Sims Audience and Industry

 

Audience

1) What game information is provided and which three elements help the appeal?
The page describes customising Sims, designing homes and building a town, and also explains life stages, careers and relationships, along with social features like visiting friends. The three most appealing elements are creativity, life simulation and the chance to share designs with others.

2) How does the information show participatory culture?
Players can create homes, characters and stories, which shows that the game depends on player creativity. The option to visit friends and compare designs shows community involvement. The game encourages players to take an active role rather than just follow a fixed story.

3) What do the reviews suggest about audience pleasures?
Reviews show that players enjoy creativity and building their own world. Many enjoy escaping into a calm and controlled environment. They also like achieving goals and forming emotional connections with the Sims they create.

Participatory culture

1) What did The Sims designer Will Wright describe the game as?
Will Wright described The Sims as a game where players could make new objects and easily download them into the game. He saw it as a platform for creativity and experimentation. This openness allowed players to shape the game world themselves.

2) Why was development company Maxis initially not interested in The Sims?
Maxis was unsure about the idea because it was different from their usual city building games. Will Wright had to convince them that players would enjoy controlling individual lives.

3) What is ‘modding’? How does ‘modding’ link to Henry Jenkins’ idea of ‘textual poaching’?
Modding is when players change or add to a game’s code to create new content. It links to Jenkins’ ‘textual poaching’ because players take the game text and make it their own. 

4) Look specifically at p136. Note down key quotes from Jenkins, Pearce and Wright on this page.
Jenkins: “there were already more than fifty fan Web sites dedicated to The Sims. Today, there are thousands.”
Pearce: “The original Sims series has the most vibrant emergent fan culture of a single-player game in history.”
Wright: “We were probably responsible for the first million or so units sold but it was the community which really brought it to the next level.”

5) What examples of intertextuality are discussed in relation to The Sims?
Players recreated Star Trek, Star Wars. They used mods to bring other media worlds into The Sims. Even crossovers were possible, allowing characters from different franchises to interact.

6) What is ‘transmedia storytelling’ and how does The Sims allow players to create it?
Transmedia storytelling is when a story spreads across multiple media formats. The Sims allows players to create it by acting out stories, taking screenshot. This extends the game into fan created narratives shared online.

7) How have Sims online communities developed over the last 20 years?
Communities formed around modding and sharing content, creating digital libraries and archives. Experienced creators mentor novices and support each other. Communities sometimes face conflict, but continue to thrive due to player passion.

8) What does the writer suggest The Sims will be remembered for?
The Sims will be remembered for its cult following and passionate fan communities. It pioneered participatory culture and digital production practices. Its legacy continues to influence fan and modding communities today.

Read this Henry Jenkins interview with James Paul Gee, writer of Woman as Gamers: The Sims and 21st Century Learning (2010).2) What does the designer of The Sims, Will Wright, want players to do with the game?

1) Why does James Paul Gee see The Sims as an important game?
Gee sees The Sims as important because it encourages players to create, design and build in ways that go beyond normal gaming. He believes women and girls use it to develop technical, creative and social skills through modding and community work. He argues that this kind of player creativity is the future of gaming and digital learning.

2) What does the designer Will Wright want players to do with the game?
Will Wright wants players to use the game as a platform for creativity. He aims to empower players to make their own content and build communities around it. He wants players to think like designers and use the game to learn skills that go beyond play.

3) Do you agree with the view that The Sims is not a game but something else entirely?
Some people think it is not a traditional game because it does not follow fixed goals or stories. It is more like a creative tool where players make their own challenges and worlds. You could argue it is both a game and a space for design, depending on how a player uses it.

Industries

1) How has The Sims FreePlay evolved since launch?
The Sims FreePlay started with 16 Sims, pets and basic careers. Over five years it has grown to include marriage, children, multiple pets, new locations, fashion and home design options. The game has constantly added features and expanded systems to meet player demands.

