I admit I joined forums intentionally for the Sims 4 to be around a smaller community. I knew based on the online negative reviews there wouldn't be a lot of people on forums. So it was an easier transition for me. Plus with the SimCity backlash, I wanted to join while there still was an online community around. I got scared there wouldn't even be a community around anymore. A lot easier to talk to a few dozen Simmers at once than thousands of Simmers at once. That would overwhelm me too much.
I enjoy smaller communities too
Dissatisfied with Sims 4 and hoping for a better Sims 5
I was one for years until I got on the forums.That's why I get shocked when people say ts2 had bugs because when I got my games I never got on the forums or read about any problems it had.I didn't even have internet in order to be active in an community.Almost all of my family members are invisible gamers we just buy and play.Plain and simple
I used to be an invisible gamer.. would rarely talk about games outside a teamspeak server or my friends irl. We just stuck to our franchises and bought the next iteration when it released no questions asked cause everyone did. I don't play CoD, Halo, BF, LoL, CS:GO, etc anymore just cause I got tired of fps.. I do still love WOT though.
Hell, been a simmer since TS1 with the deluxe edition when I was in 4th grade.. just barely joined these forums since the gallery has kept things interesting
Lets make The Sims 4 great again!
-- Origin ID: Audio5urf --
Feel free to add me, and check out my gallery shenanigans.
I think most, if not all, were invisible gamers at some point. I used to just look at the physical copies of a game and read the description, then decide whether I should buy it or not, I didn't care about reviews and at most, I'd only look up a fraction of the game-play, only occasionally when I wasn't sure about a game. I actually think that I picked more enjoyable games via my own opinion from what the game looked like than I do today, giving a little too much thought on the opinions of others. To be honest, before joining Forums, I never once thought about the positives or negatives of a game, I only cared about whether I personally enjoyed it or not, I didn't care about the flaws so long as the game made me feel positive. Back then(only like 4-5 years ago for me xD) I didn't make up theories about what might come next, I just waited and made sure to check the mail for new video games at the retail store, nor did I engage in pretty heavy debates and discussions with other users.
I sometimes feel that having become a more vocal gamer, I sort of pay less attention to the game and more so over the controversies over them.
Sometimes it's difficult for some people to become more vocal, so they stay 'invisible' in way, like, I actually didn't want to join Forums because I found them filled with negativity and thus made me look at them as some 'scary place'. Even today, I kind of feel like a 'silent gamer', there are really only two Forums I ever go onto and they're usually the only places I ever actually discuss games frequently(This Forum and Telltale Games' Forum). To be honest, I think I prefer being 'invisible', I've wasted more time than I care to admit by being a vocal gamer(But I do feel that we need both vocal and invisible gamers).
Live your life to the fullest, don't wait for a miracle to happen, be the miracle to make things happen.
Sometimes your creativity is limited where you use it most, but you can use those limitations to inspire new forms of creativity you may never have thought of beforehand.
I think the percentage of "silent" simmers is even higher than for other games. Though I think it decreases from iteration to iteration and seeing as Sims 4's advertising is bull, I guess it is way lower than TS3's.
BTW, I was a silent TS3 simmer, although I enjoyed it more than TS4. I even missed the release of seasons, can you believe it? Didn't buy it for several month The only time I was very involved with Sim news was after the announcement of pets till its release. Even waited forever to play it during gamescom.
Funny thing is, I know buy more and faster for a game I like less. Forums make you feel very tempted lol
I was an invisible simmer up until... right now. My first post yay! I've been lurking in the forums for months now though, so I kinda feel like I already "know" some of the people here even though I've never interacted with you guys.
I was an invisible simmer up until... right now. My first post yay! I've been lurking in the forums for months now though, so I kinda feel like I already "know" some of the people here even though I've never interacted with you guys.
Aww welcome to forums and the less "invisible" Sims community. Nice to have another person to talk to.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
I was an invisible simmer up until... right now. My first post yay! I've been lurking in the forums for months now though, so I kinda feel like I already "know" some of the people here even though I've never interacted with you guys.
Aww welcome to forums and the less "invisible" Sims community. Nice to have another person to talk to.
Heh. I'm very similar. I also have a hard time sharing my creations. My gameplay is very private and I get so into it that I don't even think of taking pictures or sharing my experiences. I'm having fun. I don't feel like I need to share it. I only tend to be vocal when I'm bored—we may differ that way.
I still struggle with it and yeah sometimes it is just nice playing and not worrying about pictures. I have to remind myself to take a picture for the family thread because usually I don't. Yeah sometimes forums are more entertaining than the Sims 4. I'm really having a hard time with the news of Sennie. Darn forums, making me care about people and getting to know them.
