The Sims FreePlay - First Mature Game? «12...Next Go

CoffeeBeanPopcorn

Well, I was snooping around the Windows Store for new apps, then I got the idea to get The Sims FreePlay because it's free and it lets me play. and toddlers

So, I was shocked when this happened:


Also, at the place where you put your age to download it, you know what the first picture popped out? TWO TODDLERS DRESSED UP AS BUNNIES. Maybe the reason toddlers are not in TS4 because it will increase the game's rating

MinnieMouse

LOL well either the Windows Store is wrong or you're getting some content I'm not... because it's only rated 12+ on the Apple App Store ;)

Erpe

MinnieMouse wrote: »

LOL well either the Windows Store is wrong or you're getting some content I'm not... because it's only rated 12+ on the Apple App Store

It is rated 16+ on https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

MinnieMouse

Game ratings (like movie ratings) tend to vary from country to country, so that's at least more understandable. But there's definitely something off if the US Windows/Apple app stores have such a drastic difference in ratings. The US Google Play & Amazon stores seem to agree with Apple, and based on experience, I would too. I also have trouble understanding Microsoft's claim of violence and partial nudity... are we counting pixelation as partial nudity now? :))

But if anyone is genuinely concerned about rating, I've played for a while and would rate it at a solid T.

SimGuruEmma

What can we say? O.o Gotta make sure everything's above board and covered for... even blurry woohoo-ing!

Erpe

I don't know how Microsoft found "Strong violence" in this game? This looks like a clear misunderstanding to me.

But they also mention "Digital purchases". So maybe this is the real reason for their 16+ rating in Europe? If this is the case I think I agree a little more than with Apple who don't even mention digital purchases as something they have considered before giving the game a 12+ rating.

Google mentions digital purchases in the reasons for their 12+ rating of the Sims Freeplay in the Google Play store for the Android version though.

Both Microsoft and Google are assumed to cooperate with IARC (see http://www.globalratings.com ). So I don't really understand how they can have different ratings in their stores.

CoffeeBeanPopcorn

Most games with digital purchases on Google Play typically are 3+.

Also, this gem from Romantic Garden Stuff:
The wishing Sim will gain money, but lose it due to a newfound temporary addiction to mobile game microtransactions.

WinMacSims3

OMG, that's the highest rating a Sims game has even gotten, even higher than the Windows and Mac games. For reference, The Sims 4 for PC/Mac in North America and Europe is rated Teen and 12+ respectively compared to FreePlay's Mature and 16+ ratings. It's also rated 12+ on the Apple App Store and Teen on Google Play.

Erpe

WinMacSims3 wrote: »

OMG, that's the highest rating a Sims game has even gotten, even higher than the Windows and Mac games. For reference, The Sims 4 for PC/Mac in North America and Europe is rated Teen and 12+ respectively compared to FreePlay's Mature and 16+ ratings. It's also rated 12+ on the Apple App Store and Teen on Google Play.

Not all Europe. As you can see on http://www.amazon.de/Electronic-Arts-5030947111090-Die-Sims/dp/B00KPY3KV2?tag=sims-4-such-wid-21&linkCode=w13&linkId=&ref_=assoc_res_sw_zz_dkp_cra_t0_result_1&ref-refURL=http://www.sims4.eu/sims-4/infos/sims-4-usk-pegi-altersfreigabe/ the Sims 4 is actually rated 6+ in Germany by the German USK rating board

LeGardePourpre

The Sims FreePlay

@ Windows Store :

6+ (USK) : Germany
12+ : Brazil
16+ (IARC, PEGI) : Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, UK, France, Spain
17+ / Mature (ESRB) : USA, Canada
18+ / Adult only : Russia

Note: The Sims 4 is rated 18+ / Adult only in Russia "due to a law restricting the depiction of same-sex relationships to minors."

@ iTunes Store :

12+ : USA, Russia, France, Germany, ...

@ Google Play :

12+ : USA, Russia, France, Germany, ...

ILuvSimsXx

<3

there is no violence in this game, how did Microsoft get that

ILuvSimsXx

❤

CoffeeBeanPopcorn

LeGardePourpre wrote: »

The Sims FreePlay

@ Windows Store :

6+ : Germany
16+ : Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, UK, France, Spain

That is very far...

Erpe

CoffeeBeanPopcorn wrote: »

LeGardePourpre wrote: »

The Sims FreePlay

@ Windows Store :

6+ : Germany
16+ : Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, UK, France, Spain

That is very far...

