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92-514: The Sims is a social simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts in 2000. The game allows players to create and control virtual people, called "Sims", and manage their daily lives in a suburban setting. The game features an open-ended gameplay, where players can choose their own goals and objectives, and customize their Sims' appearance, personality, skills, relationships, and environment. A series of expansion packs were also released that add new content and features to

184-494: A Sim dies, a tombstone or an urn will appear (in later expansion packs, the Grim Reaper will appear first), and the ghost of the deceased Sim may haunt the building where it died. In addition, Sims can leave the game for good and never return. If two adult Sims with a bad relationship brawl often, it may result in one of them moving out. Children will be sent away to military school if they fail their classes. Lastly, not fulfilling

276-422: A baby Sim's needs will result in a social care worker permanently taking the baby away from the household. When the "Live" mode occurs in the game, the player may enter "Build" mode or "Buy" mode to pause time and renovate the house or lot. When the game begins, each family starts off with 20,000 simoleons (regardless of its number of members). These funds can be used to purchase a small house or vacant lot on

368-515: A benevolent figure who serves to gently sever the last ties between the soul and the body, and to guide the deceased to the afterlife , without having any control over when or how the victim dies. Death is most often personified in male form, although in certain cultures death is perceived as female (for instance, Marzanna in Slavic mythology , or Santa Muerte in Mexico ). Death is also portrayed as one of

460-606: A coffin for seven years. Her sister was the goddess of life and destiny, Laima , symbolizing the relationship between beginning and end. Like the Scandinavians, Lithuanians and Latvians later began using Grim Reaper imagery for death. In Breton folklore, a spectral figure called the Ankou ( or Angau in Welsh ) portends death. Usually, the Ankou is the spirit of the last person that died within

552-485: A combination of 3D and 2D graphics techniques. The Sims themselves are rendered in 3D, whereas the house and all its objects are pre-rendered and displayed diametrically . For the game's Japanese release, the game was renamed to SimPeople (シムピープル) to match the naming conventions of the other Sim games from Maxis. The game music was composed by Jerry Martin , Marc Russo , Kirk R. Casey, and Dix Bruce, with additional participation from jazz pianist John R Burr for

644-460: A crossed tile. The base game contains over 150 items, including furniture and architectural elements. In addition, the game includes an architecture system. The game was originally designed solely as an architecture simulator, with the Sims there only to evaluate the houses, but during development, it was decided that the Sims were more interesting than originally anticipated, and their once-limited role in

736-725: A depiction of Death striking the hour. A version first appeared in 1490. In the Netherlands , and to a lesser extent in Belgium , the personification of Death is known as Magere Hein ("Thin Hein") or Pietje de Dood ("Peter the Death"). Historically, he was sometimes simply referred to as Hein or variations thereof such as Heintje , Heintjeman and Oom Hendrik ("Uncle Hendrik "). Related archaic terms are Beenderman ("Bone-man"), Scherminkel (very meager person, "skeleton") and Maaijeman (" mow -man",

828-581: A devil or angel of death (e.g., Habakkuk 2:5 ; Job 18:13 ). In both the Book of Hosea and the Book of Jeremiah , Maweth/Mot is mentioned as a deity to whom God can turn over Judah as punishment for worshiping other gods. The memitim are a type of angel from biblical lore associated with the mediation over the lives of the dying. The name is derived from the Hebrew word mĕmītǐm (מְמִיתִים – "executioners", "slayers", "destroyers") and refers to angels that brought about

920-536: A job. Sims may earn promotions by fulfilling skills and maintaining friendships with others for each level, which lead to new job titles, increased wages, and different work hours. Alternatively, Sims may create and sell various artwork and items at home. While there is no eventual objective to the game, states of failure do exist in The Sims . One is that Sims may die, either by starvation, drowning, fire, or electrocution (or from natural causes/age in certain versions). When

1012-562: A person wearing a toothy skull. He is one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and is the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld. His headdress was shown decorated with owl feathers and paper banners and he wore a necklace of human eyeballs, while his earspools were made from human bones. He was not the only Aztec god to be depicted in this fashion, as numerous other deities had skulls for heads or else wore clothing or decorations that incorporated bones and skulls. In

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1104-570: A reference to his scythe ). The concept of Magere Hein predates Christianity , but was Christianized and likely gained its modern name and features (scythe, skeleton, black robe etc.) during the Middle Ages . The designation "Meager" comes from its portrayal as a skeleton , which was largely influenced by the Christian " Dance of Death " ( Dutch : dodendans ) theme that was prominent in Europe during

