The Sims FreePlay - Language & Audience blog tasks

 

The Sims FreePlay - Language & Audience blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'The Sims FreePlay case study part 1 - Language & Audience' and complete the following in-depth tasks.

Language / Gameplay analysis

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

1) What elements of gameplay are shown?

The elements of the gameplay;

- Third person perspective

- Creating your ideal character, as well as other characters for your community.

-  grow your community, by renovating your house, getting a job and making money by doing small tasks. 

2) What audience is the trailer targeting?

The trailer is targeting younger people such as 12 and older, to create their own version of reality. The psychographics would be aspires. 

3) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer?

The audience pleasures that are suggested by this trailer would be escapism as players get choose the reality/community they want to create. Another audience pleasure would be personal identity as players can relate to the characters they make. 

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

1) How is the game constructed?

The game is constructed is that players control everything their avatar does i.e eating habits, sleep pattern, bathroom time, watching tv time etc. The third-person perspective highlights the control the players have over their character.  

2) What audience is this game targeting?

The audience targeted for this game would be younger children as they have to choose an adult for their avatar for starters. Also, the variety clothes choses for women suggests it for a female teenage audience. 

3) What audience pleasures does the game provide?

The audience this game provides would be entertainment and diversion.   

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

They encourage in-app purchases, by having players pay for their tasks faster to get instant rewards. 

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?

The reviews are saying that this game is overall great but they do have some problems. 

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

The reviews suggest that the audience pleasures for The sims FreePlay would be that it entertains players fantasies, they can build and create their own community as well as the game offers players a chance to re-create. Another audience pleasure would be diversion as players are allowed to escape their reality and personalise their avatar. 

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

The reviews show that audiences are "active" in participatory culture and in the media they consume. This means that they are giving their opinion on changes they would like to see in the game. 

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?

Will Wright had described the game as "The goal of the game was that there was no

goal. The player created their ‘Sims’" this means that the game is what the players want it to be. 

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

The company Maxis were initially not interested because the whole pitch about a "doll-house" game wasn't something they were cared about because they believed that "dollhouse games were for girls, girls don't play videogames". 

3) What is ‘modding’?

Modding is when players are allowed to modify the game with certain "cheat codes or glitches" that was not originally performed by the developer. 

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

Modding would link to Jenkins' idea of "textual poaching" because consumers of that particular media are now creating their own set of rules/content to which they can modify it for themselves and others.

5) Look specifically at p136. Note down key quotes from Jenkins, Pearce and Wright on this page.

Jenkins - "reviews. Participatory culture is inherently social, feeding on the affordance-

es of Web 2.0 and social media, allowing individual to come together around shifting interests to create digital communities that are ‘held together through the mutual production and reciprocal 

exchange of knowledge"

Pearce - "The original Sims

series has the most vibrant emergent fan culture of a

single-player game in history"

Wright - "‘We’re spending most of our efforts now on

making cool downloadable tools for the Sims..."

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

The examples that were mentioned were players depicting characters from cult media such as Star Trek, Star wars, The X-flies and Japanese anime and manga were extremely popular.   

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

Transmedia storytelling is a technique of storytelling across multiple media platforms, this links to The Sims because players can create their own narrative with the community they build and their avatars as well as cult media fans creating their reality on Sims. 

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

The sims online community have grown over the last 20 years because "fandom" influence and modding as fans create their reality which then others can get inspired by. 

9) Why have conflicts sometimes developed within The Sims online communities?

This is because some "mods" are created or improvements/features added that some fans don't like. 

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

The writer suggests that The Sims will be remembered for "cult following that it engendered

well beyond the usual lifespan of a popular computer game; and also for the culture of digital production it helped to pioneer, one that remains such a staple of fan and game modding communities today."

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 the sims through players creating their communities and do daily tasks. 

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

He states that The Sims is an important game because it's more than just a videogame as creates a safe space of the players.  

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

He wants players to learn, experience and develop real-life skills whilst playing the game, this means that he wants players to understand individuality and creativity when playing the sims. 

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

Yes, I am in middle with this statement as The sims provides more to players than just "escapism" but it provides a community especially with modding. 

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?

The future of gaming is constantly changing, meaning that i agree with James Paul Gees' statement with gaming have more flexibility and interactivity especially after covid.