One woman has single-handedly designed and built more than 80 houses — despite having no formal qualifications. All the houses she is paid to build are being created in the virtual world of “The Sims.”
Katharina Dahringer, 25, has played “The Sims” video game since she was a child and admits she never dreamed when she was younger that she would eventually be earning money to fund her studies from building virtual houses for clients around the world.
Dahringer, from the city of Bruchsal in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, designs all her houses in the virtual world of the video game series “The Sims” for up to 250 euros ($297) per house, and says the business is growing.
“I’ve been playing ‘Sims’ since the second grade with my best friend who showed it to me back then. It’s been a part of my life ever since,” she said.
She explained that she is saving money for her postgraduate studies.
“This is an important additional income to my daily job, but I would never have thought that I would earn money from it,” she said.
“The Sims” is a series of life simulation video games that has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling game series of all time.
Its concept based on a “virtual dollhouse,” according to its designer Will Wright, and has been on the market for more than 21 years after its release on Feb. 4, 2000.
Dahringer said she loved designing from an early age.
“I loved building and creating,” she said. “I built houses out of cardboard boxes and duct tape, and I even designed furniture out of wine corks and scraps of fabric.”
She said her current venture began when her friend started playing “Sims” on the social media platform Twitch in January 2020, and she offered to build a house for them. When other people saw the house, they were intrigued so she opened an Instagram account to share her designs.
Later, in October and November, she got her first clients who said they were from the United States and requested that she design their virtual houses for payment.
She has since built over 80 houses, villas, bars, and cinemas, which have earned her an additional 400 to 900 euros ($477 to $1,070) per month with the income increasing exponentially.
According to the young woman, one of her American clients paid her 200 euros ($238) for a villa that took four days to complete, and additionally gave her a 50 euro tip ($59).
She explained that it takes her about 60 hours to build a house.
“I spend 30 to 55 hours a week building ‘Sims’ houses. The hourly wage is currently still very low, but I’m getting faster and faster. I hope my small business ‘Katesimblr’ continues to grow. It’s always important to me to not just build a house, but build a real home where you feel comfortable and secure,” she said.
Gamers can order Dahringer’s living art concepts via the online platform Patreon where a house costs about 8 euros ($9) while a four-house package costs 25 euros ($30).
Dahringer also stands against cyber bullying, which she said she experienced after starting her business.
“I have received some very disturbing messages like ‘I hope you die miserably’ … and ‘I hope you get cancer’. I cannot understand how people can carry so much hatred and bitterness in their hearts,” she said.
However, despite the negative comments, she mentioned she has received a lot of support as well and that she finds her job comforting and therapeutic.
Dahringer is currently working on her own real-world dream home, where she wants to spend time with her partner in the coming years.
Edited by Izzy Angeli and Kristen Butler