1196-417: A social simulation game. Story of Seasons , a series that began in 1996 and is often compared to Animal Crossing , has also been described as a social simulation game. Its social simulation elements are derived from dating sims , a subgenre that dates back to the early 1980s, with games such as Tenshitachi no gogo in 1985 and Girl's Garden in 1984. Since the initial success of these games in

1288-480: A sword) belongs to the equipment of the Angel of Death ( Eccl. R. iv. 7). The Angel of Death takes on the particular form which will best serve his purpose; e.g., he appears to a scholar in the form of a beggar imploring pity (the beggar should receive Tzedakah )(M. Ḳ. 28a). "When pestilence rages in the town, walk not in the middle of the street, because the Angel of Death [i.e., pestilence] strides there; if peace reigns in

1380-486: A time, place or year" – which means death is destiny.) Morana is a Slavic goddess of winter time, death and rebirth. A figurine of the same name is traditionally created at the end of winter/beginning of spring and symbolically taken away from villages to be set in fire and/or thrown into a river, that takes her away from the world of the living. In the Czech Republic , the medieval Prague Astronomical Clock carries

1472-452: A toy than a game. Sims are influenced by the player to interact with objects or other Sims. Sims may receive guests at their home lot, invited or not, from other playable lots, or from unhoused non-player character (NPC) Sims. If enabled in the game's options, Sims have a certain amount of free will , allowing them to autonomously interact with their world; however, the player can override most of these autonomous actions by canceling them in

1564-421: A variety of forms, typically that of an ugly, frightful hag, but in some stories she chooses to appear young and beautiful. Some tales recount that the creature was actually a ghost , often of a specific murdered woman or a mother who died in childbirth. When several banshees appeared at once, it was said to indicate the death of someone great or holy. In Ireland and parts of Scotland, a traditional part of mourning

1656-568: Is "la Parca" from one of the three Roman Parcae , a figure similar to the Anglophone Grim Reaper, though usually depicted as female and without a scythe. In Aztec mythology , Mictecacihuatl is the " Queen of Mictlan " (the Aztec underworld ), ruling over the afterlife with her husband Mictlantecuhtli . Other epithets for her include "Lady of the Dead," as her role includes keeping watch over

1748-498: Is mrityu (cognate with Latin mors and Lithuanian mirtis ), which is often personified in Dharmic religions . In Hindu scriptures, the lord of death is called King Yama ( यम राज , Yama Rāja ). He is also known as the King of Karmic Justice ( Dharmaraja ) as one's karma at death was considered to lead to a just rebirth . Yama rides a black buffalo and carries a rope lasso to lead

1840-508: Is considered in Talmudic texts to be a member of the heavenly host with often grim and destructive duties. One of Samael's greatest roles in Jewish lore is that of the main angel of death and the head of satans . Talmud teachers of the 4th century associate quite familiarly with him. When he appeared to one on the street, the teacher reproached him with rushing upon him as upon a beast, whereupon

1932-464: Is depicted as a skeletal figure with a scythe, sometimes wearing a cape and crown. He is associated with death and the curing of diseases. In the African-Brazilian religion Umbanda , the orixá Omolu personifies sickness and death as well as healing. The image of the death is also associated with Exu , lord of the crossroads, who rules cemeteries and the hour of midnight. In Haitian Vodou ,

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2024-590: Is frequently portrayed as a skeletal old woman, as depicted in 15th-century dialogue "Rozmowa Mistrza Polikarpa ze Śmiercią" (Latin: "Dialogus inter Mortem et Magistrum Polikarpum" ). In Serbia and other South Slavic countries, the Grim Reaper is well known as Smrt ("Death") or Kosač ("Reaper"). Slavic people found this very similar to the Devil and other dark powers. One popular saying about death is: Smrt ne bira ni vreme, ni mesto, ni godinu ("Death does not choose

2116-504: Is no man who lives and, seeing the Angel of Death, can deliver his soul from his hand." Eccl. 8:4 is thus explained in Midrash Rabbah to the passage: "One may not escape the Angel of Death, nor say to him, 'Wait until I put my affairs in order,' or 'There is my son, my slave: take him in my stead.'" Where the Angel of Death appears, there is no remedy, but his name ( Talmud , Ned. 49a; Hul. 7b). If one who has sinned has confessed his fault,

