That proves it then, the game was designed to have time have a slower effect on your peeps depending on how long you are gone. A year should be 3.5 hours, but if you don't long in for a week a year could be more like 48 hours or something lol.

The problem is that the mess in the house and yard will still pile up, and the food will go away depending on how long you're gone. Not sure what would happen if you come back and all the food is gone.. would they pass away from starvation or would slower time have saved them?