My Secret Passion - or perhaps not so much!

Hi, in case I have not introduced myself properly with a dazzling, celebrity-style grin whilst dramatically rolling my eyes at the white-as-my-pale-skin ceiling, my name is LikeATeen. Obviously, that was not listed on my birth certificate; my parents, only getting used to the thrilling world of Microsoft, would never have given me an username in preparation of the soon-to-be-famous Facebook a few years later.

Anyhow, I also have a petit secret which I must disclose to you, in the manner of handing over a black bag full of sweets where your poor, rotting teeth would never survive another bite of a sticky Drumstick: my heart has fallen far lower than losing a grip on my two inch heels due to my ever-growing passion of The Sims 2 PC game. Yes, a teenage girl can be blessed with the ability to feel such powerful, often unbreakable passion over a mere video game which was released nearly a decade ago. Oops, have I already revealed much more than my heart desires?

If you had given me a question regarding video games a couple of months ago (before my yearly panic about leopard print t-shirts during the summer well and truly sank in like a saturating bar of oh-so-heavenly chocolate), my head would have spun around in shock, as I would attempt to read an extra page of Interview With The Vampire without complete disgust clouding my thoughts. The nearest that I had got to even remotely enjoying - of course, with a satisfied smile curving my lips and taking all attention away from my monthly joy of spots - video games was listening to Lana Del Rey's song of the same name. OK, builder's heaven Minecraft or violent-as-my-hormone-fueled temper Call of Duty were, to my gaming addict brother's disappointment, not featured in the song, but I couldn't help but appreciate such a glorious, albeit un peu gloomy tune. Tearful teenagers - at times, the spot-on description for myself - like that sort of thing, right?

Yet everything was ready for a massive change as my yearning to purchase a Sims game grew stronger and stronger - sure, I didn't mind this at all because I wished to prove and let the world know that girls (even with goth-like purple lipstick that others hardly love the sight of) can play video games, too. And The Sims - a game where you can simply create virtual characters and have complete control of their lives - somehow stood out to me, regardless of the year it was released.

So, one day whilst trawling around a supermarket hardly much larger than my bedroom, my eyes - covered in a thicker-than-my-hair one inch layer of eye shadow - scanned the aisles carefully (probably in the hope of avoiding the frozen apple crumble in the food sections, the sight of which provokes an uncontrollable yelp of disgust from my mouth), eventually landing upon a Sims 2 game, loaded with the Nightlife expansion pack and Celebration! stuff collection. Picking up the DVD in a breathless hurry (who knew that half-stale fruit could encourage you to leave a shop within moments of entering it?), I took a leap of faith, with my brother's perfectly-shaped eyebrows lifting into the polluted air, and chanced my luck, praying that the money I spent on the game wasn't going to be a waste. God knew how much I desperately needed a nude lipstick (which I still haven't discovered).

This year - alongside coping with grief and appreciating short-lived curls sticking in my poker-straight hair, as I have frankly discussed in previous posts - I have learnt a tremendous amount of knowledge, which will hopefully remain stuck in my ever-expanding brain like the tough super-glue that my mum uses. Not only do trainers send me into a frenzy to stick my not-so-kitten heels back onto my feet and all of my childhood hopes of appearing (and winning!) on The X Factor have all but been dashed, like the overcrowded stock of unwanted Lindt bunnies on Boxing Day in shops (for those without wiser tastes), The Sims 2 has won my oh-so-rare seal of approval, alongside an university-themed expansion pack and an increasing amount of cheat-induced alien babies running wild on the Desperate Housewives-like suburbia neighbourhood.

The reason why I've fallen in love with the game? Unlike the endless outbreaks of spots which draw attention away from my bouncy-as-a-tennis-ball mane of hair and the unwanted spam piling up in my virtual mailbox, The Sims enables me to grab life with reins and enforce the events which ought to occur in daily life for virtual beings - a feeling which hardly anybody, regardless of the amount of money or influence they may have, can use to their advantage. Well, at least without great consequences (where have I heard that expression before?).

In comparison to the often violent and gory video games which are constantly picking up countless awards and winning over legions of fans across the world, The Sims may be deemed in the eyes of some as 'boring' or in fact 'lifeless' - so, if this is a display of life for virtual characters who have no place in the world, what can be said about reality for us? Not all new and up-coming games are obliged to follow a similar path which has already been set upon by fellow and previous programs; isn't the whole point of attracting an audience is promoting different situations and scenarios, not necessarily brutal events which would disgust one to the core?

Take it or leave it, there is no denying the fact that I love playing The Sims because of its simplicity and attractive plot, all of which is handed over to the gamer; don't teenagers crave an epic hunger to be given freedom easily over a plate? Well, here is your opportunity, though it is in the form of a video game.

Whether it is creating an union between two loved-up 'Sims' (the obvious choice of word 'for character'), helping one set upon the long, exhausting job ladder or even changing a Sim change their hair colour - how I envy them for not resorting to chemical-ridden, root-destroying dye! - The Sims offers the ideal gaming experience, nonetheless of one's gender or age.

Of course, not every single thing - from the now-out-of-date graphics to the noticeable lack of social interactions - ticks all of the boxes on the list, but nevertheless I'm hardly in a position to complain, especially as the game only set me back less than £10. Yes, wouldn't it be an even more honest display of real life if Sims had no choice than to visit and anxiously wait to see a doctor for three or more hours, as some many (unfortunate) people nowadays are obliged? I guess that there is only so much that can be featured in a game, particularly one that was voted as the best year of a crop load back in the days when I would willingly wear pink dresses with an eager delight. Cringe.

Maybe in the future, I'll muster up the courage and have a go with the third edition in the continuous Sims series, but, as I currently check the prices available on Amazon, it definitely won't be for a good while yet. Besides, why give up the version which I so strongly enjoy when it simply offers no more than easy-going pleasure?

As many video gamers say (and I cannot believe that it is on the verge of being blurted out), Happy Simming!