The idea for The Sims, life-simulation computer game, is believed to be based on the experience of its creator Will Wright. His house was destroyed in 1991 in a firestorm and his family had to move and start afresh.

The first game of this franchise was released on February 4, 2000 and as of February 2005 it has shipped 16 million copies worldwide which made it the best-selling PC game in history.

The Sims franchise holds the record for best-selling computer game franchise of all time with over 100 million copies of Sims 1, 2, 3 and all expansion packs being sold worldwide to date.

In addition to extraordinary sales the game also has been a success in other ways - attracting casual gamers and female gamers. According to statistics, female gamers make up approximately 50% of all audience.

The characters in this game use the unique Simlish language which represents the fractured Ukrainian, French and Tagalog (latter is one of the major languages of the Philippines).

The Sims 3 released in June 2009 set a new record for Electronic Arts, the game creator, selling more than 1.4 million copies in its first week of release.

The music for The Sims 3 was written by composer Steve Jablonsky and recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at 20th Century Fox.