Simulating the Homeless with The Sims 3

I concur with DarkSaber--there is nothing meaningful about this. And let's be real--the Sims has no capacity to compute or offer representations of the social and economic conditions that cause homelessness--many of these individuals don't have the opportunity to reject the upward mobility of "promotions" and "easy money". Postmodern laziness to assume the simulations can even touch on lived realities.

I simulate the grief of the families of burn victims every day by spawning Sims in closed rooms with a lot of wooden furniture and a fireplace to play with

While I did not have a serious pupose, I did something similar in the first Sims Game. When they released the update that gave you a completley empty neighborhood, I went through and started creating an oddball group of people living in the neighborhood.

One of my characters was a man named Ugly Bum. He was fat, bald and wore a stained wife beater, boxer shorts and penny loafers. He lived in a barren lot with nothing but a shack in it. This shack was big enough to have a pay phone, a bail of hay to sit and sleep on and an outhouse in side.

I put all his personality points on his out going and friendly stats. Completely if ignoring his cleanliness traits.

He was a blast. Visiting other people in the neighborhood making messes in their houses and trying to be their friends.

Other people in the neighborhood consisted of a family of crooks who lived in a prison style home, an incredibly rich family, a man who lived in a jungle style home with all the tiki stuff and one normal guy that I played.

I think I might have had a house full of girls so that my guy would have some prospects for a wife, but it has been so long since I have played it.

E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma