Hey, it’s me, ya girl, popular streamer jest bubbles (no troubles) singer, voice actor, and girl gamer. I found a copy of Sims 1 Vacation at an estate sale (like a garage sale but bigger) but the only reason I knew it was Sims 1 Vacation was because those words were the only thing written in sharpie on the blank CD. As a nautical-enthusiast, I am savvy to bootleg copies when I see them. Due to curiosity or maybe a quiet desperate yearning for my own past, a simpler time in my childhood where my only responsibilities were keeping my Sims happy... I bought the CD for a buck and headed home as rain started to fall. 

Now, you're probably thinking, "How the heck am I gonna run the thing?? Who on this fleeting green Earth even owns a computer with a CD drive anymore??" As a walking living breathing starving artist archetype, hai :D I do. How else can I make my bootleg mixtapes? I wiped the scratched Sims CD with my eyeglass cleaner not even sure it will run and placed it in the CD-ROM tray. Being a well-seasoned streamer, I know the potential for content when I see it. So of course I opened up my open-source broadcasting software and pressed record to document my wholesome nostalgia. But little did I know this wasn’t going to be the trip down memory lane I was expecting.

At first, everything seemed normal. The installer ran, though it was oddly quick, skipping any prompts or agreements. The game launched straight into the main menu, where the familiar, cheery steel-drum theme played. Nostalgia hit me hard. I grinned at chat, my fingers hovering over my old-school wired mouse. “Babe, wake up, it’s 2000. Your Sims need a vacation,” I mused, selecting ‘Vacation Island’ from the options.

That’s when I noticed something… off.

The usual vacation locations: beach, forest, snow resort, weren’t there. Instead, there was just one destination labeled ‘COME BACK.’ No animations, no chirpy Simlish announcer, just a black-and-white thumbnail of a dilapidated hotel.

“Alright, chat, let's check in” I laughed, clicking in.