I'm not the inventor of the "homeless experiment" in The Sims 3. That honor goes to Robin Burkinshaw, creator of the (absolutely fantastic) tale of Alice and Kev. If you haven't read the tale of Alice and Kev -- which is still ongoing -- stop reading this blog and go read that one.
Otherwise, I'd like to introduce to you Sara and Mike. Sara is the
single, homeless, unemployed mother of Mike, her son that inherited her
genius, over-emotional tendencies, and loner personality. I created a
plot of land to look like an abandoned park, setting about with the
idea of following these two on their journey, while minimizing any
interruptions and suggestions from myself. Again, I'm not claiming to
be original in implementing the parameters of this experiment, but
reading the tale of Alice and Kev was powerful enough to make a
purchase of The Sims 3 an imperative. Here, as I follow Burkinshaw's example, understand that my emulation is the sincerest form of flattery.
I
give Sara and Mike nothing but an acoustic guitar, which Sara takes up
immediately, musical virtuoso that she is. Mike stands silently behind
his mother and taps his foot to the music. When she's done playing,
they converse. She talks about music, of course. But he talks about
money. Then they play tag for hours through the bramble-ridden park.
As night falls, Sara again takes up the guitar, playing through her
need for sleep, and playing through her hunger that's settling in for
the first time. They both wake up in the middle of the night, talking
about nothing but food.
They brush their teeth several times each in the public restroom,
perhaps to make up for a lack of all other hygiene, and then fall back
asleep. The next morning, Mike talks about wanting a house, and Sara
explains that money -- stacks of it -- are needed to purchase a home.
It also looks like Sara, in the same conversational strand, is trying
to explain what being a "starving artist" might mean for the both of
them.
Mike runs to catch the bus. He's hungry, but he'll eat for free at
school. Sara will have to find other means of filling her
starving-artist stomach.
