The Sims FreePlay CSP - Audience and Industries blog tasks
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? Pick out three elements you think are important in terms of making the game appeal to an audience.
One element would be the description, another is the pictures of the game and a third would be the review section which inform the users about the game.
2) How does the game information on this page reflect the strong element of participatory culture in The Sims?
On the review section users of the game can provide suggestions and the developers can view these and then changes can be added to the game to satisfy the users. This reveals that users are not only consumers but producers.
3) Read a few of the user reviews. What do they suggest about the audience pleasures of the game?
One audience pleasure is diversion as many users report that they never feel bored whilst playing the game and it allows them to escape reality.
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?
He describes it as a train set or a dolls house where each person comes to it with their own interests and goals.
2) Why was development company Maxis initially not interested in The Sims?
The board of directors had little enthusiasm for the idea as the board of the directors originally thought that doll houses were for girls and girls do not play video games.
3) What is ‘modding’?
Modding is a form of participatory culture which enables players to modify game assets by manipulating the game code.
4) How does ‘modding’ link to Henry Jenkins’ idea of ‘textual poaching’?
Textual poaching links to the idea of fanfiction in which users can generate media content/products to their own tastes related to their game of interest. This links to modding as modding allows users to add their own twists to the game.
5) Look specifically at p136. Note down key quotes from Jenkins, Pearce and Wright on this page.
Henry Jenkins: There wer already more than fifty fan web sites dedicated to The Sims. Today there are thousands.
Wright: We were probably responsible for the first million or so units sold but it was the community which really brought it to the next level.
Pearce: The original Sims series has been the most vibrant emergent fan culture of a singe-player game in history.
6) What examples of intertextuality are discussed in relation to The Sims? (Look for “replicating works from popular culture”)
One example is that in the early days of the games released there were skins which depicted characters from star trek, star wars and the x-Files.
7) What is ‘transmedia storytelling’ and how does The Sims allow players to create it?
Transmedia story telling is a process where primary text encoded in an official commercial product can be dispersed over multiple media products.This can be seen in the sims space as it provided users to take pictures of stories which could be shared.
8) How have Sims online communities developed over the last 20 years?
Sims online communities have flourished however the game still maintains a small but dedicated following. There are also some fans of the original game which are attempting to preserve it in the face of its growing obsolescence.
9) Why have conflicts sometimes developed within The Sims online communities?
Conflicts have arisen between creators who want to charge for their mods and creators who do not want to charge for their mods.
10) What does the writer suggest The Sims will be remembered for?
The Sims will be remembered for its cult following and also a pioneer in video game production and computer games
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 to provide different character jobs, animations, skins, houses ect.
2) Why does James Paul Gee see The Sims as an important game?
He sees the game as important because it allows people to go beyond gaming and to form communities ect.
3) What does the designer of The Sims, Will Wright, want players to do with the game?
Will Wright wants to empower people to think like designers and to organise themselves around the game to learn new skills which extend beyond the games.
4) Do you agree with the view that The Sims is not a game – but something else entirely?
I would agree with the statement because it allows people to come together and form online communities where they can share ideas and creativity.
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 agree as this ensures that games have a new market to tap into allowing them to always generate funds to continue running the game whilst ensuring the game is as fun as possible.
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?
They work by helping parents to decide whether a game is suitable for their children to play or not. It links to the UK law because these ratings are legally enforcable to games.
2) Click on the PEGI Rating tab in the top menu. What are the age ratings and what content guidance do they include?
They have PEGI 12, 16, 18 ratings. Content guidance varies from violence, mature, sexual content, swearing, drug use ect.
3) What is the PEGI process for rating a game?
Every game is assessed by an examiner who writes detailed information for parents explaining what the game contains.
The ‘Freemium’ gaming model
Read this Lifewire feature on freemium gaming and answer the following questions:
1) How does the freemium model work?
Users are mislead into playing a "free" temporary version of the gamje which has limited features and in order to access more features they would need to pay a fee.
2) Why do some gamers believe freemium is ruining games?
Because it misleads users, can cause addiction and can ruin the gaming experience for many.
3) What are the positives of the freemium model for gaming?
Developers are able to make a living.
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.
In app purchases account for 70-80% of the $10 billion or more in IOS revenue each year.
2) Why does the freemium model incentivise game developers to create better and longer games?
Because by placing small fees within the game the users would be more likely to purchase the fee as they have already invested time into the games.
3) What does the article suggest regarding the possibilities and risks to the freemium model in future?
It could lead to the downfall of mobile gaming.
Read this New York Times feature on freemium gaming and answer the following questions:
1) Why did Temple Run use the freemium model?
In order to make a profit as it had to compete with other mobile games.
2) The bigger gaming studios like Electronic Arts used to avoid the freemium model. Why are they now embracing it?
Due to their games complexity and the amount fo workers they have to hire they have to make a profit.
3) Why does Peter Farago suggest independent game makers benefit more from the freemium model than the major publishers like EA?
Because EA is already a globally known companjy and make money from other sources instead of freemium models.
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?
It went from simple game to a wide and broad online community where modders and users have come together and improved the game drastically.
2) Why does Amanda Schofield suggest ‘games aren’t products any more’?
Users are now producers meaning games are always being changed.
3) What does she say about The Sims gaming community?
She says that the community has grown faster than other communities but that it has tapered off.
4) How has EA kept the game fresh and maintained the active player base?
EA has continued to add new skins and activities to the game which brings in new players.
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.
200 milliion installs and 78,000 years of gameplay.
Finally, read this blog on how EA is ruining the franchise (or not) due to its downloadable content. Answer the following questions:
Diversion, personal identity, personal relationships.
2) What examples of downloadable content are presented?
New gameplay features, expansion packs ect.
3) How did Electronic Arts enrage The Sims online communities with expansion packs and DLC?
The packs costed $9.99 but people argued it should have been free.
4) What innovations have appeared in various versions of The Sims over the years?
Virtual families, Multi generational legacies and travelling between neighbourhoods.
5) In your opinion, do expansion packs like these exploit a loyal audience or is it simply EA responding to customer demand?
One could argue that they are just responding to customer demand however this enrages audience/consumers because modders jobs are being taken away.
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