The Sims 4has had an impressively long lifespan, but fans are ready for the next installment. Maxis has confirmed thatThe Sims 5is on the way, and it is being developed under the codenameProject Rene. Given how successful the current release strategy is for Electronic Arts, there is no reason to believe that the successor toThe Sims 4will not feature plenty of expansions, including one that adds pets. However, this may not be so critically important if the upcoming game focuses on Buck Oakely and his dogs.
Introduced inThe Sims 2: Pets, Buck lives alone with his three dogs. While he may have been somewhat forgettable in the expansion over a decade ago, he has gained increasing relevance in the modern landscape, and with an adequate case study he could become one of the most interestingSims ofThe Sims 5.
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The Sims 2: Pets and Buck Oakely
The Sims 2: Petswas released in 2006, and it gave players the ability to create and raise several different kinds of pets. It was a hit, as many gamers consider pets to be part of the family. In addition to dogs and cats, available pets include birds and guinea pigs. Pets can be trained, do tricks, breed, and even have careers. Along with the animal additions, new Sim NPCs were added. This includes the Oakely family that lives in Whiskerton, which consists of Buck Oakely and his three dogs named Lucky, Rufus, and Hamhock. On the surface, Buck doesn’t seem like anything much, but if used correctly he could be the centerpiece thatturnsThe Sims 5into the true modern life simulator.
Buck the Everyman
Perhaps what’s most remarkable about Buck is how unremarkable he is in a contemporary context. His family consists of his dogs, and he seems to have abandoned social contact with his species in favor of his forever-loyal hounds. With that, he has adopted a disheveled appearance and, as his biography reveals, he has even relinquished his grasp of Simlish. Buck is at odds with the wider world, and as a consequence, he isolates himself and forms his own micro-society with his dogs.
Buck’s condition appears to be an increasingly common one in the real world, albeit without the usual cartoonishness associated withThe Sims. As surveys by Gallup reveal, the percentage of Americans reporting they had no close friends rose from 3 in 1990 to 12 in 2021. This isn’t trivial, as research also reveals that prolonged loneliness can be as toxic assmoking 15 cigarettes a day. Although people (usually) aren’t becoming as feral as Buck, the loneliness pandemic is certainly not good for public health.
IfThe Sims 5wishes to be a life simulatorthat resonates with contemporary users, Buck would be a great NPC to start with. He is particularly useful because his coping method seems to mimic what people do in real life - turn to pets. This was particularly seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when the pet adoption rate skyrocketed as people sought ways to combat loneliness during quarantine.
Arelease date forThe Sims 5has yet to be revealed, though the snippets revealed are extremely promising. There is plenty that the upcoming game can learn from prior entries, includingThe Sims 2: Pets. The return of Buck and his dogs may be more important than ever, as he may offer the best mirror of modern life.
The Sims 4is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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