The Sims 4: Get to Work expansion turns your Sims into doctors and detectives

Today marks the 15th anniversary of The Sims , and that means it's time to get to work!

, and that means it's time to get to work! I mean literally, in the case of your digital peons, because: Electronic Arts has announced a new Sims 4expansion called Get to Work, in which you'll be able to take direct control of your sims while they're off earning a living, directing them to new career highs, or more likely appalling lows, in the workplace.

Because nothing says "game" quite like "work," Get to Work will give your Sims the opportunity to embark upon exciting careers as doctors, scientists, and detectives, or to go into business for themselves with bakeries, clothing stories, art galleries, bookstores, and more. The expansion will provide your Sims with new skills, enabling the creation of new, unique in-game items that you can use to decorate your home, or sell to your fellow Sims.

Somewhat oddly, or at least so it seems to me, Get to Work also includes creatures from beyond the moon. "Aliens have landed!" EA said. "Uncover which Sims are truly out of this world and discover the mysterious Alien dimension!" Does "undercover alien hunter" qualify as a job?

As mentioned, this is the 15 anniversary of the The Sims, which made its debut on February 4, 2000. To celebrate the big day, we took some time to talk to Senior Producer Lyndsay Pearsonabout such things as the enduring popularity of The Sims, EA's support for the mod community, and the most despicable things players have done to their Sims over the past decade-and-a-half. Fun stuff!

The Sims 4: Get to Work will be out in April.