2208-514: Is not uncommon for Death to be female. In England, the personified "Death" featured in medieval morality plays , later regularly appearing in traditional folk songs. The following is a verse of "Death and the Lady" (Roud 1031) as sung by Henry Burstow in the nineteenth century: Fair lady, throw those costly robes aside, No longer may you glory in your pride. Take leave of all sour carnal vain delight I'm come to summon you away this night. In

2300-523: Is now commonly called Pietje de Dood "Little Pete, the Death." Like the other Dutch names, it can also refer to the Devil. In Western Europe , Death has commonly been personified as an animated skeleton since the Middle Ages . This character, which is often depicted wielding a scythe , is said to collect the souls of the dying or recently dead. In English and German culture, Death is typically portrayed as male, but in French, Spanish, and Italian culture, it

2392-468: Is sometimes referred as the Angel of Death as well. Jewish tradition also refers to Death as the Angel of Dark and Light, a name which stems from Talmudic lore. There is also a reference to " Abaddon " (The Destroyer), an angel who is known as the "Angel of the Abyss". In Talmudic lore , he is characterized as archangel Michael . In Hebrew scriptures, Death ( Maweth / Mavet(h) ) is sometimes personified as

2484-436: Is surrounded with a web of fable. When the time came for him to die and the Angel of Death appeared to him, he demanded to be shown his place in paradise. When the angel had consented to this, he demanded the angel's knife, that the angel might not frighten him by the way. This request also was granted to him, and Joshua sprang with the knife over the wall of paradise; the angel, who is not allowed to enter paradise, caught hold of

2576-562: Is the "Netherworld Emissary" Jeoseungsaja ( 저승사자 , shortened to Saja (사자)). He is depicted as a stern and ruthless bureaucrat in Yeomna's service. A psychopomp , he escorts all – good or evil – from the land of the living to the netherworld when the time comes. One of the representative names is Ganglim (강림), the Saja who guides the soul to the entrance of the underworld. According to legend, he always carries Jeokpaeji (적패지),

2668-515: Is the keening woman (bean chaointe), who wails a lament – in Irish : Caoineadh, caoin meaning "to weep, to wail." In Scottish folklore there was a belief that a black, dark green or white dog known as a Cù Sìth took dying souls to the afterlife. Comparable figures exist in Irish and Welsh stories. In Welsh Folklore, Gwyn ap Nudd is the escort of the grave, the personification of Death and Winter who leads

2760-688: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse . Most claims of its appearance occur in states of near-death . As is the case in many Romance languages (including French, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian), the Spanish word for death, muerte, is a feminine noun . As such, it is common in Spanish-speaking cultures to personify death as a female figure. A common term for the personification of death across Latin America

2852-459: The Gede are a family of spirits that embody death and fertility. The most well-known of these spirits is Baron Samedi . Yama was introduced to Chinese mythology through Buddhism . In China, he is known as King Yan ( t   閻 王 , s   阎 王 , p   Yánwáng ) or Yanluo ( t   閻羅 王 , s   阎罗 王 , p   Yánluówáng ), ruling the ten gods of

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2944-614: The United States in recent years. Since the pre-Columbian era , Mexican culture has maintained a certain reverence towards death, as seen in the widespread commemoration of the Day of the Dead. La Calavera Catrina , a character symbolizing death, is also an icon of the Mexican Day of the Dead . San La Muerte (Saint Death) is a skeletal folk saint venerated in Paraguay , northeast Argentina . As

3036-495: The soul back to his home, called Naraka , pathalloka, or Yamaloka. There are many forms of reapers, although some say there is only one who disguises himself as a small child. His agents, the Yamadutas , carry souls back to Yamalok. There, all the accounts of a person's good and bad deeds are stored and maintained by Chitragupta . The balance of these deeds allows Yama to decide where the soul should reside in its next life, following

3128-683: The underworld Diyu . He is normally depicted wearing a Chinese judge's cap and traditional Chinese robes and appears on most forms of hell money offered in ancestor worship . From China, Yama spread to Japan as the Great King Enma ( 閻魔 大 王 , Enma-Dai-Ō ), ruler of Jigoku ( 地獄 ); Korea as the Great King Yeomra ( 염라 대왕 ), ruler of Jiok ( 지옥 ); and Vietnam as Diêm La Vương , ruler of Địa Ngục or Âm Phủ . Separately, in Korean mythology , death's principal figure