Yes. But the consequences of the age restrictions are very different too. In many countries they are just advices without any legal consequences. But in a country like Germany this isn't the case at all:

"Legal consequences(in Germany)

The legal consequences of a work being listed on the Index are enumerated in § 15 Jugendschutzgesetz[1] (law for the protection of minors):

It must not be sold, provided or otherwise made accessible to minors.
It must not be displayed where it can be seen by minors. This would, for example, include playing an indexed game in the presence of minors.
It must be sold only within a shop. Basically selling indexed titles per mail order is illegal, however it is permissible if the package may be handed over only to a specified adult person, who has to present ID.
It must not be rented out, except in a shop inaccessible to minors.
It must not be imported by mail order. In this case even an adult buyer is subject to penalty.
It must not be advertised or announced in a place where the announcement or advertisement could be seen by minors.
If it is for one of the above six causes, production, acquiring, and holding in store are subject to penalty too.
It is a matter of dispute whether criticism or discussion of indexed works is allowed in works that are accessible to young people. Public prosecutors have not been unanimous in this regard, but publishers tend to err on the side of safety: In the German version of Marc Saltzman's Game Design: Secret of the Sages, for example, the titles of indexed games were replaced by random strings matching only first letter and length.

🐸🐸🐸🐸 content on the internet is legal only if technical measures prohibit minors from getting access to the object (AVS = Age Verification System or Adult-Check-System).[2]"

To change that would require new laws in Germany which is the reason why Germany can't join PEGI like almost all other European countries already have done. But the legal consequences probably also is the reason why Germany don't have so severe age restrictions for games like the Sims games as most other countries have. Only if the content is seen as directly harmful to minors can the USK give such age restrictions.

LeGardePourpre

I think the Mature rating is caused by the "same-sex relationships" which is often identified as "sexual content".

Microsoft think "same-sex woohoo" may shocked American teens.

Erpe

LeGardePourpre wrote: »

I think the Mature rating is caused by the "same-sex relationships" which is often identified as "sexual content".

Microsoft think "same-sex woohoo" may shocked American teens.

I don't think that it works that way. Instead Microsoft seems to want to please every country in the world. I don't think Microsoft would want especially to please Russia though because that would mean that same-sex relationships would give the game an adult rating and not just a mature rating. More likely Microsoft is trying to please countries like Australia and New Zealand who always have rated the Sims games as mature games.

See https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2014/07/14/tips-for-submitting-apps-in-markets-that-require-an-age-rating/ for more information on Microsoft's ratings.

stepbot153

Oh that's very surprising

LeGardePourpre

@Erpe wrote: »

More likely Microsoft is trying to please countries like Australia and New Zealand who always have rated the Sims games as mature games.

What ? Here it's North America which are rated Mature

IARC 16+ : Australia
https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

ESRB 17+ / Mature : USA, Canada
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

Erpe

LeGardePourpre wrote: »

@Erpe wrote: »

More likely Microsoft is trying to please countries like Australia and New Zealand who always have rated the Sims games as mature games.

What ? Here it's North America which are rated Mature

IARC 16+ : Australia
https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

ESRB 17+ / Mature : USA, Canada
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

You don't have all those ratings in the same country. Microsoft usually only has the following ratings:
3+ (Suitable for young children)
7+ (Suitable for ages 7 and older)
12+ (Suitable for ages 12 and older)
16+ (Suitable for ages 16 and older)
18+ (Suitable for adults)

So there are no 15+ or 17+ ratings.

Other rating systems in different countries use a similar way. But their mature (M) rating differs and can be either 15+ (as it usually is for PC games in Australia), 16+ (as it is in Microsoft's App Store) or 17+ (as is in Apple's App Store).

LeGardePourpre

@Erpe Okay.

I still don't understand why TSFP is Mature Rated in USA when The Sims series is Teen Rated
http://www.esrb.org/ratings/search.aspx?from=home&titleOrPublisher=sims

Why PEGI 16+ when The Sims series is PEGI 12+.
http://www.pegi.info/fr/index/global_id/505/?searchString=sims

Note: The Sims FreePlay is PEGI 7+ according to EA UK
http://www.ea.com/uk/pegi-7#2


Rating is very random.

Erpe

LeGardePourpre wrote: »

@Erpe Okay.

