Videogames: The Sims FreePlay - Language & Representations

The Sims FreePlay CSP - Language & Representations blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'The Sims FreePlay CSP - Language & Representations' and complete the following tasks.

Language / Gameplay analysis

Watch The Sims: FreePlay trailer and answer the following questions:

1) What elements of gameplay are shown?

Showcasing how this is a life simulator (sandbox)

2) What audience is the trailer targeting?

This trailer is obviously targeting tweens who have fantasises of how life turns out.

3) What audience pleasures a re suggested by the trailer?

The audience pleasures given are diversion since people can escape from the reality of their lives and image their dream life through this game.

Now watch this walk-through of the beginning of The Sims FreePlay and answer the following questions:

1) How is the game constructed?

That is a sandbox game where the player can control how the life of their character turns out.

2) What audience is this game targeting?

This is also possibly targeting tweens.

3) What audience pleasures does the game provide?

Diversion- escape from their own life.

Entertainment- People can enjoy the process of building the life for their character.

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

You can progress your character much quicker through these purchases and achieve objectives which is desirable. 

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?

Reinforce ideologies of how chic and teen culture are by using the typical conventions.

2) What stereotypes have you identified in The Sims FreePlay?

Teenage Stereotypes- that they are wild and expressive.

3) What media theories can you apply to representations in The Sims FreePlay?
Hypereality- adapting a form of reality to appeal to people.
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?

One of the special areas of focus in The Sims 4 is 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.

3) How has The Sims responded to racism and sexism in society?

Sims shows a unified society where everyone of all races and genders gets along in this idealised world.

4) What is The Sims perspective on gender fluidity and identity?

“It gets to the point where it crosses a line,” Sinhaseni told me. “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.

5) How does The Sims reinforce the dominant capitalist ideologies of American culture?

Sims often conveys that happiness is about owning the best home, car and family. Often showcasing what the American dream looks like.

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?

Yet, 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?

As an attendee was playing through the wedding scenario on the first day, two female sims had fallen in love and shared a kiss with each other. It had spread like wild fire that the game, which boasted the freedom to create any kind of characters you wanted, even allowed them to have their own sexual preferences, something truly never seen before in gaming. The Sims was truly a game for everyone.

3) Why have fans praised the inclusion of LGBTQ relationships in The Sims franchise?

“I thought it was really amazing,” Vincent Lopez, former editor for IGN PC, said. “It felt like (Will Wright) was thinking in terms of adult issues, adult in terms of how you find happiness. It really did feel like something new to me.”

4) Why did the Sims run into regulatory difficulties with American regulator the ESRB? How did EA respond?

After years of struggling to show the game’s potential, it was their last chance to make a good impression with the media and consumers. They also needed to prove to EA that they could deliver on their risky new IP.

5) How is sexuality represented in the wider videogames industry today?

Sexuality is now much more openly expressed throughout the wider videogame industry.

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?
N/A - link not working
2) What audience pleasures did the writer previously find in The Sims franchise?
N/A - link not working
3) Why the does the writer mention an example of a washer and dryer as additional DLC?

N/A - link not working

4) In your opinion, has The Sims made an error in trying to make the franchise too realistic?

No in my opinion The Sims is far from reality. Life is nothing like how the Sims really is.

5) How does this representation of reality link to Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality - the increasingly blurred line between real and constructed?

This is a massive representation of what hyper reality. This is a warped sense of reality which out of touch.

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?

This is mainly done to post updates on the game and also promote/spread the word.

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.

Hijabs update on female characters- Inclusion of religion.

Pride Month post- Woke company.

Internationals Nurses Day post- Raise awareness.

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?

Audiences have a impact and play a part on adapting and changing the game.

4) What tweets can you find in the Twitter feed that refer to additional content or other revenue streams for EA?

They adapted their game with IOS and heavily the update the game in order to keep audiences interested and engaged.