3220-475: The Angel of Death like a beast before the slaughterer" ( Grünhut , "Liḳḳuṭim", v. 102a). R. Samuel's father (c. 200) said: "The Angel of Death said to me, 'Only for the sake of the honor of mankind do I not tear off their necks as is done to slaughtered beasts'" ('Ab. Zarah 20b). In later representations, the knife sometimes replaces the sword, and reference is also made to the cord of the Angel of Death, which indicates death by throttling. Moses says to God: "I fear

3312-503: The Angel of Death may not touch him ( Midrash Tanhuma , ed. Buber, 139). God protects from the Angel of Death (Midrash Genesis Rabbah lxviii.). By acts of benevolence, the anger of the Angel of Death is overcome; when one fails to perform such acts the Angel of Death will make his appearance (Derek Ereẓ Zuṭa, viii.). The Angel of Death receives his orders from God (Ber. 62b). As soon as he has received permission to destroy, however, he makes no distinction between good and bad (B. Ḳ. 60a). In

3404-559: The Aztec world, skeletal imagery was a symbol of fertility, health and abundance, alluding to the close symbolic links between life and death. There was also the goddess of suicide , Ixtab . She was a minor goddess in the scale of Maya mythology . She was also known as The Hangwoman as she came to help along those who had killed themselves. Our Lady of the Holy Death (Santa Muerte) is a female deity or folk saint of Mexican folk religion, whose popularity has been growing in Mexico and

3496-461: The Christian belief of Christ defeating death, many devotees consider the veneration of San La Muerte as being part of their Catholic faith . The rituals connected and powers ascribed to San La Muerte are very similar to those of Santa Muerte; the resemblance between their names, however, is coincidental. In Guatemala , San Pascualito is a skeletal folk saint venerated as "King of the Graveyard." He

3588-475: The City (2004). These versions incorporate some features of later PC expansion packs, and Bustin' Out adds a multiplayer mode supporting two simultaneous players. When completing the game, Will Wright dedicated The Sims to the late Danielle Bunten Berry , an influential trans game designer known for her innovation and contributions to multiplayer gaming. Social simulation video game When The Sims

3680-402: The Grim Reaper with a scythe and black robe. Today, Ingmar Bergman 's 1957 film The Seventh Seal features one of the world's most famous representations of this personification of Death. In Poland , Death – Śmierć or kostuch – has an appearance similar to the Grim Reaper, although its robe was traditionally white instead of black. Because the word śmierć is feminine in gender, death

3772-602: The Lord " smites 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp (II Kings 19:35). When the Angel of Death passes through to smite the Egyptian first-born , God prevents "the destroyer" ( shâchath ) from entering houses with blood on the lintel and side posts ( Exodus 12:23). The "destroying angel" ( mal'ak ha-mashḥit ) rages among the people in Jerusalem (II Sam. 24:16). In I Chronicles 21:15 the "angel of

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3864-400: The Lord" is seen by King David standing "between the earth and the heaven , having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem ." The biblical Book of Job (33:22) uses the general term "destroyers" ( memitim ), which tradition has identified with "destroying angels" ( mal'ake Khabbalah ), and Prov. 16:14 uses the term the "angels of death" ( mal'ake ha-mavet ). The angel Azra'il

3956-506: The PC version of the game for Next Generation , rating it four stars out of five and saying: "Do not miss. Run do not walk. And set aside lots of time." Will Wright, the game's designer, said the game has been a success in many ways—attracting casual gamers and female gamers (the latter making up almost 60% of players). In 2012, the game was one of 14 video games selected by the Museum of Modern Art as

4048-467: The United States. As of March 2015, The Sims had sold more than 11.24 million copies for PC, making it one of the best-selling PC games of all time. The Sims was followed by the sequels The Sims 2 (2004), The Sims 3 (2009), and The Sims 4 (2014). The console versions of The Sims were each followed by a sequel, The Sims Bustin' Out (2003), and a spin-off game, The Urbz: Sims in

4140-568: The Wild Hunt to collect wayward souls and escort them to the Otherworld, sometimes it is Maleagant , Arawn or Afallach in a similar position. In Greek mythology , Thanatos , the personification of death, is one of the offspring of Nyx (Night). Like her, he is seldom portrayed directly. He sometimes appears in art as a winged and bearded man, and occasionally as a winged and beardless youth. When he appears together with his twin brother, Hypnos ,

4232-563: The Year " and " Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction "). Game Informer ranked it the 80th best game ever made in its 100th issue in 2001. In 2005, The Sims was inducted into GameSpot ' s list of the greatest games of all time. In 2016, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted The Sims to its World Video Game Hall of Fame . In August 2016, The Sims placed 31st on Time ' s "50 Best Video Games of All Time" list. In 2019, it

