How do you beat a game about life, romance and ambition in three-and-a-half minutes? If you're thinking "well just create a charming character, pick the gold digger lifetime wish, marry a rich sim, then lock her in a tiny box and burn it down to secure her inheritance" then firstly, what is wrong with you, and secondly, yes, absolutely that.

Kotaku spotted NeverNotKicking's video of his successful run. The hardest part, he says in the YouTube description, was "ENGAGING THE WOMAN IN A CONVENIENT LOCATION", which isn't disturbing at all.

The game doesn't end there, of course, but with his lifetime wish achieved, what more can this bespectacled psychopath really hope to achieve with his life? Watch him tearfully reach his his goal in the video below.

The Humble Origin Bundle is over. The Electronic Arts-sponsored sale concluded yesterday with a grand total of $10.5 million in sales according to the Humble Bundle Twitter account.

More than 2.1 million bundles were sold, with almost all of the proceeds (tips to the Humble Bundle organizers are the only exclusion) going toward charities such as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Watsi, the Human Rights Campaign, the American Red Cross, and the American Cancer Society.

The bundle, which launched on August 14, offered redeemable keys for Dead Space, Dead Space 3, Burnout Paradise, Mirror’s Edge, Crysis 2, and Medal of Honor under the standard Humble Bundle “name your price” deal, with Battlefield 3 and The Sims 3 added if your price beat the average. EA and Humble also added two games—Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Uprising and Populous—on August 22, for those who paid more than the average price.

The Origin bundle was easily the most successful sale Humble Bundle has offered, crossing $7 million in sales in just five days. While most companies participating in Humble Bundle promotions can receive a cut, EA donated all of its proceeds to charities. Good on you, EA!

EA getting a Humble Bundle sounds like a thing that should raise eyebrows, but considering how much money is being raised for charity right now - and how many normally-quite-expensive games can be had for pocket money - I'm finding that my cynicism chip is just not activating. The explosion-studded bundle has raised nearly $8.5 million already, with EA's entire share going to charities the Human Rights Campaign, watsi, the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. In addition to the likes of Dead Space 3, Mirror's Edge and Battlefield 3, you can now get C&C: Red Alert 3 - Uprising and Populous if you pay over the average of $4.84.

Here's the full list. Pay what you want to get Dead Space, Dead Space 3, Burnout Paradise Ultimate, Crysis 2, Mirror's Edge and Medal of Honor, or pay over the average to get C&C: Red Alert 3 Uprising, Populous, Battlefield 3 and The Sims 3 thrown in too. You'll get Steam keys for some of the games, plus the soundtracks to BF3 and The Sims 3. It's quite a good deal, and it's quite a good deal that ends in five days.

The Humble Origin Bundle is live, allowing you to pay what you want for Dead Space, Dead Space 3, Burnout Paradise, Crysis 2, Mirror's Edge, and Medal of Honor. Paying more than the average (roughly $5 at the time of this post) unlocks Battlefield 3 and The Sims 3 with some DLC.And all of EA's share goes to charity.

I know, right?

The offer runs for two weeks, and benefits the Human Rights Campaign, watsi, the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Bought separately, the bundle would cost over $200 U.S. While Origin keys are provided for all of the games, you'll also get Steam keys for each of the games that are available on Valve's platform. Origin is also throwing in the soundtracks for Battlefield 3 and The Sims 3.

Check out the whole bundle at HumbleBundle.com. It's a heck of a deal.

There's no escaping Death's clammy hand in the Sims 3, not even in these new screenshots of forthcoming expansion Island Paradise. Hopefully you'll get a few by-the-pool margaritas in before your untimely demise.

The poor lady above seems to have confused "island paradise" with "gangster's paradise," but no matter. In this latest batch of screenshots from EA's people simulator, things appear to be going just swimmingly—that is, until death makes a bizarre, underwater appearance, probably following a fatal kraken attack. Personally, I'm looking forward to luring unsuspecting Sims into my houseboat-cum-modern-art-museum before dumping them in shark-infested waters.

The Sims 3: Island Paradise is out June 25. It's pre-orderable on Origin, where you'll also find other Sims 3 expansions discounted in the lead-up to holiday funtimes.

There's no escaping Death's clammy hand in the Sims 3, not even in these new screenshots of forthcoming expansion Island Paradise. Hopefully you'll get a few by-the-pool margaritas in before your untimely demise.

The poor lady above seems to have confused "island paradise" with "gangster's paradise," but no matter. In this latest batch of screenshots from EA's people simulator, things appear to be going just swimmingly—that is, until death makes a bizarre, underwater appearance, probably following a fatal kraken attack. Personally, I'm looking forward to luring unsuspecting Sims into my houseboat-cum-modern-art-museum before dumping them in shark-infested waters.

The Sims 3: Island Paradise is out June 25. It's pre-orderable on Origin, where you'll also find other Sims 3 expansions discounted in the lead-up to holiday funtimes.

Looks like we'll be able to re-enact parts of Game of Thrones in The Sims 3 now, with the introduction of a new dragon-themed map—I wonder how to say "oh god help me it's eating my face" in Simlish?

Judging by the trailer, the new town's taking some inspiration from the much-loved book series and show, with long flowing gowns, steely-eyed good-looking guys, and some supernaturally inclined tattooed people making an appearance. And then, of course, there's the cute baby dragon, delightfully roasting some poor dude in a quiet countryside valley.