I still don't understand why TSFP is Mature Rated in USA when The Sims series is Teen Rated
http://www.esrb.org/ratings/search.aspx?from=home&titleOrPublisher=sims

Why PEGI 16+ when The Sims series is PEGI 12+.
http://www.pegi.info/fr/index/global_id/505/?searchString=sims

Note: The Sims FreePlay is PEGI 7+ according to EA UK
http://www.ea.com/uk/pegi-7#2


Rating is very random.

Microsoft uses the same rating all over the world. Therefore Microsoft can't just use ESRB in the US, CB in Australia, USK in Germany and PEGi in the rest of Europe (except Russia). The reason probably is that Microsoft then would have to control much more severely where you live when you download apps from their store. Apple is similar. So Apple doesn't want to have different ratings for the same app in different countries either. Google doesn't either. So this is probably the reason why they have their own rating systems for apps at all.

I think that Apple, Google and Microsoft all attempt to find some kind of "average" between the countries when they rate apps in their stores. But the results differ because they have different methods for this.

Edit: I have not examined what happens if you attempt to buy apps from the stores when you are in another country. But if the rules were different between the countries which rules would then apply if you live in Europe and want to buy an app with a European credit card while you are visiting the US or Australia?

LeGardePourpre

@Erpe wrote: »

Microsoft uses the same rating all over the world. Therefore Microsoft can't just use ESRB in the US, CB in Australia, USK in Germany and PEGi in the rest of Europe (except Russia).

Except Germany ... USK 6+
https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

It seems Germany and Russia are outside of the Microsoft world.

Apple and Google share the same world... 12+ for everybody.

Erpe

LeGardePourpre wrote: »

@Erpe wrote: »

Microsoft uses the same rating all over the world. Therefore Microsoft can't just use ESRB in the US, CB in Australia, USK in Germany and PEGi in the rest of Europe (except Russia).

Except Germany ... USK 6+
https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

It seems Germany and Russia are outside of the Microsoft world.

Apple and Google share the same world... 12+ for everybody.

The Sims 2 was actually rated 3+ in Germany

Germany doesn't have restrictions for nudity or sexual content unless it is explicitly shown sexual behavior.. But if that is the case then you can be punished by law for letting other than adults use such material. That is the difference.

Russia's attitude to same-sex relationships and Germany's attitude about only to stop criminal behavior or explicit sexual acts in games for children are special cases. So Microsoft can't use those countries when Microsoft rates the games for the whole world.

LeGardePourpre

@Erpe

Except Brazil ... 12+
https://www.microsoft.com/pt-br/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

"Violence, Sexual content, Nudity, User Interact, Digital purchases" is not rated "Mature" in Brazil.

Erpe

LeGardePourpre wrote: »

@Erpe

Except Brazil ... 12+
https://www.microsoft.com/pt-br/store/apps/the-sims-freeplay/9wzdncrfj30h

"Violence, Sexual content, Nudity, User Interact, Digital purchases" is not rated "Mature" in Brazil.

Not completely true. But it needs a little more to be rated 14+ in Brasil (which uses both 10+, 12+, 14+, 16+ and 18+ in its game ratings). The following means 14+ instead of 12+:
"Não recomendado para menores de quatorze anos (Not recommended for minors under fourteen): The following contents are accepted for this age range:
Violence: Intentional death; social stigma/prejudice.
Sex and Nudity: Nudity; erotization; crude language; sexual intercourse; prostitution.
Drugs: Suggestive use of illegal drugs; references to the use or trafficking of illegal drugs; discussion on the "decriminalization of illegal drugs"."

But the following means only 12+ in Brasil:
"Não recomendado para menores de doze anos (Not recommended for minors under twelve): The following contents are accepted for this age range:
Violence: Violent act; body injury; violence references; sight of blood; victim's pain; natural or accidental death with violence; violent act against animals; exposure to danger; showing people in embarrassing or degrading situations; verbal aggression; obscenity; bullying; corpses; sexual harassment; overvaluation of the physical beauty; overvaluation of consumption.
Sex and Nudity: Veiled nudity; sexual innuendo; sexual fondling; 🐸🐸🐸🐸; coarse language; sex references; sex simulation; sexual appeal.
Drugs: Use of legal drugs; inducing the use of legal drugs; medication misuse; illegal drugs references."

So it should be clear that 12+ is enough for the Sims games

LeGardePourpre

@Erpe Okay