Hello!
So.. As the (probably unexpected) title says, I'm thinking about getting the sims 2 for my grandmother.
The reason why is the following: She has very bad depression and anxiety, and she keeps thinking about bad and unnecessary things all the time. Typical for anxiety. She needs something to keep her busy, but she lives in a tiny flat on the 4th floor. No loud activities because the walls are paper thin, not even singing or anyhing like that. No pets, because she's allergic to fur. She has trouble going out because of her anxiety. There's literally nothing she can do besides thinking and watching TV (but she isn't a TV person) or reading (she doesn't like many books). We've been thinking about getting her a PC so she can play games she likes. And then the idea came to me.
What if I get her a sims game?
I also have anxiety and a phobia, and for me the sims is a really great game where everything's the way I want it to be, happiness, sunshine and rainbows everywhere (unless I'm playing as a yandere and killing sims, modding the hell outta my game, recreating the hunger games, but that's a story for another time ). My granny and I are pretty similar in this way, that's why I think that it might be a good idea. Plus I think the sims is like lego, you can't get too old to play it..
I was thinking about getting her the sims 2 because that's translated to my language, and it's IMHO the best game so far.. (plus creating the sims with sliders would be easier for her than CAS in the sims 4) I want to keep it simple for her, so I'd only get the base game, seasons and pets. I'd also be searching some mods that stop fires and robberies from happening (if there is a such mod) because I don't think she needs that in the game if she were to play it.

Now this is still just an idea, so I'm not sure about it. First we need to get her the PC, and then I need to check if it's even able to run the sims, teach her how to use a computer, etc, etc, so even if this happens, it isn't going to happen any time soon. But I'm really interested in hearing people's opinions about it. Do you think it's a good idea, or is it a bad idea? What's your experience with the sims games and depression/anxiety/phobias/etc, if you have any? If you don't, then what are your thoughs about it? Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for anyone who read this looong-long thread and is willing to reply and give me some advice and opinions, I'm really thankful! :lovestruc

I would probably start with giving simpler games (whilst being benefitial for grandma/pa that would keep their brain active) like idk chess or tetris or that game to catch a ball and knock bricks with the plate (too lazy to google the name) and maybe a simpler device (nintendo 3DS) before moving onto bigger things. If they didn't knew how to use the said device, I would teach them and allow them to start learning by themselves. Devoting time and patient is essential: I would help them learn If they have the desire and are comfortable of doing. If they don't, I would then steer them to another new activity/hobby that doesn't involve a computer or any electronic device that can have games. Online games might not be suitable for drepressed elder, because we all know how the internet can be with cyber bullies and trolls. If I were to teach my grandma to use the computer, I would probably bring a lighter handheld like tamagochi or gameboy to keep herself occupy meanwhile during the guiding process.

If you do choose to introduce her to sims, I would surprize her. Let her to experiment and try out the game. Guide her as the game is loading, and whenever she has a question or need help - assist her. After she tries it out or during gameplay, I would ask for her opinion: does she enjoy it? Dislike? What things she likes or doesn't like, so I could add changes (mods, tweaks). It's harder to explain in words, so I'm probably giving bad advice. Someelse could probably help you with this :/

This is great idea-but first, you must introduce your grandmother to computers, and if she's never used one, it might be a struggle. Depends on how interested she is in the idea. First do that, then see if she's interested in games. A good one to start with is Solitaire.

It's been proven that if people who have depression or anxiety have a hobby of any sort, they usually can work themselves out of it by getting involved with it.

But don't force it on her. To some, computers can be overwhelming and too much to handle.

No, I think you gave me a good advice, and I'm really thankful for it!
I understand what you mean, and I absolutely agree. I didn't want to just drop the "bomb" on her immediately, haha! First I want her to get comfortable using a PC, and then maybe show her a video of the sims 2 once I'm visiting her, talk to her about it (as if I'm just talking about the game I really enjoy), and if she's interested in it, then install it on her PC then and there! I mean what's the worst thing that could happen? She's not interested and doesn't want the game, then I'll have the sims 2 for myself. Not a loss, I loved the sims 2. There's nothing that can go absolutely wrong.
Fortunately she seems interested in the internet, games and PC. My grandpa just got a smatrphone and started using the internet and youtube, and my grandma was the one that said that we need to make internet accessable on her phone too (she doesn't quite understand how it works yet, haha, I'll need to teach her about that too) and get her all kind of games. So I think she'd be interested in games and elarning how to play. I'm a bit hesitant about the net too.. But she doesn't speak foreign languages and I'm not going to introduce her to FAQ sites that's full with trolls and bullies, so I think it's not gonna be too bad.. I'm not fond of the idea of teahing her how to download stuff, though. That can be pretty dangerous... That's why I'd prefer her to play games online.. She's ging to play dressup games, cooking games and suchnot anyways.. And sims, if everything goes alright. I mean it's full of possibilities and can keep you busy for months and even years, and there are no bullies there, no downloads, no ads...