2) Why does Amanda Schofield suggest ‘games aren’t products any more’?
She says games are now services built in partnership with players. Developers must update the game, fix problems and respond to player feedback continuously. This means the game evolves instead of being a finished product at launch.

3) What does she say about The Sims gaming community?
The community is very active and engaged, with players enjoying different aspects of the game. Some focus on building homes, others on storytelling or collecting items. Players’ feedback directly influences updates and new content.

4) How has EA kept the game fresh and maintained the active player base?
EA listens to players and adds content they want, such as second stories, pools, pets, professions and furniture. They continually rebuild parts of the game to support new features. The team varies updates to meet the needs of different types of players.

5) How many times has the game been installed and how much game time in years have players spent playing the game?
The Sims FreePlay has been installed over 200 million times. Players have spent 78,000 years of total game time. These statistics show the game’s huge popularity and engagement.

Read this blog on how EA is ruining the franchise (or not) due to its downloadable content. Answer the following questions:

) What audience pleasures for The Sims are discussed at the beginning of the blog?
The blog highlights the pleasure of controlling virtual lives and building homes. It also mentions creativity in architecture, decoration and designing characters. Players enjoy shaping stories and experimenting with the world they create.

2) What examples of downloadable content are presented?
The blog gives examples such as expansion packs like Cats and Dogs and stuff packs like My First Pet Stuff. It explains that DLC can add gameplay or cosmetic items. It also mentions that players often see DLC as content that should have been in the game already.

3) How did Electronic Arts enrage The Sims online communities with expansion packs and DLC?
EA angered players by releasing My First Pet Stuff only months after Cats and Dogs, leading players to believe content had been removed and sold separately. Many felt the pack offered little value and was unfairly priced. This caused boycotts, petitions and strong criticism from the community.

4) What innovations have appeared in various versions of The Sims over the years?
The Sims introduced life simulation as a genre. The Sims 2 added multi generational families, The Sims 3 added an open world and The Sims 4 made it easy to share creations and customise gender options. Each version expanded the ways players could build and play.

5) In your opinion, do expansion packs like these exploit a loyal audience or is it simply EA responding to customer demand?
Some people feel the packs exploit loyal fans because content can seem overpriced or incomplete. Others think EA is responding to demand because players enjoy new items and features. It is likely a mix of both, depending on how each pack is handled.

The ‘Freemium’ gaming model

Read this Business Insider feature on freemium gaming and multiplayer games. Answer the following questions:

1) Note the key statistics in the first paragraph.
The feature says freemium games make up about 70 to 80 percent of iOS revenue. It also says this revenue is over 10 billion dollars a year. It shows that freemium games dominate the mobile market.

2) Why does the freemium model incentivise game developers to create better and longer games?
Developers earn money only if players keep returning to the game. This pushes them to update mechanics, add new content and fix problems to keep players interested. The model rewards constant improvement rather than a one time purchase.

3) What does the article suggest regarding the possibilities and risks to the freemium model in future?
The model could grow as more multiplayer games adopt free to play systems. However, it also faces criticism for encouraging overspending and unfair designs. The future depends on whether companies balance profit with fair gameplay.

Regulation – PEGI

Research the following using the Games Rating Authority website - look at the videos and FAQ section.

1) How does the PEGI ratings system work and how does it link to UK law?
PEGI gives age ratings to games to show which are suitable for children and adults. It is used across Europe, including the UK, and helps retailers follow the law on selling age-appropriate games. UK law makes it illegal to sell games rated above a child’s age.

2) What are the age ratings and what content guidance do they include?
The ratings are 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18. They include guidance on content like violence, bad language, fear, sex or drugs. Each rating tells parents and players what is safe or suitable for a certain age.

3) What is the PEGI process for rating a game?
Developers fill in a questionnaire about the game’s content. PEGI’s team checks it and assigns an age rating and content descriptors. The rating is then displayed on the game packaging and online stores.