can take some time. Touch nothing until it's loaded!

3. Once it's all loaded, from the Resource Tree list pick Neighbourhood Terrain Geometry (NHTG). Then you'll see one file populate the Resource List - click that. Make sure on the bottom that you have Plugin View tab selected.

4. Now you should see this map of your hood pop up! There are different things you can toggle, I like to check the Show Lots box when I'm editing the roads. Then click the Road Editor button on the right.

5. To be able to see better, I've pulled this Plugin View window up a bit - it may rearrange the Resource List and Resource Tree windows a bit to accommodate. You can also press the Zoom 2x button to see closer, and then you'll have to use the scroll bars to move around the map and the road editor tool.

6. The road editing tools here will be placed down in the same orientation as the map. So the two parallel roads running through Strangetown from this perspective are the vertical straight road pieces (top row, second from left).

When you select a road tool, above it will indicate which tool you have selected.

Also - I recommend having Handle Stop Signs ticked.

7. Once you have the correct type of road selected for the spot you're working on, simply click on the map - it lays it down one tile at a time. If you miss a spot like shown here, just fill it in.

8. If you want to create an intersection, first delete the section of road where the intersection will go.

9. Then choose the type of junction for the intersection you're making, and add that piece in. You'll see a red circle appear (unsure if this is because it's an intersection or because you have handle stop signs selected, but I recommend you do have that selected either way).

10. Once you're done making all your changes, click Close Editor.

11. This is the part where you save your changes! First click Commit in the top right of the editor. Then, File> Save!

12. Load your game to check! Looks pretty good with all those new roads!

13. However, we have indeed made some mistakes! Which were absolutely for illustrative purposes and not truly an accident.

14. Never fear! Simply reload the hood in SimPE - I've deleted the spot where the T-junction should go and added one in, and deleted where the road just ended abruptly and added a proper end piece.

I have not experimented with what happens if you try to build a road through hood deco - if you have, please let us know in the comments how that went!

I also have barely touched the terrain editing tools, so that's outside the scope of this tutorial.

I hope this helped!

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The Pleasant sisters turned the Halloween party into a battlefield—pirate vs. mermaid! 🏴‍☠️🧜🏻‍♀️

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Sims Trivia: According to Lyndsey Pearson way back in the late 2010s, the ‘Bella Goth story’ was inspired by Dynasty in the 1980s.

Stay with me here, this is going to be pretty in depth and may just blow some of your minds.

So Lynsey Pearson did a Q&A session on a fan site named Sim Media way back in 2008. The interview wasn’t very insightful, but she did share some details about the inspiration behind the storylines in The Sims 2.

She explained (when asked what was the inspiration for the storylines in TS2) that pleasant view was this huge tribute to 80s soap operas, with affairs, dramatic encounters and mysteries that were left unresolved.

Bella Goth’s story was inspired by Fallon Carrington in the original Dynasty series. If you’re unaware, dynasty was a true 80s soap and it followed a rich family known as the carrington’s.

So let me explain what happened to Fallon. Fallon was this mysterious, femme fatal character that was seen in the title credits wearing a red dress. She eventually goes missing from the show following a proposition from a guy and the family spend an entire season on the hunt for her. She is abducted by aliens, and she’s plagued by amnesia and can’t remember her family beforehand, or her children. Following her being ‘missing’, she’s replaced by a new actress who is visually different to the character beforehand, but still is seen in the credits wearing that iconic red dress. To add to this, a painted photograph remains inside the family home of the character after she’s been presumed dead following her absence.

Also lets not forget that Mortimer is an old man in the sims 2, who happens to be pursuing and being pursued by a younger blonde female who isn’t wealthy, but the game sets up this marriage. This is the same story as Blake and Crystal in Dynasty.

There are more instances where the soap opera aspect comes into play here, but I found this super interesting and hadn’t heard it mentioned since. Granted, the fan site isn’t around any more, but I was a member at the time. I’d love if she could shed some fresh light on this as the 80s soap opera aspect of Pleasantview has always made it my favourite of all the sims ‘hoods.

So yeah, I thought I’d share this trivia with you guys 🤣

Source:

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playstation advertisements in the 2000s

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20 years of The Sims 2 University

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THE SIMS (2000, dev. Maxis)

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I wish there was a mod that replaces the EA games logo with the original basegame one that said "challenge everything"

that one was sickkk

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web graphics and icons (all transparent pngs) 𑄽♡୧ edited by tonev (2009)