I probably have EVERY item you’ve ever created for Sims 2 when I played and now for 3. How did you get started on all of this. What started you on the path to creating for the game? AG:I bought Sims 2 back in October or November of 2004 because it seemed like it’d be a fun way to bring out some of the voices in my head. At first, I was happy enough just attempting to build houses but pretty soon I discovered how much fun it was to make custom content through Body Shop. I think the first thing I ever made was a Cure t-shirt for one of my boys. Pretty soon I was interested in doing more complex things (I needed different hair!), so I looked around and found MTS. From there, things just took off. G: Aikea told me to? In all seriousness, I think that had a lot to do with it! One of the very first things I ever created was a pair of female pants that I meshed and retextured myself, solely because I think Aikea wanted them for something. Granted, the pants were pretty atrocious and I stayed away from meshing for awhile after that, but it was a start. And what prompted you to want to share your creations? AG: I honestly have no idea. I must have been bored. G: I think it was a mixture of assuming other people might be interested in what I’ve created, as well as having the very strange desire to create certain things that I may never get around to using. I notice that you still update for both Sims 2 & 3... Do you still play both? Actually do you still get the opportunity to
actually PLAY? :) AG: You know, I never really played Sims 2 after I started making CC; I was more interested in using it as an illustration tool for Deception Pass. Sims 3 is completely different, and I actually quite enjoy playing it far more than I ever did Sims 2. G:I played TS2 a LOT when I first bought it, but my interest diminished in the playing aspect a lot quicker than I would have liked. I certainly had a lot of fun with it, but playing wasn’t all that great compared to creating and doing “photoshoots”. With TS3, I’ve found I like simply playing a lot more than I ever did with TS2; it’s just a personal preference thing, I like the gaming aspects and the funny things that sims can get up to. Was it difficult to make the break from TSR and branch out on your own? AG: It could have been a lot more difficult but Liegen from Garden of Shadows was so extremely supportive that it was pretty much painless. She made it clear that it was possible for people not to hold it against us, and that we’d always be welcomed on her forum. G: Despite what one might think, our break from TSR was entirely because of TSR, rather than being influenced by outside forces like PMBD, or whatever. It was just ridiculous at the end, especially when we first created Club Crimsyn and TSR was basically trying to tell us how we should run OUR site. Enough was enough at that point and we left. I don’t think either of us has regretted that decision.
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