A Sims 4 player has hilariously demonstrated price increases between The SIms 3 and The Sims 4 using toilet paper holder price as a metric.

A Sims 4 player hilariously pointed out in-game inflation on Twitter this week, using toilet paper holder prices as a metric. While The Sims 4 and its DLC costs more total in real life than any previous entry in the series, it seems like things have gotten pricier in the game's universe as well. While its unclear exactly how the Sims economy works, Sims are shelling out more Simoleons than ever just to hang up their toilet paper.

Design is a huge part of the appeal of The Sims series, with many players often enjoying it more than the gameplay itself. For lots of Sims players, making builds isn't just about the broad strokes of the design - the minutiae of a creation is just important, and often more fun. Many of the smaller items in The Sims 4 that players use to decorate serve no actual purpose besides aesthetics, as they aren't actually usable. For example, the s'mores making item in the Sims 4 Little Campers Kit disappointingly does not actually make s'mores. All items in the game cost Simoleons, the currency of The Sims world, with some pieces of furniture costing absurd amounts of money.

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Sims 4 player and content creator SimMattically shared a very funny comparison between The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 when it comes to prices by comparing the cost of a toilet paper roll holder between games. While The Sims 3 holder is priced at a mere two Simoleons, the version in The Sims 4 costs a whopping 50 Simoleons. The 25x price hike is hilariously captioned "the inflation has hit the sims too" and truly captures the huge difference between games in the best way.

Although it's a small touch, the simple toilet roll holder items are some of the most commonly used pieces of furniture for many Sims 4 interior designers. Although it is not actually a necessity, as Sims can fully utilize a bathroom for their needs without one present, for many players a bathroom build simply doesn't feel complete without one. Interestingly, although inflation has struck the Sims 4 economy and raised prices for everyday items significantly, Sim salaries have not kept pace. In fact, for many Sims 4 careers wages have decreased from The Sims 3; in the older game, Culinary career track workers begin their career making 25 Simoleons an hour, and in The Sims 4 they begin with only 15 Simoleons per hour.

While its unlikely that a corporation as large as EA is making some sort of thinly-veiled critique of capitalism in The Sims 4, these revelations of inflation bring to light the fact that Sims are now both paying more and earning less. It seems that the divide between the extremely wealthy families like the Sims 4's Goth and Landgraab families and the working-class Pancakes family have become even more disparate over time. This hilarious post has undoubtedly raised some interesting questions about the economy of The Sims 4 in the funniest way possible.

Deven McClure is a Senior Gaming Writer covering news, reviews, features, and interviews for Screen Rant, specializing in the simulation genre. A lifelong lover of video games, she began writing for Screen Rant in 2021. When she's not working, you can undoubtedly find her playing her latest video game obsession - most likely something with farming and crafting. She's been playing games since early childhood, first becoming obsessed with Animal Crossing for the Gamecube at 8 years old, and has loved learning about them ever since. Originally from California where she studied arts and child development, Deven moved to New York in 2017. After her move, she attended Gotham Writing School with a focus on article and television writing. She now lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend and cats, Timmy and Tommy - named after the two adorable Animal Crossing characters, of course.