Perhaps Kayla Sims (@lilsimsie) was destined to play The Sims, Electronic Arts' hit life simulation franchise. Yes, that's her real name. But when she uploaded her very first YouTube video in 2015, a playthrough of The Sims 4's Get Together expansion, she probably never expected the game to change her life the way it did.

Sims, now 27, currently counts over 2.2 million YouTube subscribers and more than 954,000 followers on her main Twitch channel, where she streams Monday through Saturday. She occasionally plays other cozy games, but TS4 is her bread and butter.

As one of the biggest "Simmers" in the biz, Sims' influence can be felt in the game's very code. Since 2020, she's teamed up with EA on two expansions and a "Comfy Gamer" pack. Some in-game objects are actually named after her or her characters, including the iconic Cowplants. She's also the mastermind behind several popular player challenges.

Many of Sims' fans have grown up with her. They tune in not just for her helpful tutorials and creative builds, but also for her refreshingly wholesome vibes. "I love how positive and genuine she is, and I respect what she stands for," one fan wrote on Reddit.

Sims hasn't shied away from speaking up about issues that matter to her. She's run an annual charity stream for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital since 2020, raising over $1 million for the cause in 2025. Separate fundraisers she's organized have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the National Immigration Law Center, the Trans Lifeline, and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

In late 2025, Sims announced that she was leaving the EA Creator Network after EA was acquired by Saudi investors. "The values represented by the people acquiring EA are fundamentally at odds with what I stand for and support," Sims wrote at the time. More recently, she's rallied other players to sign a petition calling to block the deal.

Sims isn't done playing TS4, but she's started to post more unrelated content on YouTube — a move that viewers have embraced. "I follow the creator, not the content," said one commenter. Sims' integrity has earned her the kind of community that Simoleons can't buy.

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