Here's the 70s, 80s & 90s Stuff launch blog from Sarah Holding, Associate Producer for The Sims 3...

Hi All,

Now that the game is available, I want to share with you a little bit about the new music in The Sims 3 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff Pack! We have three new radio stations, one for each decade – Disco, Rock and Rap.

The Disco station is a nostalgic look back at the 1970’s…and the original The Sims game! That’s right, the disco tracks featured in The Sims 3 70s, 80s, & 90s are the original disco songs from The Sims!



The Rock station is extra special because it features a song performed by one of our fans, Julian Conroy! We discovered Julian on YouTube and LOVED his rendition of the original music from The Sims so much that we featured it in The Sims 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff Pack! We love interacting with our community and seeing (and hearing!) your creations, so keep sharing them with us…who knows, maybe one day you will be featured in one of our games!

The Rap station features slammin’ songs from The Sims House Party Expansion Pack, another nostalgic nod to the original The Sims. All the musical talent are from the Oakland, CA area – free styling to the beats created by our very own audio team!

So what are you waiting for? Put on your bellbottoms, leotards or flannel and warp your Sims back in time in The Sims 3 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff Pack!

Thanks for reading and Happy Simming!
-Sarah Holding, Associate Producer for The Sims 3, aka SimGuruSarah

Keep up to date on the latest The Sims 3 news on our UK Facebook page

Hi Simmers!

Thanks again for joining us on January 8 for The Sims Live Broadcast, where we officially announced The Sims 3 University Life!  We’re thrilled to see all your eager comments and excitement on the forums and we know you have lots of questions for this upcoming EP. Last week, I tackled SimGuruArgus to get him to answer as many of your questions posted in our thread as possible. He thought you all had some really great questions and he’s posted the responses below.
I hope you enjoy this Q&A!

Q: Can the college Sims get married & pregnant in college life?
A: No marriage and no pregnancy. It’s kept pretty casual while Sims are at university.

Q: How will joining a sorority or fraternity work? Will Sims have to go through a rush period? Also can we customise how long each semester is?
A: Joining a sorority or fraternity is as easy as selecting it when you first move into the university world. There is no rush period, since we wanted these to feel more inclusive than exclusive. There are some pretty great dares you can explore as well. Each time you attend university, you can customise the duration of your term to one or two weeks.

Q: Whilst in the University world, can we visit home? That and can Pets, Paparazzi and Aliens visit this sub-world, like Sunset Valley, or not, like with WA destinations?
A: Since the terms aren’t too long, there is no way to visit back home. If you get really homesick, you can drop out, but doing so will sacrifice anything you have spent in paying for that term. Pets will not show up in university. However, those pesky Paparazzi and abducting Aliens may pay you a visit while you’re attending.

Q: Will there be an option to add college buildings to your home world, so your working Sims can take night classes or so Sims can attend college classes while still living at home?
A: You can definitely add college buildings to your home world through edit town, and they will function similarly to Base Game rabbit holes, with a few new interactions, but no college classes. While Sims can prepare for university outside of school by building skills and taking the aptitude test, actual credits will not be committed until you finish a term at university.

Q: If you meet a Sim at college, can you bring them back to your home world with you when college is over?
A: You can’t immediately bring them back with your Sim when they go home from university, since they have to unpack, but you can call them and have them visit your home world once your Sim has returned.

Q: What if your Sim graduates before their friends do? Will there be an option to stay in touch and invite them for a visit, like you can do with foreign friends in WA, and then invite them to move in that way?
A: If your Sim is a whiz in academics and ends up graduating before their friends, they can always keep in touch by calling their university friends. There is in fact an option to stay in touch with friends post-university, and it works much like foreign friends in The Sims 3 World Adventures.

Q: Can you send your Sim's friends and neighbours to college, even when you are not playing as them?
A: The only Sims you are able to send off to university are Sims that are part of your active household.

Q: What is the shortest amount of time a Sim can stay at the university? Can you customise how long Sims can attend college?
A: The shortest amount of time a Sim can stay at university is one Sim week and the longest amount of time is two Sim weeks. You are able to customise your stay by selecting one or two terms (one term = one Sim week, two terms = two Sims weeks).

Q: Can Sims get multiple degrees? Like, go and graduate, come home and then go again?
A: Sims can most definitely earn multiple degrees. All of you completionists out there can go nuts!

