Despite having access to multiple streaming services, I find myself sometimes getting bored with watching television shows and movies. When that happens, I migrate over to YouTube, where I find the content to be more engaging than most network content. I bounce between watching lifestyle and gaming videos. The YouTuber who has been conquering my screen time since way back during my high school days is gamer lilsimsie.
Kayla Sims is the creator behind lilsimsie. She writes in her Youtube bio: “My real last name is Sims and now I am a Sims YouTuber…it was fate.” Sims started her YouTube channel in 2015, a year after the release of the life simulation game, The Sims 4. Since then, she has grown to 1.9 million subscribers because of her daily posting schedule. On Twitch, where she streams every day, she has amassed 797k followers.
Whether you knew lilsimsie before or not, you have definitely witnessed her influence if you play The Sims 4. The infamous cowplant, an iconic plant appearing in all interactions of The Sims games, comes with the default name, ‘Little Simzee’ because of Sims’ infamous obsession. In recent years, Sims has collaborated with Electronic Arts, the producers behind The Sims 4, and has created builds that come with the expansion packs, “Growing Together” and “Snowy Escape.”
Sims’ content mainly sticks to The Sims 4, but the type of video varies. My favorite videos center around her building, especially when there is an added restriction of budget, pack or color. It’s a running gag on her channel that she mainly builds blue suburban houses, but they’re fun to watch nonetheless. I’ve learned how to build my mediocre houses from watching hours of her videos!
For those who love a storyline, she does multiple “Let’s Plays,” which as the title implies, feature her playing the video game usually with an added challenge. One of the best series on her channel is her legacy challenge with nearly 150 episodes. The highlight of that series is the fire toilet, which causes the max amount of chaos.
Looking past her enjoyable content, one of the reasons I love watching lilsimsie is her charity work. Since October 2020, she has raised over $1.5 million dollars for various charities, including St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Transgender Law Center and AbleGamers, a platform dedicated to helping children with disabilities get access to video games.
If you’re looking for some background noise while doing assignments or simply want to ignore your responsibilities for twenty minutes, then I highly recommend lilsimsie’s videos. Her content is fun, engaging and my favorite way to relax before falling asleep at night. You can find Sims at @lilsimsie on YouTube, Twitch, Instagram and TikTok.
