The Sims FreePlay CSP - Language & Representations
Language / Gameplay analysis
2) What audience is this game targeting?
-Female target audience: more costume options when creating female sims
3) What audience pleasures does the game provide?
-Home store
Representations
Re-watch some of the expansion pack trailers and answer the following questions:
1) How do the expansion pack (DLC) trailers reinforce or challenge dominant ideologies?
One trailer shows women buying clothes in a boutique which could suggest capitalist ideologies as it could be saying that when you work you can then buy whatever you like.
2) What stereotypes have you identified in The Sims FreePlay?
The Sims FreePlay reinforces traditional gender roles such as women doing tasks such as staying at home and raising children while the men are more career focused.
3) What media theories can you apply to representations in The Sims FreePlay?
You can apply Butlers theory of gender being a performance. This can be seen by male characters doing things males would usually do and they are also associated with the colour blue and as for females, they do female things and are associated with the colour pink.
4) Why did the Sims run into regulatory difficulties with American regulator the ESRB? How did EA respond?
This posed a serious problem. Fans had contacted the team regularly about how much they loved the feature’s inclusion, and their fears that it could be removed in later versions. Through a lot of effort, determination and standing their ground, EA was able to convince the ESRB to maintain the game’s T-rating, grandfathering the original support for its LGBTQ content. “EA fought,” Barrett said. “They fought the ESRB, and they fought hard.”
5) How is sexuality represented in the wider videogames industry today?
Today, sexuality in the videogame industry has become more diverse by including more playable LGBTQ characters.
5) How does this representation of reality link to Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality - the increasingly blurred line between real and constructed?
The Sims FreePlay blurs the line between real life and simulation, making the game feel like real life. This creates a sense of hyperreality, as described by Baudrillard.
Watch The Sims: FreePlay trailer and answer the following questions:
1) What elements of gameplay are shown?
-Creating a sim
1) What elements of gameplay are shown?
-Creating a sim
-Creating a home and designing it
-Finding love
-Growing a family
2) What audience is the trailer targeting?
-Kids, teens
2) What audience is the trailer targeting?
-Kids, teens
-Different genders, mainly females- romance family etc.
-'Videogame dollhouse'
3) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer?
-Personal identity
3) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer?
-Personal identity
-Personal relationship
-Flexible, can link to own lives: 'The possibilities are endless'
-Children/teens interested in adult life
-Aspirational lifestyle (unattainable)
Now watch this walk-through of the beginning of The Sims FreePlay and answer the following questions:
1) How is the game constructed?
-Weekly quests: rewards for regular playing
Now watch this walk-through of the beginning of The Sims FreePlay and answer the following questions:
1) How is the game constructed?
-Weekly quests: rewards for regular playing
-$$$ and XP
-Tasks e.g gong toilet, cooking
-Growing vegetables
-Getting a job and working
2) What audience is this game targeting?
-Female target audience: more costume options when creating female sims
3) What audience pleasures does the game provide?
-Home store
-Intertextuality, sim chef-->MasterChef
4) How does the game encourage in-app purchases?
4) How does the game encourage in-app purchases?
-Time: 'Lets play' crystal speeds up time
-Adverts in return for free crystals
-Product placement
Representations
Re-watch some of the expansion pack trailers and answer the following questions:
1) How do the expansion pack (DLC) trailers reinforce or challenge dominant ideologies?
One trailer shows women buying clothes in a boutique which could suggest capitalist ideologies as it could be saying that when you work you can then buy whatever you like.
2) What stereotypes have you identified in The Sims FreePlay?
The Sims FreePlay reinforces traditional gender roles such as women doing tasks such as staying at home and raising children while the men are more career focused.
3) What media theories can you apply to representations in The Sims FreePlay?
You can apply Butlers theory of gender being a performance. This can be seen by male characters doing things males would usually do and they are also associated with the colour blue and as for females, they do female things and are associated with the colour pink.
Representation reading
Read this Forbes article on gender and racism in The Sims franchise and answer the following questions:
1) How realistic does The Sims intend to be?
“We’re not really looking for realism, we’re looking more for believability,” he told me. “It’s kind of a model of life with things like death and aging, but we don’t do things like broken bones and bleeding. It’s just not the kind of thing our game demands.”
2) How has The Sims tried to create more realistic representations of ethnicity?
The Sims has tried to create a more realistic representation by improving the Create-A-Sim feature, adding more details to alter the appearance of a Sim with a less stereotypical ways of representing different ethnicities. Creating an Asian character that does indeed appear less cartoonish, I wondered if there’d ever been discussions on coding racial awareness into the game systems themselves.