4324-404: The ability to create a farm and grow produce. Grim Reaper Personifications of death are found in many religions and mythologies. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe ) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul . Other beliefs hold that the spectre of death is only a psychopomp ,

4416-921: The action queue at the top of the screen. Unlike the simulated environments in games such as SimCity , SimEarth , or SimLife , Sims are not fully autonomous. They are unable to take certain actions without specific commands, such as paying bills, finding a job, exercising, and conceiving children. Sims communicate in a fictional language called Simlish , which is mostly composed of blowing raspberries and saying nonsense. The player can make decisions about time spent in skill development, such as exercise, reading, creativity, and logic by adding activities to Sims' daily agenda. Daily needs such as hygiene and eating can and must also be scheduled. Although Sims can autonomously perform these actions, they may not prioritize them effectively and can suffer consequences for neglecting their own needs. In addition, Sims must maintain balanced budgets and usually supplement an income by obtaining

4508-606: The angel called upon him at his house. To another, he granted a respite of thirty days, that he might put his knowledge in order before entering the next world. To a third, he had no access, because he could not interrupt the study of the Talmud. To a fourth, he showed a rod of fire, whereby he is recognized as the Angel of Death (M. K. 28a). He often entered the house of Bibi and conversed with him (Ḥag. 4b). Often, he resorts to strategy in order to interrupt and seize his victim (B. M. 86a; Mak. 10a). The death of Joshua ben Levi in particular

4600-744: The basis for an intended collection of 40 games. The PlayStation 2 , Xbox , and GameCube ports received scores ranging from 81.05% to 85.80% on GameRankings . The Sims has won numerous awards, including GameSpot ' s "Game of the Year Award" for 2000. During the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (since 2013 known as the D.I.C.E. Awards ), The Sims won " Game of the Year ", " Outstanding Achievement in Game Design ", and " Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering " (along with nominations for " Computer Family Entertainment Title of

4692-403: The bones of the dead. Mictecacihuatl was represented with a fleshless body and with jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day. She presided over the ancient festivals of the dead, which evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with Spanish cultural traditions. Mictlāntēcutli, is the Aztec god of the dead and the king of Mictlan , depicted as a skeleton or

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4784-555: The city of Luz, the Angel of Death has no power, and, when the aged inhabitants are ready to die, they go outside the city (Soṭah 46b; compare Sanh. 97a). A legend to the same effect existed in Ireland in the Middle Ages ( Jew. Quart. Rev. vi. 336). Death is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse portrayed in the Book of Revelation , in Revelation 6:7–8 . And I looked, and behold

4876-463: The community and appears as a tall, haggard figure with a wide hat and long white hair or a skeleton with a revolving head. The Ankou drives a deathly wagon or cart with a creaking axle. The cart or wagon is piled high with corpses and a stop at a cabin means instant death for those inside. Irish mythology features a similar creature known as a dullahan , whose head would be tucked under their arm (dullahans were not one, but an entire species). The head

4968-447: The cord of the Angel of Death" (Grünhut, l.c. v. 103a et seq.). Of the four Jewish methods of execution, three are named in connection with the Angel of Death: Burning (by pouring hot lead down the victim's throat), slaughtering (by beheading), and throttling. The Angel of Death administers the particular punishment that God has ordained for the commission of sin. A peculiar mantle ("idra" – according to Levy, "Neuhebr. Wörterb." i. 32,

5060-585: The destruction of those whom the guardian angels no longer protected. While there may be some debate among religious scholars regarding the exact nature of the memitim, it is generally accepted that, as described in the Book of Job 33:22, they are killers of some sort. According to the Midrash , the Angel of Death was created by God on the first day. His dwelling is in heaven , whence he reaches earth in eight flights, whereas Pestilence reaches it in one. He has twelve wings. "Over all people have I surrendered thee

5152-411: The drop into it. This drop causes his death; he turns putrid, and his face becomes yellow. The expression "the taste of death" originated in the idea that death was caused by a drop of gall. The soul escapes through the mouth, or, as is stated in another place, through the throat; therefore, the Angel of Death stands at the head of the patient ( Adolf Jellinek , l.c. ii. 94, Midr. Teh. to Ps. xi.). When

5244-424: The early 2000s, video game journalists have begun to refer to a group of similar games as belonging to the social simulation game genre. Several other social simulation games have emerged to capitalize on the success of The Sims . This includes several sequels and expansion packs, as well as games like Singles: Flirt Up Your Life with heavy similarities. A farming sim is a specific type of social sim in which