Dragon Valley, its elven residents, and an adorable red dragon become available on May 31 at the Sim store. It's $25 for the standard bundle, but an upgraded bundle for $35 will also net you a theme-appropriate "Celtic Lands" furniture and decoration set, as well as a slew of SimPoints to spend in the store. It seems like a steep price to pay, though, when you could just sell your slave army.

Since the day the first Sims game was launched, virtual architects have been using its built-in construction tools to create exotic and bizarre monuments ranging from heart-shaped islands to a mansion made entirely out of stacked trailer homes. With the same tenacious ambition but with a stated purpose to do "terrible things," Reddit user BourgeoisBanana presented a project earlier this week of a more sensitive nature: the Gaudet Plantation, a lush colonial farmstead complete with slave workers and affluent white owners. But is it actually a terrible thing to explore the darker periods of history?

On a whim, BourgeoisBanana set out to see how closely he could recreate the living conditions of both slave and owner on a plantation. "I'm a large history and architecture buff, and The Sims is a great outlet for both of those, despite getting a lot of flak for being a 'casual' game," he told PC Gamer. "Being British, the colonial era is of particular interest of mine, and after seeing Django Unchained, the idea sort of came to me. I had the day off, so I thought, 'Why not?'"

A small pile of mods were used to design and model both the slave quarters and mansion. The mods set parameters for reflecting the quality of life (or lack thereof) for the slaves, locking them out from the main building and tweaking the AI to stuff in more Sims per house.

"The general layout of the plantation was of my own design, and several people pointed out that it wasn't entirely historically accurate, but given the tools I think I did the best I could," BourgeoisBanana explained. "The house was more or less of my own design too, loosely based off several colonial plantation houses of the era. My main inspiration for the exterior was the plantation house from a level in Hitman: Blood Money. Django Unchained certainly was a great reference too."

BourgeoisBanana recognizes how his creation's stark depiction of racism doesn't exactly mesh with the game's cheerful suburban innocence. He hopes for a future where more games and gamers explore all facets of history, even where doing so may make us uncomfortable. "I believe that to deny our history is to make it repeatable, and discouraging projects such as this one won't prevent racism in the least," he said. "Not only gamers, but all forms of media should definitely get over this politically correct phase we seem to be going through so we can expose the brutality of our past, rather than covering it up and pretending it never happened."

So, is it really a terrible thing? As the plantation's creator touched upon, ignoring our past mistakes with civil rights won't make them simply disappear. Thus, why shouldn't we reconstruct terrible events from history? If not for the goal of sending a message, then just as a way to satisfy curiosity? How would an in-game replication of a slave ship, for example, look like using Minecraft blocks? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments.







Gaudet Plantation mansion 1st floor

Gaudet Plantation mansion attic

Gaudet Plantation mansion ground floor

Gaudet Plantation slave quarters

Warning: If you're currently near a wall, desk, table or any solid object, take care while reading this story. You may be struck with an overwhelming urge to bash your head against it.

A Representative of Missouri, Republican Diane Franklin of Camdenton, is calling for a sales tax on violent video games following the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. "Violent," in this instance, really doesn't mean what you think it does. From the proposed bill: "the term 'violent video game' means a video or computer game that has received a rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board of Teen, Mature, or Adult Only"

That means that , if successfully passed, Teen-rated games like The Sims 3, Starcraft 2, EVE Online and Tropico 4 would all be taxed in Missouri on account of how unrepentantly violent they are. Seriously, if my eyes rolled any harder it would cause permanent damage.

If passed, the bill would impose a 1% sales tax to violent games, to be used to finance mental health programs and law enforcement measures to prevent mass shootings. No other form of media is being targeted by the proposal.

KSDK report similar legislative attempts in Oklahoma and New Mexico, both of which failed to pass.

Once again, I'll point to our research on the connection between violent games and increased aggression, which provides ample examples of the faults that can be found in the methodology used to say the link is conclusive.

Thanks, Slashdot.

Over the years, The Sims games transformed from a meta-life experience into a stage for my inner Jigsaw to enact elaborate deathtraps. All the classics made an appearance: disappearing bathroom toilet, disappearing pool ladder, and a slowly shrinking doorless room, all spiraling my Sims into a miserable pile of urine-soaked madness. And as an explanatory article in The Sims Official Magazine reveals, my torturous tendencies aren't alone.

Interviewed psychologists such as Dr. Jamie Madigan stated players instigating an age of woe upon their Sims "may not be as much of a subset as we might think." No, it isn't a mass lapse of sanity—it's simply human curiosity taking its natural course.

"People may simply be curious about what happens when they create these situations, and the results can even be seen as funny," Madigan said. “There are many different ways of playing the game, and these endless choices are what bring about enjoyment.”

Madigan also explained the inclination to fashion Sims approximating "slightly idealized versions of ourselves" that influence player behavior both in-game and in-life, saying, "People who used particularly tall avatars tended to be more assertive in negotiations both inside of a virtual world and in the real world immediately after turning off the game." Hey, it worked for Keanu Reeves.

The Sims' addictive qualities also came under the psychological lens, with Madigan explaining the pervasive enjoyment of goal-setting and achievements keeps us glued to watching little green bars go up and down. "I think that if you took away those rewards and progress meters, people would be much more likely to abandon the game," she said.

Read the rest of the psychology of The Sims for more justification to inflict utter misery upon digital denizens.

Thanks, PCGamesN.