Sorry this is OT, but I'm really confused about what happened to Sennie. I didn't really know him but I recognized him and remember his posts because he's an Elvis fan (as am I). I read he was in a car crash but he said he was okay...
yeah, well.. now that i'm so invested into TS4 (limited internet after a move so no WoT).. i found myself googling a lot of stuff that routed me to the forums, and eventually, i was bound to look around.
Lets make The Sims 4 great again!
-- Origin ID: Audio5urf --
Feel free to add me, and check out my gallery shenanigans.
This is exactly how I was pre TS4. I only ever came to the forums if I needed help with something and customer service were useless.
So really it took me the best part of 15 years to speak up and I only did so because I was upset at the loss of my favourite elements to my play style.
The Simmers that aren't registered to any Sims based site doesn't care. Or doesn't have the time to join a community site because they might play The Sims for an hour or two. Then either play another video game, or go to work or school, depending on the time where they are.
Not entirely true. I was a silent player for many years because when I enjoy a game, I have little reason to leave my game to chat it up with other players. That's why I've been pretty quiet lately. I've been playing a game and enjoying it. Silent players are not always casual players. Silent players can be quite the opposite. I only have time to chat when I'm at work, because the game I'm playing isn't keeping me occupied and breaks are pretty boring. *throws that theory out the window*
This is exactly how I feel. I have been a member of this forum for 5 years, and visited them from time to time before that, but I didn't make my first post until a year ago. I was too busy actually having fun playing the game, to spend time talking about the game. I would only go online to troubleshoot issues, and I was never the first to experience an issue, so a solution could always be found by just searching, and not posting. This would be the case for any game and not just the Sims.
I would buy new games based on description on the box, or because a friend recommended it. Forums would only be used to report bugs, opinions only shared when doing beta tests. With TS4 I quickly found myself spending way too much time on the bug forums, and then joining General out of boredom. TS4 was a shock to me - this was the first time I simply didn't get the devs vision for a game. I'd never had issues understanding it before, even when they didn't match my preferences. I started hanging around the forums in a desperate attempt to try and understand who their target is for this game and in what direction they intended to take the game. Can't say I have gotten that much wiser - probably just grumpier.
One of the first things I did after buying the first sims game was to come online and find the forum. So I've been here ever since. as each new sims game comes out I join the forum. I like to know what's going on with the game and how others enjoy playing it.
As for invisible players, I find this very hard to believe, they must go online sometimes to find the latest updates, the latest news about upcoming EPs and add on's. (forgive my lapse as in Ep. I'm getting old now and can't remember the new word.) they may never had commented but they did come online to look and read.
@Junie19890 welcome to the most informative game site and the most friendliest.
as @sparkfairy1 said the customer service was hopeless, and I'm talking about the customer service I used to get in shops, even the game shops, they never new the release date or name or price of next pack until a few days before. that's why I joined the forums.
For me, one of the fun things about playing Sims is being a part of the community and being able to talk about it and share pictures with people who I know feel the same way about it as I do.
I'm more gamer than lurker/participator in my earlier years. In fact I never once looked up things for TS1 but I bought everything and played it days at a time sometimes. Mostly same with TS2. When TS3 came I searched up a little about it, but that's because it didn't hold my interest as well as just reading things about it did and seeing the CC, and also because near the start of TS3 I became disabled and unable to play Sims and other games as hardcore as I wanna. If I felt good enough to focus on gaming I'd probably be off playing/making games rather than community-ing. I'm social about games in general, I'd just spend heaps time more playing than commenting?
And now a bit into TS4 I have joined up the community at last lol! Truth be told I've always wanted to have my own Sims/games related channel on Youtube ever since Youtube was a thing. Shame I'm too sick to keep up with one. v_v
But I'd still say that up until very recently I was more invisible gamer than anything........
Simmer since day one. Owns every Expansion and extras. Even the console games. XD
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
I´m usually a lurker. Been around since Ts1. I check the forums every day to see if there is anything of interest to discuss which there rarely is (same old, same old) Once in a while I share a pic or two and that´s it. I´m a player not a debater
Never got into forums until Sims 4, and then only because of problems playing the game. I come to the forums to specifically lookup solutions to problems and check for new content. Old, retired Simmer here, so sometimes I play all day and all night. I have all the Sim games, but mostly still play Sims 3. Just not enough to do in Sims 4 yet. I don't read blogs, follow twitter or anything like that. Really don't play other games either. But, that's just me. LOL
I think he makes a valid point. The simmers on the forum, and Facebook, and Twitter could account for a small fraction of the Sims 4 sales and the majority of those purchasing have no knowledge of the discontent and probably don't care.
