Videogames: The Sims FreePlay part 1 - Language & Audience

 1) What elements of gameplay are shown?

create characters, complete challenges/ tasks, gain rewards

2) What audience is the trailer targeting?

young audiences, diverse range of races/ ethnicities etc 

3) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer?

Diversion, personal identity, personal relationships

1) How is the game constructed?

it has alerts that tell the players what tasks to do and keep up with the needs of their characters etc

2) What audience is this game targeting?

young audiences but it appeals to female gamers mostly

3) What audience pleasures does the game provide?
automomy, diversion, personal identity

4) How does the game encourage in-app purchases?

players can pay real money for different features

Audience

Read this App Store description and the customer reviews for The Sims FreePlay and answer the following questions:  

1) What critics reviews are included in the game information section?

"player has to commit every second to the game which is unrealistic and even if one could, it still would not be possible to finish without spending money."

2) What do the reviews suggest regarding the audience pleasures of The Sims FreePlay?

Reviews are positive, players enjoy playing and being in control.

3) How do the reviews reflect the strong element of participatory culture in The Sims?

audiences can be producers as well by demanding changes to the game etc

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?

a doll house.

2) Why was development company Maxis initially not interested in The Sims?

He thought it was considered to be for little girls and they didn't play video games. 

3) What is ‘modding’?

short for modifications – is a huge part of the appeal of the game. Modding changes aspects of the gameplay – anything from the strength of coffee to incorporating ghosts or even sexual content.

4) How does ‘modding’ link to Henry Jenkins’ idea of ‘textual poaching’?

it allows audiences to come together and develop new features for the games

5) 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"

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"

Pearce - "The original Sims series has the most vibrant emergent fan culture of a single-player game in history"

6) What examples of intertextuality are discussed in relation to The Sims? (Look for “replicating works from popular culture”)

the game includes Star Wars

7) What is ‘transmedia storytelling’ and how does The Sims allow players to create it?

This is the primary text encoded in a commercial product could be dispersed over multiple media. 

8) How have Sims online communities developed over the last 20 years?

They have become more united and connected over the last 20 years.

10) What does the writer suggest The Sims will be remembered for?

for the culture of digital production and the close community.

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?

It is used to creatw more challenges, ans build technical/ social skills.

2) Why does James Paul Gee see The Sims as an important game?

It is a creative game that allows its players to be in control and do what they want.

3) What does the designer of The Sims, Will Wright, want players to do with the game?

"think like designers to organise themselves around the game and to learn new skills."

4) Do you agree with the view that The Sims is not a game – but something else entirely?

The Sims is unique as although it is a game it has been created to mirror real life and societies so it is different.

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 agree that more games will incorporate the same flexibility as the sims as it is enjoyed by audiences to create their own stories.

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