5336-482: The end of his garment. Joshua swore that he would not come out, and God declared that he should not leave paradise unless he had ever absolved himself of an oath; he had never absolved himself of an oath so he was allowed to remain. The Angel of Death then demanded back his knife, but Joshua refused. At this point, a heavenly voice ( bat ḳol ) rang out: "Give him back the knife, because the children of men have need of it will bring death." Hesitant, Joshua Ben Levi gives back

5428-457: The game a score of 92%. The game received praise for its open-ended gameplay allowing players to choose their own goals and objectives, as well as its sound design, "crisp" graphics, and humor. Reviewers positively compared The Sims to Maxis' 1999 title SimCity 3000 . GameSpot assigned a review of 9.1/10, describing it as "highly detailed". IGN gave the game a score of 9.4/10, and praised its easy-to-use user interface. Jeff Lundrigan reviewed

5520-409: The game including its designer, Rich Gold. A demo of the game was presented at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo . During a displaying in front of the press, two female characters at an in-game wedding fell in love and kissed each other. After the event, the relationship mechanics were further modified so the character's sexual orientation was set depending on the player's actions. The Sims uses

5612-460: The game is an artificial life program that is agent-based . The presentation of the game's artificial intelligence is advanced, and the Sims will respond to outside conditions independently, although often the player's intervention is necessary to keep the Sims on the right track. The Sims technically has unlimited replay value , in that there is no way to truly win the game, and the player can play indefinitely. It has been described as more like

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5704-424: The game was developed further. Players have a broad choice of objects that their respective Sims may purchase. Objects fall into one of eight broad categories: seating, surfaces, decorations, electronics, appliances, plumbing, lighting, and miscellaneous. The original inspiration for The Sims was Christopher Alexander 's 1977 book on architecture and urban design , A Pattern Language . Game designer Will Wright

5796-573: The game, such as new careers, items, locations, and scenarios. The game's development was led by Will Wright , and the game was a follow-up to Wright's earlier SimCity series. Wright was inspired to create the game by Christopher Alexander 's 1977 book A Pattern Language , and Scott McCloud 's 1993 book Understanding Comics later played a role in the game's design. Seven expansion packs were released from 2000 to 2003, each of which added new items, characters, skins, and features. Upon release, The Sims garnered widespread critical acclaim and

5888-595: The game, with Will Wright stating in an interview that he wanted to put the player in the design role. Websites for downloading CCs and mods include The Sims Resource and Mod The Sims . Maxis released modding tools for The Sims before the game itself, resulting in a suite of fan-created mods being available at launch. The Sims had a total of seven expansion packs released in its lifecycle. Each expansion generally adds new items, neighborhoods, characters, skins, and features. The Sims received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic , which assigned

5980-472: The god of sleep, Thanatos generally represents a gentle death. Thanatos, led by Hermes psychopompos , takes the shade of the deceased to the near shore of the river Styx , whence the ferryman Charon , on payment of a small fee , conveys the shade to Hades , the realm of the dead. Homer's Iliad 16.681, and the Euphronios Krater 's depiction of the same episode, have Apollo instruct the removal of

6072-523: The goddess of death and ruler over the realm of the same name, where she received a portion of the dead. In the times of the Black Plague , Death would often be depicted as an old woman known by the name of Pesta, meaning "plague hag", wearing a black hood. She would go into a town carrying either a rake or a broom. If she brought the rake, some people would survive the plague; if she brought the broom, however, everyone would die. Scandinavians later adopted

6164-461: The heroic, semi-divine Sarpedon 's body from the battlefield by Hypnos and Thanatos, and conveyed thence to his homeland for proper funeral rites. Among the other children of Nyx are Thanatos' sisters, the Keres , blood-drinking, vengeful spirits of violent or untimely death, portrayed as fanged and taloned, with bloody garments. In Scandinavia , Norse mythology personified death in the shape of Hel ,

6256-634: The influence of dollhouses on The Sims , which have generally also informed the gameplay of this genre. Animal Crossing was released in 2001 for the Nintendo 64 in Japan . While released towards the end of the life cycle of the Nintendo 64, it developed a following that led to it being ported to the GameCube and released throughout the world. As the game's popularity has surged, this series has also been described as

6348-502: The knife in exchange for the Angel of Death's name. To never forget the name, he carved Troke into his arm, the Angel of Death's chosen name. When the knife was returned to the Angel, Joshua's carving of the name faded, and he forgot. (Ket. 77b; Jellinek, l.c. ii. 48–51; Bacher, l.c. i. 192 et seq.). The Rabbis found the Angel of Death mentioned in Psalm 89:48, where the Targum translates: "There

