The Sims Phenomenon

In the world of video games, there are game categories such as shooters, adventure, action and role playing. Then there is the Sims. This game was introduced by Electronic Arts in February of 2000 and became a cultural phenomenon. It sold twenty million copies and generated the development of hundreds of fan sites devoted to their own personal Sims environment.

Sims was the first game that introduced a significant degree of online socialization through the use of a game platform. A Sims player creates his own family, buys or builds his own home, and has numerous encounters with other characters generated by the game's AI (artificial intelligence). Your Sim character, or "avatar", goes through life experiencing career changes, family development - many of the real-life experiences that lurk outside our real-time doors. Its unique character, in-game quirks (such as the gibberish in which Sims communicate) and capacity for infinite change made addicts out of millions.

The game makes the player the "deus ex machina:" the off-screen God controlling individuals lives. As a player, you can help your Sim build not only home and family, but an entire neighborhood. Sufficient quirks and human neuroses are built into the game's characters as they are introduced that the game remains an addictive fascination for its players. As one reviewer put it; "Want to play it straight and watch the lives of a typical nuclear family? You can do that. But what if you'd prefer to dress your Sim like a Viking and have him play his guitar for spare change in the subway while living with two women - she's a slacker and she's a paranormal - who are a couple? Go for it."

The company followed its initial success with seven expansion packs and in 2004 launched a completely new version, Sims 2. The new version has better graphics and many more choices for your Sims and their families, who happily are still speaking Simlish. The video engine is more 3D than the original 2D; characters in your game have more choices to make and more characteristics that make them interesting, down to genetic similarities when new family members are born. You can customize the family dog - long hair or short? Blue eyes or crossed? Intelligent companion or clumsy doofus? It's up to you.

By 2005, the audience for The Sims and its various expansions had swollen to over 52 million worldwide. The game has been translated into 17 languages, and the franchise has seen life on platforms ranging from the Xbox to mobile phones.

One of the principal characteristics of the Sims phenomenon - and one that probably made it a uniquely popular game - is that it has drawn large numbers of female players. The Sims has pulled the neat trick of building a player base evenly split along gender lines, drawing in women without alienating male gamers. Game publisher Electronic Arts estimates women could account for up to 60% of Sims players.

According to Psychology Today, "most long-term players say designing Sim households is the chief delight of the game" and in fact, The Sims' construction and interior design aspects are as impressively realized as its "human" element. Players can easily mirror their real-world homes; one game analysis called Sims "the Ikea game." Most video games have a product popularity curve, like every other consumer item. The Sims seems to be either defying or redefining this characteristic for the video game market.

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Disconnect from the World with Wireless Headphones

Wireless headphones are the ones where there is no cord to connect the set with source of music. Wireless headphones come with a transmitter base which plugs into the source of audios while the headphone set comes with a built in radio amplifier and a receiver. The nomenclature wireless is reserved for sets operating on Infrared while the cordless is for ones which operate on radio waves.

Infrared limits the distance one can move with wireless headphones. Usually, it not possible to move farther then a few yards away or go to another room, but there are some versions that allow whole house coverage. Cordless headphones allow a better range of movement. When you go to buy a wireless headphone, you should look for wireless headphones which have an on board volume control. This is helpful as you will not need to return to the base unit or audio source to control volume every time. Most wireless headphones are Dolby enabled. This technology is usually not available in simpler headphones which work on cords. Dolby technology gives far better sound quality then common headphones.

While looking for wireless headphones, it is recommended to try them before buying as they need to fit well on your head. Some stores will keep them in factory packaging and will not allow you to try on the wireless headphones. If you decide to purchase them online you, try to choose a name brand that you can trust. Most wireless headphones are adjustable and universal fitting.

Wireless headphones come in different models, which weigh different. Always look for models which are lighter as you may be wearing these headphones for longer period of time.

Most wireless headphones operate on batteries. Since you may use them for long period of time, using plain batteries will be quite expensive. While buying wireless headphone set, try and get sets of rechargeable batteries so that you can recharge them and reuse over a period of time. The better brands have rechargeable batteries and just need to be replaced in the base unit for charging.

Wireless headphones come in four styles:

Earbud
Sealed
Canal
Open

As a rule, ear bud design of wireless headphones is not the best design as it may cause loss of hearing over time. Open design lowers the sound quality a bit. When you are online or in a store looking for wireless headphones, remember these certain points:

Wireless headphones which use Infrared are not affected by interference from electric appliances like Plasma TV.

Headsets which operate on the 95 KHz infrared frequency work well in movie theatres.

If you wish to use wireless headphones for plasma TV, buy one that operates on 2.3 MHZ.

Although bigger plush earphones give better sound quality, they heat up faster then smaller ones so they may not be used for very long period of time.

Most wireless headphones deliver better sound quality then the TV sets.

Wireless headphones need to be kept clean and dry as possible. Watch were you take them, such as a Jacuzzi or sauna.

Wireless headphones are priced over a very large range. Although you may be tempted to buy the latest version, always look for the features you are getting and how you will use them. Although almost all types of wireless headphones are susceptible to some hiss, wherever the sound is digitally encoded first before transmitting, the voice quality is best. Wireless headphones are extremely comfortable for people who may need to move a lot while listing to music or watching movies.

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