Audience
Read this App Store description and the customer reviews for The Sims FreePlay and answer the following questions:
1) What game information is provided on this page? Pick out three elements you think are important in terms of making the game appeal to an audience.
Gives a short description of the features in the game using short, engaging titles. An example is "Customise to your hearts content," suggesting that the player has complete control and creativity within the game.
2) How does the game information on this page reflect the strong element of participatory culture in The Sims?
It states that you are able to "Create your story," which depicts the fact that players have the ability to change certain aspects of their gameplay to the way that they want.
3) Read a few of the user reviews. What do they suggest about the audience pleasures of the game?
The majority of the reviews are positive as they mention how they were not able to purchase the console game and so The Sims FreePlay was a good alternative, however there are many reviews that have complaints about the amount of ads.
Participatory culture
Read this academic journal article - The Sims: A Participatory Culture 14 Years On. Answer the following questions:
1) What did The Sims designer Will Wright describe the game as?
Similar to "a train set or doll's house where each person comes to it with their own interests and picks their own goals" (1999)
2) Why was development company Maxis initially not interested in The Sims?
The board of directors thought that ‘doll houses were for girls, and girls didn’t play video games’ (Seabrook 2006).
3) What is ‘modding’?
'A culture wherein players were able to modify game assets by manipulating the game code (a practice called ‘modding’) with the sanction of the rights owners, and to share their new creations via personal websites and online for a – or even on the official Sims page, where an
exchange centre was set up.'
4) How does ‘modding’ link to Henry Jenkins’ idea of ‘textual poaching’?
‘Participatory culture’, as first posited in Henry’s Jenkins’ seminal book on fan culture, Textual Poachers (1992 [2013]), describes an aspect of fandom we are all familiar with today – the contribution of consumers and audiences to a product or a franchise, through activities ranging from writing fan fiction to drawing fan art, from cosplaying to even penning simple gaming reviews.
5) Look specifically at p136. Note down key quotes from Jenkins, Pearce and Wright on this page.
- the Sims series has "the most vibrant emergent fan culture of a single-player game in history" (Pearce)
- "Today, there are thousands" of fan websites dedicated to the Sims (Jenkins)
- "it was the community that really brought [the game] to the next level" (Wright)
- There was barely a niche left unrepresented - "there was bound to be UGC available" to reflect your own interests.
6) What examples of intertextuality are discussed in relation to The Sims? (Look for “replicating works from popular culture”)
Fans would create sims based on their favourite characters from Japanese anime or Star Trek
7) What is ‘transmedia storytelling’ and how does The Sims allow players to create it?
When the primary text encoded in an official commercial product could be dispersed over multiple media.
8) How have Sims online communities developed over the last 20 years?
- audiences communicate with each other more through websites /social media
- different mods for different/expanding range of lifestyles
9) Why have conflicts sometimes developed within The Sims online communities?
These practices instituted new forms of fannish productivity, which also served to strengthen fan communities. As a corollary, it also aided in bolstering The Sims fan community itself, as it provided a versatile new platform that was engaging not only as a game in its own right, but also as a storytelling device.
10) What does the writer suggest The Sims will be remembered for?
- the community
- the fandom
Read this Henry Jenkins interview with James Paul Gee, writer of Woman as Gamers: The Sims and 21st Century Learning (2010).
1) How is ‘modding’ used in The Sims?
Modding is used for emotional intelligence and social interactions within The Sims gameplay.
2) Why does James Paul Gee see The Sims as an important game?
It is a game that takes people beyond gaming and the way that women play the game is not mainstream but cutting edge.
3) What does the designer of The Sims, Will Wright, want players to do with the game?
He wants to empower people to think like designers, to organize themselves around the game to become learn new skills that extend beyond the game, and to express their own creativity.
4) Do you agree with the view that The Sims is not a game – but something else entirely?
I disagree as there a variety of types of games and there is not one set category that they all must fit into. This is a few that many people may have due to the larger female audience.
5) How do you see the future of gaming? Do you agree with James Paul Gee that all games in the future will have the flexibility and interactivity of The Sims?