6440-477: The late 1800s, the character of Death became known as the Grim Reaper in English literature. The earliest appearance of the name "Grim Reaper" in English is in the 1847 book The Circle of Human Life : All know full well that life cannot last above seventy, or at the most eighty years. If we reach that term without meeting the grim reaper with his scythe, there or there about, meet him we surely shall. The " Angel of

6532-412: The late Middle Ages. "Hein" was a Middle Dutch name originating as a short form of Heinric (see Henry (given name) ). Its use was possibly related to the comparable German concept of "Freund Hein." Notably, many of the names given to Death can also refer to the Devil; it is likely that fear of death led to Hein's character being merged with that of Satan . In Belgium, this personification of Death

6624-471: The list with the names of the dead written on a red cloth. When he calls the name of Jeokpaeji three times, the soul leaves the body and follows him inevitably. The Kojiki relates that the Japanese goddess Izanami was burnt to death giving birth to the fire god Hinokagutsuchi . She then entered a realm of perpetual night called Yomi-no-Kuni . Her husband Izanagi pursued her there but discovered his wife

6716-454: The name Mot and a version of Mot later became Maweth, the devil or angel of death in Judaism. Latvians named Death Veļu māte , but for Lithuanians it was Giltinė , deriving from the word gelti ("to sting"). Giltinė was viewed as an old, ugly woman with a long blue nose and a deadly venomous tongue. The legend tells that Giltinė was young, pretty, and communicative until she was trapped in

6808-555: The neighborhood screen. After purchasing a lot, a user may construct or remodel a house in Build mode or purchase or move furniture in Buy mode. All architectural and customizable features and furnishings in Build and Buy modes follow a square-tile system in which items must be placed on a tile. Walls and fences extend along the edge of a tile and can follow the edge of the tile or cross it diagonally, but furniture items cannot be placed on either side of

6900-520: The player tends to a farm at the same time they interact with other townspeople. A direct connection can be drawn from early games in the genre such as Harvest Moon (1996) to the more recent Stardew Valley (2016). Other games, such as the Rune Factory series and Harvestella (2022) put a fantasy spin on the genre, while there are also sci-fi examples such as Lightyear Frontier . The 2.0 update of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) added

6992-474: The power," said God to the Angel of Death, "only not over this one [i.e. Moses ] which has received freedom from death through the Law." It is said of the Angel of Death that he is full of eyes. In the hour of death, he stands at the head of the departing one with a drawn sword, to which clings a drop of gall . As soon as the dying man sees Death, he is seized with a convulsion and opens his mouth, whereupon Death throws

7084-404: The project continued, Wright found that the social aspect of the game turned out to be highly engaging, and the team started to focus more on the characters of the game, such as by letting Sims visit one another's houses and by implementing long-term relationships. Wright has mentioned playing Little Computer People and receiving valuable feedback on The Sims from several people involved with

7176-455: The project off the ground. He managed to convince his company to let him work on the project (codenamed "Project X" at the time) in the background while developing SimCity 2000 and SimCopter . He was lent one programmer for the project, Jamie Doornbos, who went on to become the lead programmer for The Sims . During the first few years of the project, Wright and Doornbos were primarily developing an open-ended system of character behavior. As

7268-568: The result of internal migration in Argentina since the 1960s, the veneration of San La Muerte has been extended to Greater Buenos Aires and the national prison system as well. Saint Death is depicted as a male skeleton figure usually holding a scythe . Although the Catholic Church in Mexico has attacked the devotion of Saint Death as a tradition that mixes paganism with Christianity and is contrary to

7360-481: The songs used in the game's Build Mode. The game disc contains 37 tracks, of which 15 were published in 2007 as an official soundtrack album. Most of the tracks contain no vocals, but some of them feature Simlish lyrics. The Sims is credited with opening up modding to a new demographic, making it easy enough for "casual modders" to modify the game. The Sims was designed in a way that it would be easy to add user-created content (also known as custom content or "CC") to

7452-462: The soul forsakes the body, its voice goes from one end of the world to the other, but is not heard (Gen. R. vi. 7; Ex. R. v. 9; Pirḳe R. El. xxxiv.). The drawn sword of the Angel of Death, mentioned by the Chronicler (I. Chron. 21:15; comp. Job 15:22; Enoch 62:11), indicates that the Angel of Death was figured as a warrior who kills off the children of men. "Man, on the day of his death, falls down before

