Life sims are 'the most complex RPGs ever written,' says Life by You director

The Sims isn't the only PC life simulation game in town anymore. Dozens of smaller, more focused life sims have appeared in the years since Stardew Valley took off, and now upcoming Sims competitors like Paralives and Life by You are aiming for the same kind of broad home, relationship, family, and career simulation that EA's 24-year-old Sims series is synonymous with.

Life by You director Rod Humble, who was the head of The Sims series for several years in the 2000s, thinks the fundamental...