The Simmers that aren't registered to any Sims based site doesn't care. Or doesn't have the time to join a community site because they might play The Sims for an hour or two. Then either play another video game, or go to work or school, depending on the time where they are.
Or they play for hours and hours and care about their game a lot, but they don't have any interest in interacting with other Simmers, and they just hit "like" on a post if they agree with it but never post themselves or only use Origin-based feedback to say what they want.
I have friends who are invisible Simmers. Most play a few other games. None is involved with any Simming community. The only reason I found out they play Sims is that they've mentioned it when among friends.
My son's girlfriend can play for hours but has less than zero interest in communicating about her game with other Simmers (we've chatted casually about the game, though). She plays lots of other games too but has zero interest in giving feedback etc. about them, either.
Gamers like this are the bread and butter of the industry. They're why there are pop-up Origin surveys now and then. You and I? We get heard from plenty. But we are the exceptions in being activist. Just look at the daily numbers in any game. There is no way that all those people don't care if they aren't spending their non-gaming time talking about the game. Yet they pay for the game just the same as you and I do, and are just as important to its success.
Everything in the OP makes perfect sense. And is presumably very well known in the industry. The active participants are never the norm - that's almost by definition, as they've chosen to be unusually involved beyond just paying and playing. And there's no cause to think we are representative (it just feels nice to think you might be) or more special or even play more.
Someone else probably said all this already, but I should go do other things than read it all
EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
From that and an educated guess, so many more than you think. I know of one other simmer, literally. She brought the base game, but couldn't play without an open world, so stayed with TS3. I've never been given any indication that she comes to the forums, now or before.
Very true, Luthienrising! I usually play offline and never do the surveys either. Just having a little problem with the offline status right now. Still trying to resolve it. LOL
While back in The Sims 1 days I didn't actively participate, I did register and download from the site. I just didn't use the forum part. I did with TS2 but not so much as TS3- which was mostly in TS3 CAW section once it came out.
I actually don't think there are more of "them" then are of "us." And EA would know. All TS4 games have to be registered on Origin, but not the Site. TS3/2/1 didn't have to be registered- which was lovely.
And more people have internet now then they did back 10 years ago- imo.
*I don't actively search for Gaming news or reviews or worry about what others are playing or is hot now. I'll pick up a new game when I'm bored with my old games.
I'm sure there are lots of them. I just found out my oldest son (he's 38) was a simmer a couple months ago. We never talk about games!
I was a silent simmer for most of my simming life. I didn't even KNOW there were sequels and add-ons to S1 and only ever played the 3 I got in a bundle as a complete game. I forget how I found out about S2, but then found out through the flyers in advance that I could get new content for it. Somehow, I found out about cc too.
Then my sis told me about S3 in 2012. So I bought that then. I only registered bc it was part of the program to use up the free sim points that came with some of the games. Never used the forum section at all. Although I was often directed there when searching for answers to the many problems that sims 3 had. And I only decided to post on the sims 3 site when there was a sims 4 section added.
So yes, I bet there are TONS of invisible simmers. Millions of them.
Comments
I enjoy smaller communities too
Hell, been a simmer since TS1 with the deluxe edition when I was in 4th grade.. just barely joined these forums since the gallery has kept things interesting
-- Origin ID: Audio5urf --
Feel free to add me, and check out my gallery shenanigans.
I sometimes feel that having become a more vocal gamer, I sort of pay less attention to the game and more so over the controversies over them.
Sometimes it's difficult for some people to become more vocal, so they stay 'invisible' in way, like, I actually didn't want to join Forums because I found them filled with negativity and thus made me look at them as some 'scary place'. Even today, I kind of feel like a 'silent gamer', there are really only two Forums I ever go onto and they're usually the only places I ever actually discuss games frequently(This Forum and Telltale Games' Forum). To be honest, I think I prefer being 'invisible', I've wasted more time than I care to admit by being a vocal gamer(But I do feel that we need both vocal and invisible gamers).
Sometimes your creativity is limited where you use it most, but you can use those limitations to inspire new forms of creativity you may never have thought of beforehand.
