Fun

Fun works synergistically with your Social motive, in that a Sim with high Fun and Social scores will usually be in a good overall mood, which will help you Socialize and get promotions. Keeping your Sims entertained will make them much more easy to command. On the other hand, a workaholic Sim with no time for Fun and games will be consistently depressed, and thus less likely to make friends and get noticed at work.

Luckily, there are many dozens of items that you can purchase and utilize to let your Sim have Fun. To begin with, you should definitely buy and make use of a television set so that all nearby Sims can join in, which will help you satisfy your Fun and Social motives at the same time. Televisions are relatively inexpensive group activities, and offer a fairly decent bang for their buck. The Trottco 27-inch Television will offer your Sims four Fun when they sit down to watch it, and, depending on their personality traits, you can change the channel to add even more Fun.

• Playful Sims enjoy watching Cartoons
• Active Sims enjoy watching Action
• Outgoing Sims enjoy watching Romance
• Sims with a low Nice score enjoy watching Horror

Beyond the basic models, there's also the Soma Plasma TV, which replenishes six Fun and two room at a cost of $3,500, and the Information Overlord, which is essentially the televisual equivalent of a tactical nuclear device. If you can unlock it at Tinsel Bluffs, then afford to pay almost 10,000 simoleons for it, your Sims will get to watch every channel of television simultaneously, resulting in nine Fun, eight room, and whatever television bonus your Sim gets as a result of their personality traits. (Since all channels are on simultaneously, Sims with differing personality needs can sit together and they'll all receive their bonuses.)

There are other group activities that your Sims can use to boost their Fun and Social scores at the same time. The most prominent of these is dancing; you'll note that there are numerous models of stereo systems available to you. If you position one of these on a surface near an area of your house where your Sims have a bit of room to move and congregate, you'll find it much easier to host impromptu get-downs. If you combine the Strings Theory Stereo (five Fun), the Floyd Co. Laser Light Show (unlockable at Studio 8 for three Fun), and the Bounce My Booty Dance Floor (unlockable at Club Rubb for 10 Fun), you'll find your Fun rating going through the roof. Unfortunately, this equipment will set you back over $13,000 all told, but you can always substitute for the expensive parts with cheaper equipment. You can also dance by yourself if you're not looking to build up your relationships. For more general, one-on-one Fun, two Sims can use the Table Tennis board for a large boost of Fun, but a pool table may be a better choice once you can afford it, simply because you have the extra option of letting your Sim use it by him or herself.

Speaking of solo Fun, you can choose to enjoy most of the group activities, such as dancing or pinball, by yourself, or you can dedicate your Sim's free time to playing computer games. An inexpensive computer is a useful tool for job searching, but any of the three models can also be used for a bit of recreation, with the Meet Marco computer doing the best job of satisfying your Sim's Fun need. Although the nine Fun is substantial, the MM will also set you back $6,500. If you can't make the payments on that, consider the Microscotch Computer (five Fun for $1,800), or the SSRI Virtual Reality Set (seven Fun, $2,300).

In addition to pure Fun, however, you'll also want to consider items that boost your Sim's Fun score while also taking care of their other needs. For example, there are plenty of items underneath the Skill section of your Buy menu that will help your Sim have Fun while they learn vital skills that will help them advance their careers or be more handy around the house. Your skills aren't something you need to worry about every day, like your motives, but you will need to gradually increase them to ensure that your Sim is able to gain promotions. Combining your skill advancements with Fun is a great way to satisfy your immediate motives while ensuring that your Sim's future is rosy. Unfortunately, most of the items that combine Fun with skill advancements are fairly expensive. (You can learn more about these skill-boosting items in the Careers section below.)

Best Fun Items

Hellagraphix 1024 "Diamond Edition" (game console)	$4,999	9 Fun (group)
Information Overlord (television)	$9,499	9 Fun (group), 8 Room
Meet Marco (computer)	$6,500	9 Fun (solo)
Strings Theory Stereo	$2,550	5 Fun (group), 3 Room