One day you find yourself wandering the busy marketplace and something catches your eye. You’ve never seen this stall before and wondered just where it came from. The shopkeeper calls you over and gives you a once over. With a nod, the shopkeeper takes your hand and sets what looks to be a regular old datapad. Sending you on your way, you find yourself stumbling and turning back-- only to find the stall gone.

Suspecting the worst, you take the datapad back to your quarters and turn it on. What you find isn’t the normal screen you’d expect to go to, but what seemed to be a game. The game looks ancient; a relic in itself. Curiosity suddenly overwhelms you and takes over. The game finally rolls through what looks to be an opening credits scene and you’re greeted with two words.

The Sims.

In at least 750 words with no limit beyond that, explain what your character would do within the game and how they would react to being a virtual God to these strange blocks of graphics who seem to babble nonsense. Do they get bored or do they become an absolute addict? Do they play the game as intended or find all the cruel ways to destroy the world within? Just what does this game do to your character?

Entries will be graded according to the Voice Grading Fiction Rubric. Clusters of Ice will be awarded.