The Sims Freeplay CSP: Audience and Industry
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?
'Create your story, your way. Build your virtual town, family and life! Design and decorate dream homes that show off your interior design skills and personal style.'
2) How does the game information on this page reflect the strong element of participatory culture in The Sims?
The audience can use their opinions to modify and get involved with the production of the game and it means the game is in their control but will be more addictive as they will enjoy it even more
3) Read a few of the user reviews. What do they suggest about the audience pleasures of the game?
People become overly invested and enjoy the diversions almost too much.
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 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?
‘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 most vibrant emergent fan culture of a single-player game in history" (Pearce)
"Today, there are thousands"
"it was the community that really brought the game to the next level" (Wright)
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 and 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 and 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?
It is creating more objectives/challenges to fit various evolving lifestyles and audiences
2) Why does James Paul Gee see The Sims as an important game?
It's a highly immersive and consuming game and also encourages women to play video games.
3) What does the designer of The Sims, Will Wright, want players to do with the game?
He wants them to think like designers/creators and get involved with the structuring of the game.
4) Do you agree with the view that The Sims is not a game – but something else entirely?
I believe it is a game of its own genre as few games are as immersive and consuming as this one to the point where people make it a lifestyle habit to play.
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 don't as some game companies do not prefer to allow the gamer to control the effect the game has on them like those that are still trying to directly sell ideologies to an audience.
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 VSC is the administrator of the PEGI age rating system. This is related to UK law aas PEGI 12, 16 and 18 games n the UK are legally enforceable; this means that they cannot be sold to anyone under the age restriction of the game.
2) Click on the PEGI Rating tab in the top menu. What are the age ratings and what content guidance do they include?
Age ratings include:
- Ages 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18
PEGI 3
- Contains nothing that warrants a content warning - suitable for all age groups
- Nudity may be shown in a non-sexual/natural manner (i.e. breastfeeding)
PEGI 7
- Everything featured in PEGI 3, but may include a little bit more violence.
- Unrealistic violence, typically directed towards fantasy characters
PEGI 12
- More graphic violence but still targeted towards fantasy character
- Trivial injury is allowed; however, any other violence towards humans must be unrealistic
PEGI 16
- More mature themes and scenes of violence
- Sexual scenes - no visible genitalia
- More realistic violence, may feature heavier images of death and injury to humans
- Explicit language, sexual expletives and use of drugs/tobacco/illegal substances may be shown
PEGI 18
- may feature sexual violence and threat.
- Gross levels of violence: meaning that there are horrific methods of severe injury, torture, decapitation etc.
- Sexual activity with visible genitalia/nudity
3) What is the PEGI process for rating a game?
They supply detailed consumer information surrounding the content of the game and what is featured. This helps the consumer know if the game is appropriate for their age demographic.
The ‘Freemium’ gaming model
Read this Lifewire feature on freemium gaming and answer the following questions:
1) How does the freemium model work?
The initial game is free, but there are in-app purchases to unlock premium content. This is the primary way of generating revenue for the developers.
2) Why do some gamers believe freemium is ruining games?
Many gamers believe that the freemium models are ruining the experience of having a consistently good gaming franchise. Gamers believe that so many franchises have turned to focus on how they can monetise the game rather than making the game reflect the best features of it. The fact that more customers have become accustomed to downloading content for free is detrimental to the gaming industry as it reduces the likelihood of gamers then paying for games in the future.
3) What are the positives of the freemium model for gaming?
- Can 'sample' and test out the game's content without having to commit to an initial financial investment
- Easier to maintain longevity - the game can easily be updated which helps to retain the gamer's interest etc.
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.
- 70-80% of the $10billion in iOS revenue is from in-app purchases
2) Why does the freemium model incentivise game developers to create better and longer games?
Players continuously spend money on the game, meaning that there is a strong level of certainty surrounding the numbers of gamers that will be reached with this game. Therefore, developers become more incentivised to put the 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?
- Game developers may find themselves under more scrutiny surrounding how clear the premise of their games are - younger gamers may accidentally purchase apps without knowing.
- Developers may disregard the quality of the free/standard level content which would lead to boring games.
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 it is a combination of both. Understandably, EA have a mission and an audience that must be targeted, and if their audience is appreciative of the overall premise of the Sims gaming experience then they have no reason to alter the game. However, this may be exploitative of the loyal audiences as EA recognise that fans will invest in premium content regardless of the price, as they know that their audience will remain loyal to the franchise for the sake of accessing and continuing to play the game.
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