"When we started work on The Sims 3," says Rod as he shows us an early prototype, "I had two directives for the Sims team. One: it's not going to work unless you can cross the street and see your neighbour's kids playing. And two: no more hamster cages."
The hamster cage refers to the typical gamer complaint about The Sims: that it's sometimes nothing more than directing your chosen character from the bath, to the fridge, to the toilet.
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