The Sims FreePlay - Representation blog tasks

Textual analysis

Re-watch some of the expansion pack trailers and answer the following questions:

1) How do the expansion pack (DLC) trailers reinforce or challenge dominant ideologies?

• The trailer for the teen expansion packs reinforces female submissive behaviour aswell as male protective ideologies. The characters aren't in expected outfits such as dresses or suits and ties, instead, they are wearing universal clothes that all genders can wear.
• For the boutique trailer, two females are highlighted. One is traditionally feminine whereas the other one wears more androgynous clothes with shorter hair etc..

2) What stereotypes have you identified in The Sims FreePlay?

• the traditional gender stereotypes of male and female.
• The heterosexual stereotype, there is a lack of LGBT representation.

3) What media theories can you apply to representations in The Sims FreePlay?

• Butlers gender performance theory
• Gilroy- 'Double Consciousness'
• Baudrillard- postmodern theory 

Representation reading

Read this Forbes article on gender and racism in The Sims franchise and answer the following questions:

1) How realistic does The Sims intend to be?

• The game doesn't intend to be realistic but its aims to be believable.

2) How has The Sims tried to create more realistic representations of ethnicity?

• The realistic creation of avatars has helped improve the representation.

3) How has The Sims responded to racism and sexism in society?

• The Sims does challenge racism or sexism explicitly as the game is under the control of the payer, ot the game developers.

4) What is The Sims perspective on gender fluidity and identity?

• The game hasn't made any bold statements on fluidity and forces players to choose a gender.

5) How does The Sims reinforce the dominant capitalist ideologies of American culture?

• The 'American Dream' ideology is reinforced with avatars having to work for success and happiness.

Read this New Normative feature on LGBTQ representation in The Sims franchise and answer the following questions:

1) How did same-sex relationships unexpectedly help the original Sims game to be a success?

• The game represented a minority community which gave it a lot of positive publicity.

2) How is sexuality now represented in The Sims?

• The sexuality is now up to the players as they have full control over their avatars.

3) Why have fans praised the inclusion of LGBTQ relationships in The Sims franchise?

• It gave positive representations on the gay community which hadn't been seen before in other games.

4) Why did the Sims run into regulatory difficulties with American regulator the ESRB? How did EA respond?

• The game allowed for players to have sex which wasn't a family-friendly addition to the game.

5) How is sexuality represented in the wider videogames industry today?

• More games are praising sexuality and are moe accepting of it.

Reality, postmodernism and The Sims

Read this Paste Magazine feature on reality and The Sims franchise. Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article suggest about the representation of real life in The Sims 4?

• The game is said to be too realistic and annoying to play.

2) What audience pleasures did the writer used to find in The Sims franchise?

• Diversion
• Fantasy element

3) Why does the writer mention an example of a washer and dryer as additional DLC?

• The writer is frustrated with these DLC's because they reinforce everyday domestic tasks and don't prove a sense of diversion.

4) In your opinion, has The Sims made an error in trying to make the franchise too realistic?

• I agree that the game has been made to realistic as players cant go to the game for any division as they are faced with the same modern-day struggles of reality.

5) How does this representation of reality link to Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality - the increasingly blurred line between real and constructed?

• This representation suggests that the game has blurred reality with virtual reality.

The Sims FreePlay social media analysis

Analyse The Sims FreePlay Facebook page and Twitter feed and answer the following questions:

1) What is the purpose of The Sims FreePlay social media channels?

• To gain a fandom and start fandoms etc..

2) Choose three posts (from either Twitter or Facebook) and make a note of what they are and how they encourage audience interaction or response.

• how incredible is this mansion? 
• Don't miss out on fashionista hairstyles
• Whose excited for the lake house grand prize?
• They encourage comments by players to give their opinion and increase excitement in the game.

3) Scroll down the Facebook feed briefly. How many requests for new content can you find from players? Why is this such as an important part of the appeal for The Sims FreePlay?

• More players are requesting new content.
• The game needs to update in order to stay relevant in the modern age.

4) What tweets can you find in the Twitter feed that refer to additional content or other revenue streams for EA?

• There are no other revenue streams seen in the feed other than the content of The Sims mobile game.

5) Linking to our work on postmodernism, how could The Sims FreePlay social media presence be an example of Baudrillard’s hyperreality and simulacra?

• The game is a representation of reality which means there are replications of real-life throughout the game which creates a blur for some players as they can't distinguish what is real life and what isn't.