The Sims 5, though as of yet unconfirmed, is poised to be the next game in a franchise that bases itself almost entirely on making every aspect of mundane life interactive and fun. Players are presented with the option to get married, have children, and work through a variety of different jobs and careers, from social media influencer to astronaut. But not every The Sims career is created equal; many lack basic interactivity in gameplay.
The Sims has often used a mechanic called rabbit holes, referring to areas or activities that cause players' Sims to disappear and where the camera cannot follow. More often than not, these rabbit holes occur when a Sim goes off to work or to attend school, and players are given very few interaction opportunities while their Sim is inside the rabbit hole. This leads to large chunks of gameplay in which players are not actively controlling their Sims.
Not every career utilizes rabbit holes in every instance. While the firefighter career may, at times, involve Sims assisting with building disasters inside rabbit holes, the majority of the career is entirely interactive. The architectural designer career, introduced in The Sims 3: Ambitions, allows players to renovate and decorate houses in their neighborhood. Developer Maxis should prioritize this kind of playability and interactivity in The Sims 5's jobs and careers.
How The Sims 5 Can Improve Careers
In most of The Sims 4's jobs, players are occasionally asked to make choices for their Sims, but these occur infrequently and are often minor choices with minimal effects. Increasing the number of these events and making the decisions more difficult or multifaceted would give players more of a hand in the careers of their Sims, and doing so could have unique impacts on the development of those career paths.
More careers should also do away with rabbit holes, turning workdays into an actual, minigame-like activity. The doctor career, for example, could have players diagnose sick Sims based on their symptoms, then base the success of the career on the accuracy of those decisions. The coffee shop job could prompt players to attempt to memorize coffee orders placed by frequent customers.
Considering the many different career paths and job opportunities within The Sims games, these gameplay changes could add new layers and a fresh sense of excitement to the series. They would also give players more reason to try out every career. There are many options to be considered for improving The Sims 5's jobs and careers, so these are only some of the possibilities that could help generate a new level of interest for players.