I disagree as the structure and creativity varies depending on its genre and goal/aim of the game.
Industries
Regulation – PEGI
Research the following using the VSC website PEGI page - look at the videos and Q&A section.
1) How does the VSC and PEGI ratings system work and how does it link to UK law?
The Video Recordings Act 1984 makes it illegal to supply a PEGI 12, 16 or 18 rated game to a person under those ages, if the game is being supplied in a physical form (eg on a disc, a cartridge or a chip) in the UK.
2) Click on the PEGI Rating tab in the top menu. What are the age ratings and what content guidance do they include?
PEGI 3: Games given this rating are considered suitable for all age groups. There may be very mild and unrealistic violence in a child-like setting. There may also be nudity when shown in a completely natural and non-sexual manner, for example during breastfeeding. Games rated at PEGI 3 may also contain in-game purchases.
PEGI 7: Games rated PEGI 7 may contain unrealistic violence, often directed towards fantasy characters. Violence towards human characters will be unrealistic and undetailed, of a minor nature, or only implied. For example, a city being bombed or cars crashing, where the violence to humans is not actually shown. Games may also be rated PEGI 7 because they contain elements, including sounds, that might be scary or frightening to younger children. Games rated at PEGI 7 may also contain in-game purchases.
PEGI 12: Games rated PEGI 12 may contain more detailed and realistic-looking violence towards fantasy characters. However, while there may be moderate violence towards human characters, there must not be any sight of blood or injuries, or an emphasis on pain, during violence towards humans. There may be moderate horror sequences, such as characters in danger and jump scares, as well as disturbing images, such as sight of injuries or dead bodies, provided these are not too gory or graphic. Milder forms of swearing may be present but not the strongest terms. While sex may not be shown, there may be sexual innuendo and sexual activity can be implied (eg a couple getting into bed). The type of suggestive posing and dancing that's familiar from music videos may also be allowed, although there will be no sexual nudity. Games rated at PEGI 12 may also contain in-game purchases.
PEGI 16: Games rated PEGI 16 may contain more realistic and sustained violence against human characters, including sight of blood and injuries. The stronger forms of violence, such as torture and a focus on pain and injury, will not normally be allowed unless they are against fantasy characters. Games at this level will not necessarily show any negative consequences to crime. There may also be intense and sustained horror sequences or strong gory images. Strong language can occur, including the crudest sexual expletives. Sexual activity may be shown provided there is no sight of genitals. Depictions of erotic nudity may feature. There may be depictions of the use of illegal drugs, as well as prominent use of tobacco and alcohol. Games rated at PEGI 16 may also contain in-game purchases.
PEGI 18: Games rated PEGI 18 can contain very strong content and are only suitable for adults. This could include torture and the infliction of severe pain and injury to human characters. It could also include violence towards defenceless or vulnerable human characters, including children. Sexual violence and sexual threats may also occur. Very strong and crude language may feature throughout. There may be strong depictions of sexual activity with sight of genitals. Games rated PEGI 18 may also feature detailed descriptions of criminal techniques, as well as the teaching and glamorisation of gambling, and the glamorisation and promotion of illegal drug use. Games rated at PEGI 18 may also contain in-game purchases.
3) What is the PEGI process for rating a game?
Step 1: Content declaration assessment
Step 2: Submission materials
Step 3: Video footage examination
Step 4: Game examination
Step 5: Receiving the PEGI licence
The ‘Freemium’ gaming model
Read this Lifewire feature on freemium gaming and answer the following questions:
1) How does the freemium model work?
A freemium app, otherwise known as free-to-play, is an app that you can download for free but that includes in-app purchases to produce revenue. You don't have to purchase anything, but the items for sale are often features or extras that make the app more functional or enjoyable.
2) Why do some gamers believe freemium is ruining games?
Some games enable players to "pay to win," meaning pay money to quickly become much more powerful than other players. Others use a "pay to play" model in which players encounter a time limit unless they pay to extend their time.
3) What are the positives of the freemium model for gaming?
