"The Sims" is a huge phenomenon that no one could have predicted. Downloads (objects, skins, etc.) created by fans are the main reason the game has stayed so popular. Fans provide downloads on their sites, as a way of giving back and participating in the community. However, the overwhelming popularity of some sites has caused them problems.
Bandwidth
Popular fan sites were overcome with traffic, so many servers could not handle them, and most sites on free servers spent part of the day down. Bandwidth is the amount of traffic allowed by servers hosting the sites; the popular sites just couldn't handle the traffic. In order to handle the traffic, webmasters had to pay for more bandwidth. Some of the most popular sites were paying thousands of dollars a month from their own pocket to keep the site alive.
Subscription Sites are Born
To solve the problem of webmasters paying large amounts of money for our downloading, some sites went pay. A monthly subscription can be bought for a few, generally around 3 to 5 dollars a month. Subscriptions pay for the bandwidth and have allowed some sites to have their sites put on more reliable servers.
Donations
Instead of becoming a pay site, some fan sites have elected to take donations, some even offer a gift in return. How much and often you donate is decided by you, and all amounts are appreciated.
The Pay Sites
Below is a sampling of Sim sites that are pay sites.
My Picks
Conclusion
Pay sites are a reality for "The Sims" fan sites. The monthly fee keeps the website up and running. Yes, not all of us can afford to subscribe every month, but it is also not right for webmasters to be paying huge bills to satisfy our downloading urges. Support all sites, pay and free, by emailing owners and letting them know you appreciate their work.