3) How has The Sims responded to racism and sexism in society?
Read this Forbes article on gender and racism in The Sims franchise and answer the following questions:
1) How realistic does The Sims intend to be?
“We’re not really looking for realism, we’re looking more for believability,” he told me. “It’s kind of a model of life with things like death and aging, but we don’t do things like broken bones and bleeding. It’s just not the kind of thing our game demands.”
2) How has The Sims tried to create more realistic representations of ethnicity?
The Sims has tried to create a more realistic representation by improving the Create-A-Sim feature, adding more details to alter the appearance of a Sim with a less stereotypical ways of representing different ethnicities. Creating an Asian character that does indeed appear less cartoonish, I wondered if there’d ever been discussions on coding racial awareness into the game systems themselves.
3) How has The Sims responded to racism and sexism in society?
"Our game is kind of a caricature of life. We don’t really have a message—there’s no racism message, there’s no tolerance message. We have same-sex marriage in our game. Our Sims will not discriminate based on gender preference whatsoever. But there’s a line where it becomes too real. The only manner of hatred we have in the game is between incompatible Sims, something that’s driven by the traits of the Sim—a hotheaded Sim, or a Sim who hates children."
4) What is The Sims perspective on gender fluidity and identity?
It was asked whether other gender identities, or at least making it possible to create a Sim with neither gender option would be an option. “That’s an interesting topic,” he said, “but I have no good response to that. We would need to take more time and consideration to really arrive at that destination.”
5) How does The Sims reinforce the dominant capitalist ideologies of American culture?
''A fandango of shopping, working, defecating, and making woohoo in a suburban utopia where Simolians and skill points make the block go round.'' It could also reinforce capitalism ideologies because of the in game purchases that they promote and even the mods that can be bought.
Read this New Normative feature on LGBTQ representation in The Sims franchise (the website link no longer works but that will take you to the text of the article - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access). Answer the following questions:
1) How did same-sex relationships unexpectedly help the original Sims game to be a success?
'One of the game’s riskier inclusions — the ability to make characters LGBTQ — proved to be a saving grace, drawing positive publicity to the title when it needed it most. It continued to do so throughout the series’ lifetime as well, allowing it to establish itself as one of the better examples of diversity in character sexuality across the whole of the medium.'
2) How is sexuality now represented in The Sims?
It is represented by the ability to have same sex relationships and LGBTQ.
3) Why have fans praised the inclusion of LGBTQ relationships in The Sims franchise?
Fans value the LGBTQ relationships because of the relationships and inclusivity.
4) What is The Sims perspective on gender fluidity and identity?
It was asked whether other gender identities, or at least making it possible to create a Sim with neither gender option would be an option. “That’s an interesting topic,” he said, “but I have no good response to that. We would need to take more time and consideration to really arrive at that destination.”
5) How does The Sims reinforce the dominant capitalist ideologies of American culture?
''A fandango of shopping, working, defecating, and making woohoo in a suburban utopia where Simolians and skill points make the block go round.'' It could also reinforce capitalism ideologies because of the in game purchases that they promote and even the mods that can be bought.
Read this New Normative feature on LGBTQ representation in The Sims franchise (the website link no longer works but that will take you to the text of the article - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access). Answer the following questions:
1) How did same-sex relationships unexpectedly help the original Sims game to be a success?
'One of the game’s riskier inclusions — the ability to make characters LGBTQ — proved to be a saving grace, drawing positive publicity to the title when it needed it most. It continued to do so throughout the series’ lifetime as well, allowing it to establish itself as one of the better examples of diversity in character sexuality across the whole of the medium.'
2) How is sexuality now represented in The Sims?
It is represented by the ability to have same sex relationships and LGBTQ.
3) Why have fans praised the inclusion of LGBTQ relationships in The Sims franchise?
Fans value the LGBTQ relationships because of the relationships and inclusivity.
4) Why did the Sims run into regulatory difficulties with American regulator the ESRB? How did EA respond?
This posed a serious problem. Fans had contacted the team regularly about how much they loved the feature’s inclusion, and their fears that it could be removed in later versions. Through a lot of effort, determination and standing their ground, EA was able to convince the ESRB to maintain the game’s T-rating, grandfathering the original support for its LGBTQ content. “EA fought,” Barrett said. “They fought the ESRB, and they fought hard.”
5) How is sexuality represented in the wider videogames industry today?
Today, sexuality in the videogame industry has become more diverse by including more playable LGBTQ characters.
Reality, postmodernism and The Sims
Read this Paste Magazine feature on reality and The Sims franchise. Answer the following questions:
1) What does the article suggest about the representation of real life in The Sims 4?
