Perhaps Kayla Sims (@lilsimsie) was destined to play The Sims, Electronic Arts’ hit life simulation series. Yes, that’s her real name. But when she uploaded her first YouTube video, a playthrough of The Sims 4 Get Together expansion, in 2015, she probably never expected the game to change her life so much.
Sims, 27, currently has more than 2.2 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 954,000 followers on her main Twitch channel, where she streams Monday through Saturday. She sometimes plays other cozy games, but TS4 is her bread and butter.
One of the biggest “shimmers” in the industry, the influence of The Sims is felt in the game’s very code. Since 2020, she has worked with EA on two expansions and the “Comfy Gamer” pack. Several in-game objects are actually named after her or her character, such as the iconic cowplant. She is also the mastermind behind several popular player challenges.
Many Sims fans have grown up with her. They not only note her helpful tutorials and creative builds, but also her refreshing and wholesome vibe. “I love how positive and honest she is and respect what she stands for,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
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Sims has never been shy about speaking out about issues that are important to her. She said on YouTube that she has been running an annual charity stream for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 2020, raising more than $1 million in 2025 and again in May 2026. Other fundraisers she organized raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the National Immigration Law Center, Trans Lifeline, and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
In late 2025, after EA was acquired by Saudi investors, The Sims announced that it would be leaving the EA Creator Network. “The values represented by those who earned EA are fundamentally inconsistent with those I stand for and stand for,” Sims wrote at the time. Most recently, she rallied other players to sign a petition calling for the deal to be blocked.
Although Sims hasn’t finished playing TS4, he has started posting unrelated content on YouTube, a move that has been well received by viewers. One commenter said, “I follow the creators, not the content.” Sims’ honesty has given her a community that Simoleons can’t buy.
From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they trust, and the trends they think are coming next. Read more creator articles or see more of this year’s Mashable 101 to discover the internet’s most exciting voices.
Update: This story has been updated to reflect that Sims reported on YouTube that he has raised $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital again in 2026.
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