The Sims FreePlay is a mobile video game where players create and manage their own virtual characters, known as Sims.
In The Sims FreePlay, players can determine the personality and customise the appearance of their Sims, including their clothing, hairstyles, and facial features.
The Sims FreePlay tasks players with fulfilling the needs and desires of their characters by cooking meals, going to work, and building relationships with other Sims.
The Sims FreePlay features a store where players can purchase furniture, appliances, and other items to decorate their home and keep their Sim happy.
The Sims FreePlay's community is an important part of its success, allowing players to visit and interact with other Sims, play against friends in multiplayer competitions, and compare their scores and achievements.
The Sims FreePlay is free to play, but users can purchase in-game items with real money to speed up progress or unlock additional features.
The Sims FreePlay is a game that offers a great insight into participatory media and online communities, making it worth analysing the game’s social media output.
The Sims FreePlay can be played in places such as China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, requiring the use of a VPN and changing location.
The Sims FreePlay has 55 levels with plenty of main quests and discovery quests to pursue.
In The Sims FreePlay, players create their unique Sim by choosing their gender, skin tone, and customising their appearance from the wardrobe tab.
The Sims FreePlay's touch controls allow players to swipe around the screen to pan the camera, rotate the view, and pinch to zoom in and out.
Each positive reinforcement in The Sims FreePlay is designed to make players feel good about their accomplishments, with a green progress bar encouraging them to continue playing.
The tutorial in The Sims FreePlay takes new players through the basic aspects of the game to get them started, with the goal of making them comfortable using the controls.
The online forums provide opportunities for Simmers to develop a social community around the game where they can praise the text and protest against aspects of the gameplay.
In The Sims FreePlay, players create and modify their own avatars, including their personalities.
Although the gender options in The Sims FreePlay follow the simple binary of male and female, players can reject traditional gender roles when they explore the virtual world.
These three games are also open worlds and include quests which lead to rewards.
55% of women in the 18-34 age group said “games help them stay connected with friends and family”.
The choice of skin tones available at the start of The Sims FreePlay is a recognition of the racial diversity of the audience.
Simmers exchange tips and ideas on forums such as the fandom page, a wiki platform for fans to celebrate and engage with their favourite media products.
The survey also revealed different uses and gratifications.
This is in contrast to the specific characters in action-adventure games, such as Samus Aran in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West.
There are also walkthroughs available to watch on YouTube and blogs with top tips if you are struggling with a particular quest.
The Sims FreePlay has a dedicated group of players who call themselves Simmers.
The Sims FreePlay is a life simulation game because it focuses on the emotional and social needs of the characters which Neale might call the “process of desire”.
Henry Jenkins suggested fandoms are social entities with distinct dimensions.
In terms of Todorov’s narrative theory, the disruptions in these stories are obviously violent.
In The Sims FreePlay, the town will soon become a place which reflects the player’s identity and values.
The games offer players realistic and immersive experiences in their incredible settings, but their narrative structures are another notable difference.
The fandom page offers strategies to gain more points, advice about levelling up, and interesting profiles about non-playing characters (NPCs).
These motivations are examples of diversion because they are using the games to escape the stresses and strains of the real world.
The 2020 survey from The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found “video games transcend age, gender and where we live” and that “there’s a game for everyone”.
By completing these quests and tasks, players also earn Simoleons and Lifestyle Points which are used to pay for additional features and special items, such as haircuts, pets, exclusive clothing, and unique clothing.
However, you can also use real money to buy these in-game currencies through the App Store.
Another way EA tempt users to spend money is through their collaborations with other companies, such as product placements.
For example, if you complete the Two and a Half Sims quest within the time limit, you will be able to add babies to your town and access the baby decoration pack in the home store.
There is also a lucrative crossover with LEGO DOTS.
All these microtransactions generate huge profits for EA because lots of players are willing to spend hundreds of pounds on expansion packs and exclusive perks.
The Sims FreePlay encourages the player to shop in the home store to buy more and more expensive goods.
Or the Life Dreams and Legacies quest enables automatic ageing and personality options.