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
Comments
But if anyone is genuinely concerned about rating, I've played for a while and would rate it at a solid T.
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.
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.
@ 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, ...
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The Sims 4 General Discussionthere is no violence in this game, how did Microsoft get that
That is very far...
"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.
Microsoft think "same-sex woohoo" may shocked American teens.
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The Sims 4 General DiscussionSee 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.
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
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The Sims 4 General Discussion3+ (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).
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.
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The Sims 4 General DiscussionI 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?
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.
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The Sims 4 General DiscussionGermany 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.
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.
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The Sims 4 General Discussion"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
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The Sims 4 General Discussion