The Essence
How To Lose Your Ugliness in Ten Generations
Funny thing is, I know buy more and faster for a game I like less. Forums make you feel very tempted lol
The Essence
How To Lose Your Ugliness in Ten Generations
Thank you
Sorry this is OT, but I'm really confused about what happened to Sennie. I didn't really know him but I recognized him and remember his posts because he's an Elvis fan (as am I). I read he was in a car crash but he said he was okay...
yeah, well.. now that i'm so invested into TS4 (limited internet after a move so no WoT).. i found myself googling a lot of stuff that routed me to the forums, and eventually, i was bound to look around.
-- Origin ID: Audio5urf --
Feel free to add me, and check out my gallery shenanigans.
So really it took me the best part of 15 years to speak up and I only did so because I was upset at the loss of my favourite elements to my play style.
https://twitter.com/sparkfairy1
This is exactly how I feel. I have been a member of this forum for 5 years, and visited them from time to time before that, but I didn't make my first post until a year ago. I was too busy actually having fun playing the game, to spend time talking about the game. I would only go online to troubleshoot issues, and I was never the first to experience an issue, so a solution could always be found by just searching, and not posting. This would be the case for any game and not just the Sims.
I would buy new games based on description on the box, or because a friend recommended it. Forums would only be used to report bugs, opinions only shared when doing beta tests. With TS4 I quickly found myself spending way too much time on the bug forums, and then joining General out of boredom. TS4 was a shock to me - this was the first time I simply didn't get the devs vision for a game. I'd never had issues understanding it before, even when they didn't match my preferences. I started hanging around the forums in a desperate attempt to try and understand who their target is for this game and in what direction they intended to take the game. Can't say I have gotten that much wiser - probably just grumpier.
As for invisible players, I find this very hard to believe, they must go online sometimes to find the latest updates, the latest news about upcoming EPs and add on's. (forgive my lapse as in Ep. I'm getting old now and can't remember the new word.) they may never had commented but they did come online to look and read.
@Junie19890 welcome to the most informative game site and the most friendliest.
as @sparkfairy1 said the customer service was hopeless, and I'm talking about the customer service I used to get in shops, even the game shops, they never new the release date or name or price of next pack until a few days before. that's why I joined the forums.
And now a bit into TS4 I have joined up the community at last lol! Truth be told I've always wanted to have my own Sims/games related channel on Youtube ever since Youtube was a thing. Shame I'm too sick to keep up with one. v_v
But I'd still say that up until very recently I was more invisible gamer than anything........
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
My mum was an invisible sims player same with my brother and best friend.
Or they play for hours and hours and care about their game a lot, but they don't have any interest in interacting with other Simmers, and they just hit "like" on a post if they agree with it but never post themselves or only use Origin-based feedback to say what they want.
I have friends who are invisible Simmers. Most play a few other games. None is involved with any Simming community. The only reason I found out they play Sims is that they've mentioned it when among friends.
My son's girlfriend can play for hours but has less than zero interest in communicating about her game with other Simmers (we've chatted casually about the game, though). She plays lots of other games too but has zero interest in giving feedback etc. about them, either.
Gamers like this are the bread and butter of the industry. They're why there are pop-up Origin surveys now and then. You and I? We get heard from plenty. But we are the exceptions in being activist. Just look at the daily numbers in any game. There is no way that all those people don't care if they aren't spending their non-gaming time talking about the game. Yet they pay for the game just the same as you and I do, and are just as important to its success.
Everything in the OP makes perfect sense. And is presumably very well known in the industry. The active participants are never the norm - that's almost by definition, as they've chosen to be unusually involved beyond just paying and playing. And there's no cause to think we are representative (it just feels nice to think you might be) or more special or even play more.
Someone else probably said all this already, but I should go do other things than read it all
I actually don't think there are more of "them" then are of "us." And EA would know. All TS4 games have to be registered on Origin, but not the Site. TS3/2/1 didn't have to be registered- which was lovely.
And more people have internet now then they did back 10 years ago- imo.
*I don't actively search for Gaming news or reviews or worry about what others are playing or is hot now. I'll pick up a new game when I'm bored with my old games.
I was a silent simmer for most of my simming life. I didn't even KNOW there were sequels and add-ons to S1 and only ever played the 3 I got in a bundle as a complete game. I forget how I found out about S2, but then found out through the flyers in advance that I could get new content for it. Somehow, I found out about cc too.
Then my sis told me about S3 in 2012. So I bought that then. I only registered bc it was part of the program to use up the free sim points that came with some of the games. Never used the forum section at all. Although I was often directed there when searching for answers to the many problems that sims 3 had. And I only decided to post on the sims 3 site when there was a sims 4 section added.
So yes, I bet there are TONS of invisible simmers. Millions of them.