Q: If I send a married Sim, can she invite her spouse to visit her and also can he invite her to visit?
A: No, your Sim’s spouse will not be able to visit your Sim while they are at university, but you can always spend a little time in-between terms catching up with loved ones or you may speak to them on your smart phone while away at university.

Q: Are there Secret Societies in the University EP?
A: There are no secret societies in university, but you can apprentice under the almighty mascot.

Q: Can you get kicked out if you misbehave or don't keep up your grades?
A: Your Sim can get kicked out of class for cheating, but your Sim will never be suspended or expelled from university.

Q: I'm wondering if Sims will get additional wish slots when they graduate, like they did in The Sims 2 University? Will there be new lifetime wishes or rewards?
A: We do have new lifetime wishes and rewards in The Sims 3 University Life, but we did things a little bit differently than in The Sims 2 University. Instead of getting an additional wish slot for graduating, Sims are granted an additional trait slot, as well as other benefits.

Q: Are there spring breaks?
A: Technically, there can be a spring break, but this all depends if you have The Sims 3 Seasons installed and when your term ends.

Q: Will body piercings be reintroduced? 
A: Body piercings do not appear in The Sims 3 University Life.

Q: Will Sims have jobs/part time jobs while attending class?
A: While Sims are at university, we definitely make room for them to focus on their Academics. If they had a job in their home world, it will be put on hold while they attend university. There are multiple ways to earn money while at university. The job board is a good place for Sims to start looking for ways to earn extra cash, but it is by no means the only way to make money. You’ll have options!

Q: Are there any scholarships teens can apply for?
A: Sims that take the Aptitude Test will have their scores based on their previous accomplishments. This means that certain types of skills, traits, or high school grades that they had as a teen will come into play when calculating their overall score. This allows them to earn financial aid or even gain credits towards their degrees. Also, it is important to note that progress in certain careers also benefit Sims when they attend university.

Q: Are there new recipes? Will there be new recipes for the microwave?
A: There are new ready-to-eat recipes that can be found on the microwave and refrigerator, as well as some tasty treats that you can purchase from the new barista bar.

Q: Will there be different kinds of university campuses? 
A: There is only one university campus. This campus, however, can be modified using edit town, either from your home world or when you arrive in the university world. It really is the cream of the crop, though, and the one university that all Sims aspire to attend.

Q: What are the new social interactions with the 3 social groups?
A: I don’t want to spoil too much here, but we have quite a few new socials that unlock as you progress through the social groups. This ranges from things like taking a self-portrait with your smart phone to showing off a new gizmo.

Q: Can we switch gameplay from university to town?
A: Attending university works like a travel world. Once enrolled, it is best to stay until the end of the term, but you are able to drop out and head back home during the middle of the term. Doing so will cause your Sim to lose any progress and money spent towards earning their degree that term. Once you finish the term or drop out, you will be returned to your home world.

Q: Can Sims get academic probation if they don’t do well in class?
A: No, the only real punishment for not doing well at university is when you are cheating. Other than that, university is very forgiving on performance. Nobody wants to be kicked out, especially if they’re spending their hard earned Simoleons on it. Another important note is that if you get a D or an F, you will either get reduced credits or no credits for that term.

We hope this Q&A can tide you over until The Sims 3 University Life launches on in the UK 5th March! Thanks for reading!

SimGuruHydra

Hey Simmers, here's the latest blog from SimGuruSarah talking all about the 90s! Enjoy...

'Sup, Simmers? SimGuruSarah here to tell you about the slamminist decade featured in The Sims 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff Pack – that’s right, it’s time to go back to the 1990s!

Video games, hip hop music and talk shows were all the rage in the 90s. But grunge was really where it was at. Although grunge music was first introduced in the 80s, it became commercially successful in the 90s and sparked a new wave of generational lifestyle. Inspired by this, The Sims Studio wanted to focus the 90s portion of this stuff pack on the unkempt and industrial look of the grunge 90s in both clothing and home décor.

Here are some of our new items.

We have a new living chair, “Designer Distress Easy Chair,” with a matching steel “IndustroShelf” bookshelf and a “Create-a-Table” end table.



There is even a new industrial-themed potted plant to decorate your home with! 

The grunge scene is well represented with ripped jeans and baggy t-shirts for both male and female Sims.


Fashion in the 90s was all about tying sweaters around your waist (and jackets…and sweatshirts…hey, at least it’s better than the fanny pack from the 80s, right?), layered t-shirts, and, of course, parachute pants! Okay, maybe only “celebrities” wore parachute pants but guess what? Now your Sims can too!

