These days, we really have it all: computers in our pockets, rechargeable cars, and people who roleplay themselves as Sims on Instagram. Although the size of the community is unclear, it's at least large enough that they refer to themselves as "plumbobs" (the ubiquitous green diamond that hovers over your selected Sim in the game), some claim they are "not a human, I'm a Sim" , while others identify themselves by family .

Each account has a variety of characters in a variety of settings. Because the most recent expansion to the game was Sims 3 University , the majority of them are in college and mostly deal with typical college experiences. They experiment with new styles, go to parties, and hookup.

On user live2sims3 , for instance, we find Cecelia caught in an intimate moment with her "friend," Jamie, yet just a couple weeks later she's seen kissing some random jock.

Some of these Sims have pretty weak moral fiber, but is that a reflection of the humans behind the accounts? Do they wish for their own lives to reflect the drama and suspense of their Sims?

If the latter is the case, hopefully their lives aren't as bad as this Sim's:

It's easy to categorize the people behind these account as crazies—and sure, this subculture is out there, both literally and figuratively—but think about it. Who HASN'T made Sims that in one way or another reflect our own lives or ideal versions of ourselves? Sure, we might eventually trap them in a 1x1 square and then light them on fire, but that's just human nature. We're all a bit crazy. It's just that most of us haven't chosen to Instagram our Sims. Yet.

(Thanks to Christine Friar who spent her night unearthing this plumbob in the rough.)