AUDIENCE

• Stuart Hall in sims FP:

  • Reception theory- producers use various signs to encode a text’s meaning which is decoded by consumers who interpret the message.
  • Sims steers away from encoding and decoding meanings, players are able to create their own meaning through their own abundance of freedom.
• Stuart Hall in sims FP:

  • Reflection of theory through encoding the message of liberty/freedom through letting players create their sims.
  • Reflects negotiated reading, players can construct their own stories whilst staying within the limitations of the game.
• Blumer and Katz

  • Sims FP is used through escapism, using it as a way to create perfect versions of themselves or become someone else.
• Jenkin's fandom theory

  • fans enjoy a media text so much they create content based upon it, forming a producer and audience relationship.
  • 5 levels of fan activity: A particular mode of reception, interpretive practices, a base for consumer activism, cultural production and practises, alternative social communities
  • Fandom offers an alternative reality for audiences to be a part of.
• Bandura in Sims FP:

  • Social learning theory- attention, retention, motor reproduction, motivation
  • Sims can be viewed as a child-friendly game, encouraging them to learn how to socialise and live in the real world.
  •   However, characters do not receive repercussions for actions which may be repeated and believed for actions in the real world. (e.g. being pregnant at a young age)
  • Sims directed to young feminine casual gamers 18-40
• Bandura in sims fp:

  •   Range of diverse characters genders, sexualities and ethnicity, representations are endless and inclusive of the audience, can represent themselves.
  • Symbol of death through Grim Reaper, can influence players view on death and slightly traumatise them/affect mental health.
  •   Sims is an idealistic, simplified gameplay on life, may sugar coat beliefs/hardships in real life.
• Audiences/Social and Participatory Media (AUDIENCE)

  Fan blogging maintains interactive elements outside of the gaming environment using Gauntlett and web 2.0 (much talked about at the time by academics)

  ​Collaboration and sharing of media now crucial to the life of the game - fans use the basis of SIMS to create their own fan fiction e.g. editing live gameplay recordings
• What is the Target Audienc?

  Primary demographic: 12-25, female skew but with a significant number of young male game players​

  Mass, mainstream target audience - life simulation a 'safe genre' reinforced by the popularity of Reality TV​

  Secondary target audience young adults who extend game playing onto convergent social and participatory platforms​C1, C2, D working class and aspirational middle class​
• Audience Appeals

  Replicates aspects of humanity and the human world - classic voyeurism ​Risk taking without risk​Aspirational performance that may never be replicated in real life - personal identity​A diversion/escapism from reality - app games allow for distraction and 'dipping in and dipping out'​The absolute participatory aspect - social interaction ​
• Audience Positioning and Postmodernism

  SIMS is about immediacy - the death of traditional narratives​

  Style over substance - see obsessive consumerism encoded into gameplay (bathroom decoration next slide)​

  The boundaries are blurred between reality and representation - hyper reality​ 'Zalfie' playing SIMS is all about copies of copies - playing themselves in a virtual game environment​

  Baudrillard suggested that in postmodern culture reality and simulation are blurred - we are copies of copies​
• Main target audience

  18-40
• How do audiences receive enjoyment from playing Sims FP

  Audiences may enjoy the feeling of 'playing God' and being in control or creating their desired life that they cant have (escapism)
• How can catharsis be found in playing sims?

  -They are able to experience situations that are exciting via the game (e.g. committing crimes, killing a sim)

  -Audiences are able to vent their own frustrations/feelings in a safe way
• How does Sims FP reinforce Shirky's end of audience theory?

  • Mobile game, therefore apart of the web 2.0 shift and it can work across multiple platforms
  • Sims prioritises active users who generate content, rather than consume it, players are able to create their own sims lives and gameplay (subverts the traditional videogames where narratives and gameplay are predetermined)
• How does Sims FP reinforce Gerbner's cultivation theory?

  • If audiences tend to perform negative or 'bad' acts using their sims (with little repercussions) they may begin to synthesise this representation into their own view, believing if the behaviour occurs in real life they will be able to 'get away with it'
  • (e.g. slapping someone, sims only get angry, when in real life this may cause more problems according to the social context and conventions of our society)
  • Audiences will cultivate this 'false view' and may internalise it to be truth
• How does Sims FP reinforce Shirky's end of audience theory?

  • Producers and audiences have a two way flow of content and feedback due to the uprisal of web 2.0
  • Protests of audiences wanting updates and expansion packs successfully led to the pregnancy update where female sims could get pregnant
  • Audiences clearly have power over the decisions made by creators due to converging technology
• JENKINS

  • Players build communities around tutorials, hacks, design ideas (e.g., TikTok and Reddit groups).
  • They share gameplay stories (e.g., family drama or challenge builds) online — acting like co-creators of meaning.
  • Fans create emotional bonds with their Sims and their homes, treating the game world like a personal life simulation.
  • This aligns with Jenkins’ concept of “textual poaching”: fans take control of a media product and make it their own.
• alternative/negative readings of sims?

  • May see the game as shallow or time-wasting.
  • Some criticise its commercial model (pay-to-win or addictive reward loops).
  • Others view it as positive for creativity or emotional development — a digital dollhouse that teaches planning, empathy, and routine.

  ✅ These polysemic readings (multiple meanings) align with Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory — different audiences decode the game based on their social context, age, values, and experiences.