During coronavirus quarantine, video games such as Animal Crossing have brought many people some much-needed distraction from being trapped inside most of the day, isolated from friends and family.
In fact, Animal Crossing has also allowed players to engage in some of the activities that they’ve found themselves unable to do IRL under lockdown, like attending a fashion show, or even taking part in a protest.
What if you didn’t want to ignore the pandemic, though? What if you wanted to, say, simulate this new world of hand sanitizer and social distancing in-game? Well that, of course, is where The Sims comes in.
More specifically, players of The Sims 4 have been adapting their in-game avatars’ lives to fit with what’s going on in the outside world. One player – and Sims YouTuber going by the name Blondie Simmer – has started a “Quarantine Vlog”, for example, in which the character basically sits at home drinking coffee and eating a lot of food (can relate).
In line with COVID-19 guidelines, they also wear a mask when they venture outside and wash their hands regularly, and have to celebrate their birthday alone.
Meanwhile, other YouTubers have been telling much darker stories about coronavirus outbreaks in their virtual towns, making it another way for their Sims to meet their end (see: Dazed’s quiz on how you would die in The Sims). There’s also a Sims music video to go along with the Cardi B-sampling track “Coronavirus”, in case you were wondering.
Most creators are careful to point out, though, that they’re not trying to make light of the pandemic through their Sims videos, but instead to deal with and reflect on real-world events through comedy and storytelling. As Blondie Simmer tells Insider, she hopes that the content brings viewers “some comfort and entertainment” in a time that’s been difficult for many.