Q&A: Sims 3 Executive Producer

If you're a fan of EA's smash hit The Sims, you're in good company: over 98 million copies of Sims games have been sold to date, and EA isn't finished with the franchise yet. This week saw the unveiling of the next entry in the series, The Sims 3, and Yahoo! Games spoke to its executive producer, Ben Bell, about the changes he has in mind for this all-time favorite game.

Yahoo! Games: Why do you think The Sims has become such a tremendously big success?

BB: One reason is that the subject matter that we explore in The Sims is so relevant to everybody. Everybody can find something of themselves in the game, or they can make some kind of a fantasy in the game that's immediately relevant to them. There's this strong emotional connection between people and The Sims from the moment they start playing.

The other thing that makes The Sims so popular is that the game has no punishment. There's no risk of losing in the game: it's all about discovering, exploring and creativity. For any player, whether you're a hardcore gamer or casual and mainstream, the game's not going to punish you, but it's going to reward you for being creative and trying new things.

Y!: What changes are you working on for Sims 3?

BB: We're trying to deliver something that's been missing from past Sims experiences, something that changes what's possible for you as a player. The most significant change to the game is that now it has a completely seamless, living and breathing neighborhood that players can move around. It's truly alive - in past Sims games, you didn't have the sense that different lots were connected. In The Sims 3, you can move around the town and see life anywhere you look. The other Sims who live in your town are going to grow old with you. It's the most important, fundamental change that we're introducing in The Sims 3.

Y!: How big is the neighborhood going to be?

BB: It's going to be a good-sized, small town. It'll have a little downtown with shops and a park, and a bunch of different residential neighborhoods where you can live. But what's really cool, because the Sims is all about player creativity, is that we're giving the players the tools to change their town. They can replace anyone in their town with characters that they create, and change any home they like. We're also releasing our developer tools a couple of months after the game, so the community will be able to create their own towns.

Y!: Tell us about the changes you've made to the create-a-Sim feature

BB: There are two features that go hand in hand. We're completely redesigning the create-a-Sim process, so now it's possible to make a Sim who looks like anybody you can imagine. They look dramatically different from each other.

Then we have a system we call "Traits." We give you a list of dozens of personality traits - a word that you might use to describe your friends. When one is assigned to a Sim, it changes their personality and capabilities in the game. So you can make a Sim with the trait "Genius," and they'll be a really fast learner. You can make a Sim who's a "Schmoozer," and they'll have an easy time making connections in the game. A "Hopeless Romantic" is always falling in love with different people.