The ability to download and try a game for free is great. And, when developers do freemium right, players can alternatively earn the premium content by working through the game and building up in-game currency. So they don't have to feel like there's no way to advance past a certain point in the game without paying.
Now read this Business Insider feature on freemium gaming and multiplayer games. Answer the following questions:
1) Note the key statistics in the first paragraph.
Freemium games and their in-app purchases account for about 70-80% of the $10 billion or more in iOS revenue each year.
2) Why does the freemium model incentivise game developers to create better and longer games?
If developers don't have a strong monetary incentive, it's difficult for them to constantly improve the game experience. With freemium games, players are continuously spending money on the game, as opposed to paying once and forgetting about it. Developers are then incentivized to put that stream of revenue directly back into the game to improve it.
3) What does the article suggest regarding the possibilities and risks to the freemium model in future?
The “freemium” model has proven itself to be incredibly profitable. The question now is how game developers use it to grow without alienating a large share of the gaming community.
Read this New York Times feature on freemium gaming and answer the following questions:
1) Why did Temple Run use the freemium model?
Temple Run used the freemium model because they noticed that as soon as the game was free, there was a spike in the downloads. The freemium model helps to establish an addictiveness surrounding the game.
2) The bigger gaming studios like Electronic Arts used to avoid the freemium model. Why are they now embracing it?
EA are now embracing the freemium model because it is a more lucrative way of generating income and targeting a wider audience. Having 'freemium' games means that gamers who do not have the extensive gamig equipment can still play and invest in the games.
3) Why does Peter Farago suggest independent game makers benefit more from the freemium model than the major publishers like EA?
It will be easier for independent game makers to start from scratch and then produce freemium games at a high standard and then maintain this standard. Large media publishers like EA would have to completely change their approach in order to make the freemium model work.
Electronic Arts
Read this Pocket Gamer interview with EA’s Amanda Schofield, Senior Producer on The Sims FreePlay at EA's Melbourne-based Firemonkeys studio. Answer the following questions:
1) How has The Sims FreePlay evolved since launch?
The detailing surrounding the intricacy of each a Sim's construction and lifestyle is incredible. The Sims Freeplay is an example of all of the fantasies that can be turned into a reality via this game.
2) Why does Amanda Schofield suggest ‘games aren’t products any more’?
She suggests that games aren't products because they are now built and based around a partnership between the gamers and the game developers.
3) What does she say about The Sims gaming community?
They are very much involved in the development process as the development teams try to remain up to date about what their audiences are saying about the game and how their concerns or issues can be addressed.
4) How has EA kept the game fresh and maintained the active player base?
The game constantly reinvents and designs itself around the changing desires pf the players adn the targeted audiences. The audiences feel a sense of personal identification with the idealism surrounding the world that they have created; therefore are unlikely to leave this behind.
5) How many times has the game been installed and how much game time in years have players spent playing the game? These could be great introductory statistics in an exam essay on this topic.
- Over 200m installs of the Sims Freeplay
- 78,000 game time (in years)
Finally, read this blog on how EA is ruining the franchise (or not) due to its downloadable content. Answer the following questions:
- 'real life simulation' - diversion
- 'classic tale of love and heartbreak' - the investment into the franchise and the lives of the characters that are created
2) What examples of downloadable content are presented?
"Things that should've been in the game in the first place."
- characters in the Star Wars Battlefront II game
- Items/expansion packs in Sims 4: Cats and Dogs
3) How did Electronic Arts enrage The Sims online communities with expansion packs and DLC?
They removed a lot of the content that typically should have been included in the game and made it available as downloadable content - ready for purchase.
4) What innovations have appeared in various versions of The Sims over the years?
- Can create multi-generational legacies on Sims
- Developers gave gamers full-access to the "hyper-realistic" world of Sims 3 - the capability to travel between multiple neighbourhoods
- Customise gender options/increased diversity present in the game.
5) In your opinion, do expansion packs like these exploit a loyal audience or is it simply EA responding to customer demand?
I think that the expansion packs are answering customer demand which is evident from the game play and fan groups.
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