sims

• A series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by EA inc, it is an American video game company headquartered in California
• Global conglomerate- they have acquired other games related companies across the world making it a global conglomerate. They create consoles, online games and games for mobile devices
• VERTICAL INTEGRATION- EA control all areas of production through vertical integration- Games Development, Games Distribution, Games Publishing
• EA- global conglomerate- curran and seaton industry and power
• released in 11 different languages
• marketed predominantly to female and youth aged 18-40
• VERTICAL INTEGRATION- EA control all areas of production via vertical integration- games development, games distribution, games publishing
• GAMES STREAMING- EA like all media industries act to maximise profits by commodifying their products to minimise risks
• CULTURAL INDUSTRIES- this maximising profits to minimise risk is in keeping with cultural industries
• FREEMIUM GAME- the SIMS is available free to download but makes money off of players through in app purchases
• UPDATES- unlike a disc game, it is regularly updated offering players new content and the opportunity to interact with events and competitions
• Social media- information about the game and details on updates etc are communicated to its audience on social media like Facebook and YouTube.
• Will wright- the game designer Will Wright was inspired to create a virtual dollhouse
• Will Wright- created this after losing his actual home during the Oakland firestorm of 1991 and subsequently rebuilding his life. Replacing his home and his home and his other possessions made him think about adapting that life experience into a video game.
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs- Will Wright's virtual dollhouse took some of his ideas from American psychologist Abraham Maslow's Paper A Theory of Human Motivation and his hierarchy of needs in developing the Sims which could in part help the games worldwide popularity and addictive quality.
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory is used to study how humans intrinsically partake in behavioural motivation.
• sandbox games- lack any defined goals, style of game where minimal character limitations are placed on the gamer, allowing the gamer to roam and change a virtual world at will.
• Intertextual references/inspiration- The truman show, 1998, 2 years before the sims was created, the films ideas are referenced as a possible inspiration for the sims as it tells a story of a big media corporation adopting a baby and placing it and raising it in a virtual reality world where characters interactions are controlled by the corporation
• other films that reference the sims include free guy in 2021, a film about a game character who achieves consciousness from passive to active as the story unfolds
• Basic needs of maslow- hunger, bladder, energy, hygiene, social, fun
• david gauntlett- identity theory- audiences get a sense of their own identity from the media products that they consume. Gauntlett says that media provides us with new ways to express ourselves and interact with others.
• Representation- the Sims Freeplay offers opportunity for people to choose an identity which includes both gender and race
• Hesmondhalgh- companies involved in the media industry such as EA were companies who minimised risk and maximised profits. the sims did not acknowledge diversity and gender and identity therefore minimising the risk of offending their audience
• maxis and EA thought the Sims was a risk, was a gamble for the company, was going to make a dollhouse game however their target audience is teenage boys
• EA makes FIFA, Dragon Age and Mass Effect
• in trailer it pushes stereotypes
• pushes stereotypes within the marketing for the game, eg mother caring for her child
• EA are vertically integrated, meaning that they control all their processes of production- Game development, Game distribution, Game publishing
• some criticised the game for being 'woke', a phrase commonly used to dismiss diversity efforts,
• there was also complaints about cultural appropritation within the game, such as Aloy wearing face paint and Native American-style clothes- this shows that not all audiences respond positively to diverse representations
• released in 2011, players create and manage personal characters called sims
• Will Wright's experience of losing his home in the 1991 Oakland Firestorm, franchise started as a 'virtual dollhouse' exploring material rebuilding
• freeplay released in 2011, in line with hesmondhalgh's theory of risk minimisation and profit maximisation, The sims freeplay uses a freemium model, free to play but offers in-app purchases that offer speed, status, and exclusive content.
• examples of how the sims is a freemium game- real world money can get you simoleons or lifestyle points eg £5 for 30,000 simoleons which unlocks premium items such as pools or luxury furniture
• The Sim's Freeplay's business model includes collabs with brand such as MOSCHINO, LEGO DOTS
• however the sims freeplay as a freemium game may be seen as encouraging soft gambling with controversial mechanics such as the social point flower- a form of loot box
• despite its family friendly appearance- the sims has been banned in countries such as China, Quatar and Saudi Arabia- mainly due to its same sex features which conflict with local cultural or political values, players in these regions often use VPNs to access the game, highlighting global disparities in media censorship and representation
• updated to have hijabs- more representational
• push game addiction by push notifications being enabled
• Sims Freeplay- pay to win,