While adding mental health needs might seem like a big jump for The Sims, the franchise already has built-in mechanics that would tie in nicely. In The Sims 4, Sims can feel emotions like fear, embarrassment, and grief for Sims who have died - although these emotional states never particularly correlate to active gameplay. In The Sims 3, low social needs create a "Desolate" status, compelling the Sim to talk to objects. In The Sims 2, if a Sim's social need hits zero, a hallucinatory bunny will appear, and other Sims will become concerned. Specific mental effects appear with low needs. For instance, in The Sims 4, the "Gloomy," "Hot-Headed," and "Erratic" traits appear to have been added to simulate mental health conditions that affect a Sim's daily life. While The Sims franchise has never had explicit mental health mechanics, certain traits, emotions, or needs can be manipulated to change a Sim's mental state. RELATED: The Sims 4 Going Free-to-Play Could be Huge for the Series How Sims 5 Mental Health Mechanics Could Build On Existing Franchise Elements Given the franchise's commitment to realistic gameplay, it makes sense to add a layer of gameplay in The Sims 5 that keeps track of a Sim's mental health and introduces a variety of mental health conditions and healthy habits. Although The Sims 4: Get to Work introduced an interactive medical career that simulates a variety of illnesses, there is no actual need to keep track of a Sim's overall health. While Sims can get sick, die, and experience the natural effects of aging, their mental and emotional states are relatively predictable.
With the development of The Sims 5 - aka "Project Rene" - The Sims' gameplay could be made more realistic by adding mental health mechanics. Outside the traditional "traits" system that players can use to determine their Sim's personality, The Sims 4 introduced the "emotions" mechanic that changes a Sim's emotional state. From The Sims to The Sims 4, changes and additions have been made to create an immersive and realistic gameplay experience - even with the addition of magic and Star Wars lore. The entire Sims franchise is designed to create experiences that simulate life.
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