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read all of it and reply!! :lovestruc

Yeah, I'm aware of that.. Thankfully she seems very interested. She just said to us that we need to teach her how to use the net and download her games. So I think I won't be having a too hard time! She's also interested in the videos I show her when I'm visiting, and the games (mostly sims..) I talk about. Knowing her she'd probably like to give it a try (especially knowing that playing the sims is safe, no bullies, no viruses, etc). And no, naturally I'm not going to force anything on her, and I'll take it slow!

That's what I'm hoping as well! She's into singing, she's in a choir, and those things help her with her problems.. But lately she's so anxious she doesn't even go there anymore. I'm hoping that getting her a new, peacefuly hobby could help her relax, and possibly make her go back into the choir too, so things get better again.

Thank you so much!! :lovestruc

How old is she? Let her know there are plenty of mature ladies who play sims 2. Also she might like watching Grandma Shirley, who plays Skyrim and other games on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz...Ksxv4M5NyUYgTmA She is this very mild-mannered older lady who is kick butt in games. At 82 years young, she is an inspiration.

Also, chess is not a simple game. Very good for your brain though.

She's 67 years old, but I don't think that really matters to her, haha. She enjoys coloring coloring pages, and she just got 100+ from me that she was very happy about. She really likes the cute designs, something little girls would enjoy coloring. I honestly don't think she'd be very bothered about age, in fact, I think she'd be proud that she's playing online / PC games!
Thank you for the link! I'll definetely show her to my grandmother, she probably won't be wathcing her as my granny only speaks hungarian.. But I still think it's a nice idea to show her how even odler people have fun playing games!

I don't think she'd be into chess, but I was thinking about mahjong or memory cards, those seem more like her things, and I think those are pretty good for the brain as well! Thank you for the suggestion and your reply! :lovestruc

I used to teach computers to seniors. Most of them loved playing solitaire (great for practicing mousing skills) and then once they found genealogy, they started learning things on their own and got really interested. Not sure if that is your grandmother's thing, but it was awesome to see the gleam in their eyes once they figured out how to search for their ancient relatives.

I think we'll probably start with solitaire too, and maybe tetris. I'm not sure either if she'd be into genealogy, but we'll probably give it a try! What can go wrong, I mean? I really hope she'll be having fun and learn new things as well, it'd be amazing to see her improve and forget about the bad things happening in her mind!
Thank you! :lovestruc

It may actually help to show her how you are playing - you will quickly see if she gets interested in the characters and their lives.

If she's into the game, may I suggest you help her get the game mods she needs (there's a thread somewhere), maybe using a jump drive or something? Not all are hosted on sites that are going to be comfortable. (I wouldn't send my kids to MATY, let alone my folks.)

She might like Hedgekat's outfits here on MTS, as they might be similar to what was worn when she was a little kid. My mom's seven years older than your grandma, and she saw them in my game and thought they looked just like what she and her siblings wore in Jr. High. I think fashion was doing a pretty good job of crossing national boundaries by then. If she had a happy childhood, she might have fun finding era appropriate custom content with you to recreate it. (On the other hand, if she didn't, maybe not so much.)

I think everyone has made very good points so far


Since this is my diagnosis (depression and anxiety), I might as well answer this question. I find the sims games, and Sims 2 in particular, very helpful. Sometimes it's really the best thing for me for working through something that's bothering me. The only problem is sometimes the game ends up causing more anxiety! I'm a huge control freak and if my sims are unhappy I feel like that's my fault and I need to make it better - I feel very responsible for them. I do think overall my mental health improves when I'm playing the game, but it can cause stress, especially if something is going wrong (glitches and the like) and I don't know how to fix it. And unfortunately the Sims 2 is a game that tends to glitch a bit here and there, probably a lot more than much simpler games. I find the game can often be soothing, but I think most of that is the familiarity since I have been playing it now (off and on) for more than 10 years.