7544-665: The theory of reincarnation . Yama is also mentioned in the Mahabharata as a great philosopher and devotee of the Supreme Brahman . The Canaanites of the 12th- and 13th-century BC Levant personified death as the god Mot ( lit.  "Death"). He was considered a son of the king of the gods , El . His contest with the storm god Baʿal forms part of the Ba'al Cycle from the Ugaritic texts . The Phoenicians also worshipped death under

7636-525: The top-selling PC game in history at the time, displacing Myst by selling more than 6.3 million copies worldwide. By February 2005, the game had shipped 16 million copies worldwide. By July 2006, the console versions of The Sims series had sold a combined 3.5 million units in the United States. Next Generation ranked The Sims as the 45th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in

7728-599: The town, walk not on the edges of the road. When pestilence rages in the town, go not alone to the synagogue, because there the Angel of Death stores his tools. If the dogs howl, the Angel of Death has entered the city; if they make sport, the prophet Elijah has come" (B. Ḳ. 60b). The "destroyer" ( saṭan ha-mashḥit ) in the daily prayer is the Angel of Death (Ber. 16b). Midr. Ma'ase Torah (compare Jellinek, "B. H." ii. 98) says: "There are six Angels of Death: Gabriel over kings; Ḳapẓiel over youths; Mashbir over animals; Mashḥit over children; Af and Ḥemah over man and beast." Samael

7820-479: The value of abstraction for getting readers or players involved with a story. Will Wright started working on The Sims after releasing SimAnt in 1991. It was during that same year that he lost his home during the Oakland firestorm of 1991 , and he incorporated his experience of rebuilding his life into the game; however, the game's concept was very poorly received by a focus group , so Wright had difficulty getting

7912-614: Was described by Wright as being successful in attracting casual male and female gamers. The game is regarded as one of the most influential and greatest games of all time . It won several awards and placed 31st on Time ' s The 50 Best Video Games of All Time list. The game has also been commercially successful, being one of the best-selling PC games of all time with 11.5 million copies sold. Several sequels in The Sims series have been released — The Sims 2 in 2004, The Sims 3 in 2009, and The Sims 4 in 2014. The structure of

8004-472: Was inspired by the book's focus on functionality in architecture, as Alexander based his design principles on structural usability rather than aesthetic values. Wright wanted to create a simulation game about enabling human behavior and interaction through design. Scott McCloud 's 1993 book Understanding Comics became a big influence on the design of The Sims later on, as it advocates a certain type of "collaboration" between designer and consumer and outlines

8096-428: Was made from a spine; or they would toss a basin of blood on the person, which was a sign that the person was next to die. Gaelic lore also involves a female spirit known as Banshee (Modern Irish Gaelic: bean sí pron. banshee, literally fairy woman ), who heralds the death of a person by shrieking or keening. The banshee is often described as wearing red or green, usually with long, disheveled hair. She can appear in

8188-512: Was no longer as beautiful as before. After an argument, she promised she would take a thousand lives every day, becoming a goddess of death, as well as giving birth to the gods, Raijin and Fūjin , while dead. There are also death gods called shinigami (死神), which are closer to the Western tradition of the Grim Reaper; while common in modern Japanese arts and fiction, they were essentially absent in traditional mythology. The Sanskrit word for death

8280-521: Was ranked 17th on The Guardian ' s "50 Best Video Games of the 21st Century" list. The Sims was released on February 4, 2000, and became a best-seller shortly after launch. In the United States, it was the best-selling computer game of 2000, with domestic sales of 1.77 million units and revenues of $ 72.9 million. It remained the country's No. 1 computer title in 2001, when it sold an additional 1.48 million units and earned another $ 60.4 million in revenue. In 2002, The Sims became

8372-441: Was released in 2000, it was referred to as "almost the only game of its kind". But there are several important precursors to The Sims and the social simulation genre. Firstly, the game's creator Will Wright acknowledged the influence of Little Computer People , a Commodore 64 game from 1985. The games are similar, although The Sims is described as having a richer gameplay experience. Secondly, Will Wright also acknowledged

8464-425: Was said to have large eyes and a smile that could reach the head's ears. The dullahan would ride a black horse or a carriage pulled by black horses, and stop at the house of someone about to die, and call their name, and immediately the person would die. The dullahan did not like being watched, and it was believed that if a dullahan knew someone was watching them, they would lash that person's eyes with their whip, which

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