'How do you escape “real life” when you’re playing a virtual version of it? In previous installments, the answer to that was some of The Sims’ more imaginative expansions. Escapism, after all, is often about living the life you don’t lead, and that means removing certain barriers and limitations we experience in reality.'
2) What audience pleasures did the writer previously find in The Sims franchise?
The writer talks about escapism a lot which could be the main pleasure for audiences.
3) Why the does the writer mention an example of a washer and dryer as additional DLC?
'At the time I had no interest in adding yet another maintenance ritual to my Sim’s daily routine, but also, as I told my fellow Sims fans, it was almost an act of defiance. I have no desire to do laundry in real life, why would I do it in a Sims game after so many years of not having to at all?'
4) In your opinion, has The Sims made an error in trying to make the franchise too realistic?
The Sims' addition of realism enhances player involvement without reducing the fun aspects of the game.
Read this Paste Magazine feature on reality and The Sims franchise. Answer the following questions:
1) What does the article suggest about the representation of real life in The Sims 4?
'How do you escape “real life” when you’re playing a virtual version of it? In previous installments, the answer to that was some of The Sims’ more imaginative expansions. Escapism, after all, is often about living the life you don’t lead, and that means removing certain barriers and limitations we experience in reality.'
2) What audience pleasures did the writer previously find in The Sims franchise?
The writer talks about escapism a lot which could be the main pleasure for audiences.
3) Why the does the writer mention an example of a washer and dryer as additional DLC?
'At the time I had no interest in adding yet another maintenance ritual to my Sim’s daily routine, but also, as I told my fellow Sims fans, it was almost an act of defiance. I have no desire to do laundry in real life, why would I do it in a Sims game after so many years of not having to at all?'
4) In your opinion, has The Sims made an error in trying to make the franchise too realistic?
The Sims' addition of realism enhances player involvement without reducing the fun aspects of the game.
5) How does this representation of reality link to Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality - the increasingly blurred line between real and constructed?
The Sims FreePlay blurs the line between real life and simulation, making the game feel like real life. This creates a sense of hyperreality, as described by Baudrillard.
The Sims FreePlay social media analysis
Analyse The Sims FreePlay Facebook page and Twitter feed and answer the following questions:
1) What is the purpose of The Sims FreePlay social media channels?
It allows them to keep their followers updated on what is happening in the game by posting any new things that may be added. It also allows for fan interactions so that they can comment things that the audience would want to see in the game.
2) Choose three posts (from either Twitter or Facebook) and make a note of what they are and how they encourage audience interaction or response.
''The last time your Sim was in their hometown, Amy Joliver was their childhood friend. Now, they are a celebrity TV chef! Can you help your Sim impress Amy and the judges to win the SimTown Bake Off?''
Analyse The Sims FreePlay Facebook page and Twitter feed and answer the following questions:
1) What is the purpose of The Sims FreePlay social media channels?
It allows them to keep their followers updated on what is happening in the game by posting any new things that may be added. It also allows for fan interactions so that they can comment things that the audience would want to see in the game.
2) Choose three posts (from either Twitter or Facebook) and make a note of what they are and how they encourage audience interaction or response.
''The last time your Sim was in their hometown, Amy Joliver was their childhood friend. Now, they are a celebrity TV chef! Can you help your Sim impress Amy and the judges to win the SimTown Bake Off?''
-This can encourage fan interaction as the post is asking a question. Fans may then start up a conversation in the comments by answering it.
''Who left this behind?''
-Again this post asks a question from their twitter which allows fans to answer in the comments.
Another way fans can interact is by polls, contests etc.
3) Scroll down the Facebook feed briefly. How many requests for new content can you find from players? Why is this such as an important part of the appeal for The Sims FreePlay?
A lot of comments are requests for certain things to be added or removed. This is because the 'sandbox genre' allows players to do what they want in which they can live a life which they couldn't in real life.
4) What tweets can you find in the Twitter feed that refer to additional content or other revenue streams for EA?
3) Scroll down the Facebook feed briefly. How many requests for new content can you find from players? Why is this such as an important part of the appeal for The Sims FreePlay?
A lot of comments are requests for certain things to be added or removed. This is because the 'sandbox genre' allows players to do what they want in which they can live a life which they couldn't in real life.
4) What tweets can you find in the Twitter feed that refer to additional content or other revenue streams for EA?
A lot of posts are them saying how they've added new mods, bundles etc. such as: The cozy bundle, 'updating our Sim appearances and sharing hair, glasses and earrings across genders, we have beautiful new plants and spooky witch content'
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