So I'm not sure how helpful any of what I'm saying is. I find the game to be helpful, mostly, for myself; I don't know if it would be helpful to everyone. And I know, despite how great it is, the Sims 2 isn't for everyone. Idk. I just hope your grandmother gets some good games she really can enjoy. If that includes the Sims 2, I'd be pretty excited, but it just really matters that she get to have fun and enjoy herself, regardless of what she's playing. :lovestruc

If your grandmother is not used to computers, Sims 2 may not be the best to start with. It doesn't always play nice with newer computer operating systems and with the tendency to crash oddly without doing things like remembering to delete the cache files and such it may frustrate anew computer user more than help. (Once she gets a bit computer savvy, then go for it. I think in might be a great way to escape from depressive and anxiety ridden thoughts.
Does she like games? crosswords, sudoku, word games, logic puzzles? Maybe start with those. If she has fond memories of dolls, designing her dream home on paper, or creating stories, then Sims 2 might be a good fit once she learns her way around a computer.
Good luck!

My introduction to The Sims came through console. I hesitate to write this, since I don't know how The Sims would play on newer systems and getting everything to play this series can be more of a nuisance than it's worth today, but I originally played The Sims and The Urbz on my daughter's GameCube and got hooked. However, if you have an old system around or can get a hand on a cheaper refurbed PS2/GameCube and grab either Sims game, it might be worth a try. Sims 3 is good for PS3 and XBox 360 ... those are newer consoles.

I know there are mobile versions of The Sims out there today. I tried FreePlay and got tired of the money grab after a year, but the advantage to trying The Sims that way is that if she doesn't want the app, she could just get rid of it. That is the cheapest option.

Either method might be a good way to test the water, so to speak, and see if she is even interested in this sort of genre in the first place. From there, she could try Sims 2.

@gazania
the original poster told that the grandmother seems interested. post #5.

to original poster::
if she does get Sims2, probably show her the Learn to Play section of the game; shortly after getting it.
maybe also get at least base game's Prima Guide for her.

If you do get your grandmother a pc and want something easy for her to start out, this link is for a jigsaw puzzle site I've been using since 2013 https://www.jigidi.com/ I love puzzles and no pieces to go missing or eaten by cats! Yes, I've had that happen. (:
https://www.jigidi.com/ To date I've put together over 1.5 million pieces and completed almost 15 thousand puzzles. I have nerve damage and limited motion in my arms and hands and this is good exercise. She wouldn't have to register either, unless she decides to post comments at some point. Puzzles can be from less than 10 pieces up to roughly 500, so the small ones would be good to learn the technique of putting them together.

I'm older than her, and pretty bad with computers (and cell phones, and the TV remote...). When I first retired I tried lots of games, but nothing engaged me like Sim1. So she does not live near you? That would make it harder for you to do the "complicated" stuff for her, like uploading the game, and necessary mods. And playing with her would make it less daunting also. And I don't know enough about it to know how you could do this without being at her place. I upgraded my computer a year ago - to a Window 7! You can still get that version, and it works better than 10.
Introduce her to MTS! And to the many sites about the game, especially watching OTHER people play live. I find the game endlessly interesting; but contact with REAL people is still important. And I've noticed all the comments suggesting ways to keep her mind working; that's important too, as well as working your body. Not YOUR body, but us old lady bodies. Once she got familiar with the game, she might find an interest in "shopping" - for Sim stuff, or in building, or making gardens, or (LIKE ME) making happy families with babies from everywhere, just to see what they will look like.

I'm younger than her by about 4 years, and while I had a long head start on computers back in the 80's, my passion for downloading for and playing the game is unabated to this day. Sure, once in a while I'll get bored but more often than not I'm right into it.
By our age, most women would just like to have someone have a happy life-whether it be a real person or a pixel. We've seen too many of the bad ones.
I think you'll be surprised that she's probably going to turn into a downloadaholic within a few months of playing the game.
And do invite her to this forum-tell her all the old lady simmers hang out here.

Oh god I didn’t even expect so many replies!! They are really helpful. I’ll reply to everyone in detail once I’m on my PC.. But before I do just let me thank you all for your advices and warnings and that you took the time to read it all and reply! I’m really thankful even when someone says it might not be a good idea, I want to look at the whole picture and all the cons and pros so I can really decide. I haven’t played the sims 2 in years and I don’t recall having many glitches, lag or anything, so that didn’t really occur to me either.. That’s why I’m glad when people point out the cons about the game and my idea, even if it doesn’t seem like a helpful reply it really is! Thank you so much everyone <3

On a new computer, you will have to set up the 4 gb patch and graphics rules. We have a sticky thread in the help area. Old game+ new technology means it's somewhat harder to get it running smoothly then it was 8 years ago. If she uses none to little CC she shouldn't get much if any lag on a halfway decent machine.