Whether you want to tell the tale of the penniless aspiring musician, an up and coming party rockin’ hip-hop star, or dedicated groupie, the 90s offers your Sims many new stories to tell!


Thanks for reading and be sure to join me today at 10:00 AM PST as I’ll be taking over The Sims 3 Twitter account to answer all your questions about The Sims 3 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff.

Talk soon!
SimGuruSarah

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Hey Simmers, check out the latest blog from Assistant Producer Lauren McLemore. Read on to find on about The Sims 3 University...

Love it, hate it, want one, avoid one, but everyone’s got one — a social life that is. While making the grade is important, The Sims 3 University Life experience is about more than just what you learn in the classroom! It’s about the life your Sim leads outside it. Your Sim can pursue any social life they dream of – from the most popular Sim on campus or the nerdy bookworm that lives in the library. No matter if your Sim is a little socially awkward or completely irresistible they can have a fun and memorable university experience!



Introduced in The Sims 3 University Life are three new social groups: the Jocks, Rebels and Nerds. Your Sim can gain influence with as many of these groups they desire – they are not limited to befriending just one! As your Sim progresses up the social ladder within each group, they will unlock rewards that will make all the effort on their part worth it.

But what are the social groups like? Let me tell you…

Jocks are the Sims who play to win, whether it’s a popularity contest or a match on the Plink Plonk Tennis Table. It’s no wonder that Jocks tend to hang out at B’s Bowlarama where they can work on getting strikes and not striking out with the cute Sim eying their sweet bowling moves. Probably not a surprise either that Jocks throw some of the best parties on campus.

Rebels enjoy going above and beyond the expected and then taking it one step further. Rebels are the Sims who will tag a wall on campus and then add herbs to the bonfire at a local party. You can find Rebels hanging out at The Grotto; a cool place where a Sim can enjoy a game of pool, work on their artistic skills, or savor an organic brew from the Barista Bar.

And last, but definitely not least, are the Nerds. Nerds love to play video games, perform research, win trivia challenges, and aren’t afraid to berate other Sims for their ignorance. Keith’s Komics is the ideal hangout for a Nerd as it has all the lots of hobbies for Nerds to enjoy including, computers, arcade machines and comics, of course!



Keeping up with all the social influence your Sim gains is simple! With a few clicks on their new smart phone they’ll be completely in the know. Just hit ‘Check Social Groups’ to see their current status. But that isn’t the only cool thing the smart phone can do. Maybe your Sim is feeling bold and flirty, then sending a secret admirer text might just catch that special someone’s attention. Alternately, if another Sim has treated you poorly and you want to give them a piece of your mind then go ahead and send them an insulting text. Also if you Sim is looking to cut loose and be single, they can send a break up text to their romantic interest. Additionally, if your Sim is more visual then they might appreciate the new ways to take photos. Now your Sim can take self-portrait snapshots with another Sim, and can even sneak in a romantic kissy photo. These are just a few examples of what your new smart phone can do!

Even outside of the social groups there are a huge variety of social activities and interactions your Sim can partake in. For example, what would university be without parties!? To spice things up, we’ve added two new party types in the mix: Juice Keggers and Bonfires. Parties are a great time to meet new Sims, and if there is a Sim you want to get a little closer to, then go ahead and give them a Heat of the Moment Kiss. There are plenty of other new kiss interactions as well, such as Juiced Kiss and Cinnamon Kiss. These only scratch the surface of the new romantic options that are available in The Sims 3 University Life.



If your Sim isn’t into partying, then there are still plenty of other activities to do. From playing a collegiate sport to posing nude for figure class to becoming a medical test subject and holding a protest, your Sims will find an all-new world to explore! There are also great new social things to do that will contribute to building skills as well. With the new sketchbook object you can ask another Sim to pose for you (even pose nude)! Plus, there is much, much more! But we’ll leave the rest up to you to explore for yourself!

In The Sims 3 University Life, each Sim can build a unique social life that suits their needs. Just don’t get blinded by the awesomeness of your Sim’s social life and forget to send them to class. It’s true that a dream job can be landed based purely on social activities but receiving good grades has its equal advantages!

Lauren McLemore, The Sims 3 University Life Assistant Producer

The Sims 3 University is more than just having your Sims making the grade - it's also about your Sims' lives outside of the classroom. Check out SimGuruLauren's blog where she talks about social groups, social interactions, and more!

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