This research examines the design of The Sims 3 for its representation of America, The American Dreams that are possible to achieve in the game’s simulation, and the immersiveness of the simulation; how it affects the player. There has been research regarding American Dream in popular media studies but there has not been any research on a video game titled The Sims 3. This research applies Stuart Hall’s Representation (1997) to describe how The Sims 3 represents America, and Baudrillard’s four phases of Simulation and Simulacra (1988) in analyzing the game life-simulation feature. This is a qualitative research based on Consalvo & Dutton (2006) methods of doing qualitative research on video games. The primary data were an After-Action Report (AAR), accompanied with forty-eight images. Then, eight images and two player testimonies in a form of transcripts were used for secondary data. For the primary data, the AAR is supported by the images from the primary data. The images from the secondary data were used as comparisons to the primary data, while the transcripts of players testimony are used to support the arguments in this research. The results showed that The Sims 3 represents America through the design of the world, the architecture of buildings, and lifestyle that is depicted by the game characters. This research found three kinds of American Dream that are possible to achieve; having a desired job, having a perfect family, and becoming wealthy. Lastly, this research analyzed the immersiveness, how close a game is to the reality, of the game simulation which affects the player’s experience from playing the game. In conclusion, The Sims 3 has proven to be capable to be a medium to simulate the American Dreams because of its representation of America and its immersive life-simulation experienc
