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I have been playing The Sims 3 since day one. I’m not going to lie, it gets a bit boring at times. I find myself doing the same things over and over, like creating the same sims, choosing the same traits, and having them live the same life. All of these things can take the fun out of the game. So while you’re waiting on a new expansion pack to bring some excitement back into the game, here are a few tips and tricks that can help spice things up a bit.

1. Randomize your traits.

Traits have a lot to do with how interesting a sim is. The traits you have can make a sim’s life easier or in some cases, harder. Most traits have unique interactions that can switch things up a bit. For example, you could try to make a living from hacking with the Computer Whiz trait, or only furnish your home with items that you steal from their neighbors with the help of the kleptomaniac trait. By not using the traits that you like more than others, or that help you accomplish your Lifetime Wish the easier, click randomize!

2. Buy that expansion pack that you think you won’t like.

I will be the first to say that I’m usually skeptical about an expansion pack, and find a hard time paying for something that I feel isn’t my thing. You have to keep in mind a saying that has been around for a very long time, “Don’t knock it ’til you try it”. Sure, a certain expansion pack might not seem all that useful based on the way that you play your game, but keep in mind that expansion packs comes with brand new interactions, furniture, clothes, and things to explore. Not everything that is in the expansion packs are shown in EA’s livestream. They always leave a bit for you to discover on your own, and that bit may be the thing that you use and/or adore the most.

3. Splurge on premium content items from The Sims 3 Store.

“FIVE DOLLARS FOR A FREAKING OBJECT?!?” I know, it sounds crazy but think of it this way, we spend five dollars for a meal at McDonald’s that only satisfies us for about two hours and keeps up on the toilet all night. We spend five dollars on a cheap new eyeshadow quad only to find the colors aren’t pigmented and extremely chalky. We will even spend five dollars at Starbucks for a drink packed with nothing but calories. Why not spend it on something that you will use for a few months, possibly years? Face it, video games are expensive, and so is the additional content that users have to buy separately. This is for all games, not just The Sims 3. There is a gun for Team Fortress 2 that costs $10, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I play and do not see a player using it. In my opinion, the premium content from The Sims 3 Store is one of the greatest contributions to my gameplay. These items add something new, something fresh, and can even make the most boring simmer perk up a bit. If you can afford it, I highly recommend the splurge.

4. Stop Cheating!

Cheats can pretty much dull down the excitement for a lot of people and they don’t even realize it. Once you start with nothing and work your way to the top, you can possibly feel a sense of accomplishment. Working for the best furniture and cars is something that I love to do in my gameplay. Why do it the easy way, when you can do it the hard way? Lol.

5.  Create an exciting and new storyline for your sims and stick to it.

Everyone loves a good story, and most importantly, they love creating a good story. Create a storyline for your sim, most likely something that you could never imagine doing in real life and go with it. For example, I can be a very conservative and reserved girl. When I created a sim that was “very adventurous in the bedroom” with every sim he could find, it was something new that I had never done in the game, and walking around town, having random girls run and slap me was hilarious and just all around a fun time. I played that household for a really long time, and only stopped when I fell into my habit of having a conservative household with loving parents and obedient children. Try stepping outside of the box in your gameplay. Do things that you’ve never really done before.

6. Try out a challenge.

Last, but certainly not least, I recommend switching up your gameplay completely by trying out some of the many challenges created by simmers from around the world. Many of these challenges may seem outrageous and time consuming, but once you get started, you will certainly be in new territory with your gameplay. Some of these challenges take the game to a new level, and are not as easy as they appear to be. Here is a list of some challenges: List 1 and List 2 . I recommend trying out the zombie apocalypse challenge, it looks pretty awesome.