Don't even know where to start, I am to the point where i am debating with myself to even respond.
First of all the reason i don't respond to forums, blogs, and so on is because society itself is at the point where they are very judgemental about everything. Rude to the point where if i keep typing i will tell you where to go and the quickest way to get there!
Second, My grammer is pathetic and someone always wants to point out wether or not i spelled there, thier, or their right or wrong. Even though i get on here and see people writing EP, CAS, WOO, GTW, GP, (which by the way i have no idea what most of them mean) abbreviating every word they can think of simply because they want to be the first to post like there , thier , or their is a fire to get too.
Third, I have posted in the past on various different types of forums be it sports, gaming, hobby whatever and it is the same everywhere. You may post a suggestion in a suggestion thread only to find that it got posted by somebody who has no authority to change anything regarding the subject to begin with, so to me it is pointless to make a suggestion in a matter where the Original poster has no authority to change anything and he is just trying to get get "so called forum points" for posting a "thread topic" that is seen on every forum.
Fourth, in regards to social media, Someone always wants to act like they are more experienced with the game than you are because they have been playing the game since the first version of the series came out. Do you really believe that makes you an expert on a game where the engine might have changed, or gameplay is different, or maybe you created a mod that made the game better, or you have a youtube channel where you show off your builds in SUPERSONIC speed mode while you talk to the viewers about what you had for lunch the day before? Really expert? I think not in fact if i go to watch a build on youtube and they do it in fast mode i stop watching and give it a thumbs down b/c it is not informative whatsoever.
I will stop typing now because i could go on and on as to why people don't get involved with people they don't know on the Internet, But a positive i will add is this forum to this point does seem like a decent place to find information but the whole I want "Toddlers" or I want "Pets" topics are a turn off because none of the other DLC's work the way they should, so when i see people wanting to spend more money on new content with mediocre gameplay. I have a tendancy to say "Well the game is what it is and they are not going to fix it so why get involved when it is all about the almight dollar in the end!"
And last but not least- Jack Nicholson "Anger Management" "Sarcasm is Anger's Ugly cousin!" Have a great day and I am off to go build a Big Modern House happy simming.
I'm going to be one of those annoying people who respond now!
It makes me sad to think that people want to post but don't for various reasons. Ideally everyone would get to have their say, without worrying about what other people think. It doesn't matter how vocal one person is in comparison to another, we all buy the same content, and we pay the same money. If our money has the same value, then so does our opinions.
Ultimately, if the developers here our voice then it helps them to make decisions about content. It's more important for them to hear a large number of voices than a handful of loud people repeating the same thing. If I had advice for anyone hesitant about posting I'd say:
* Post it anyway
* Ignore people who try to bait you or put down your opinion.
* Give detailed information about why you have that opinion.
What we say here does get back to the developers and your opinion has the same weight as anyone else's if you express yourself clearly and informatively.
When I say I don't think there are many of "Them" I do mean the ones who don't even Know about the forums or haven't check it out at all. Not that there are many who are lurkers. I believe there are more lurks here then are given credit.
My daughter is one. I forget that. She's my daughter. She's 15 and has a small degree of learning difficulties. Her spelling and grammar are abominable. To the point that you'd maybe understand one word in every five. She's been simming since she was 12 or 13. Her teacher thought she was good at design. I thought it might help her. So I let her play the sims. Back before she actually played and since she was 6 or so, I'd start one of the games and I'd be joined by a little girl with a yell of "Mum's playing Sims!". She loved watching.
She isn't a fan of TS4. She finds it boring. She prefers TS3. TS2 was a little hard for her. Because of her learning difficulties, I wouldn't let her post here. She constantly tells me to tell you guys stuff she's done. She got multiples one game and wanted me to tell everyone on the forums it.
I was an "invisible" simmer until about TS4, when I looked up something here related to gameplay (I think it was related to culling, graves or pools) and now I participate sometimes. However, I've played since TS1 and played 2 and 3 as well. When I was in college and grad school I would play TS1 and then TS2 for hours at a time. I was so obsessed that I shipped my Sims CDs to my parents when I had to take my comps (qualifier) in grad school so I wasn't distracted. But I didn't think to participate in forums at that point because I have always thought of the game as a solitary hobby.
My husband and brother are also invisible simmers. My husband enjoyed Sims Medieval and also plays TS4 sometimes. My brother plays TS3, but couldn't get into TS4 quite as much. Neither participate in the Sims online community.
I probably still count as an invisible gamer. I lurk on the forums, but I don't really care about a lot of the arguments. Though the Sims 4 is the first Sims game I've played, so most of the arguments over toddlers, seasons, and other 'missing' things, I have no opinion on because I never played the previous games. Overall, I really couldn't care what games does better than another. I just want to be able to buy my game
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
That's just one of the many reasons why that they don't join a community site. And some might not even do that because they play for hours, and have no time to join because they have either go to work or school or both right after they get done playing. So we all can sit here, and say that's false all we want. When in fact that there is no right or wrong answer as to why one doesn't join a community site.
I probably still count as an invisible gamer. I lurk on the forums, but I don't really care about a lot of the arguments. Though the Sims 4 is the first Sims game I've played, so most of the arguments over toddlers, seasons, and other 'missing' things, I have no opinion on because I never played the previous games. Overall, I really couldn't care what games does better than another. I just want to be able to buy my game
I'm pretty much the same even though I've played all the other ones. I just like playing The Sims!
I probably still count as an invisible gamer. I lurk on the forums, but I don't really care about a lot of the arguments. Though the Sims 4 is the first Sims game I've played, so most of the arguments over toddlers, seasons, and other 'missing' things, I have no opinion on because I never played the previous games. Overall, I really couldn't care what games does better than another. I just want to be able to buy my game
I'm pretty much the same even though I've played all the other ones. I just like playing The Sims!
I was an invisible Simmer up until the release of GTW I think. That's when I started coming on here more often and learning the landscape of the game, since I never really saw anybody outside of myself and my sisters who played The Sims. I do want to try getting a lot of the packs, but I do prioritize which ones I want in my game first, so that I can get those when they're either on sale or when they're bundled. If I like the pack, I'm probably going to get, since I usually end up using a lot of these packs without consciously registering them in my mind.
Just some random Simmer you probably don't even follow on the gallery! Gallery name's the same as my username! Did I just rhyme there?
I was invisible all of sims 1 and some of sims2 also. Grandson introduced me to the forums and showed me they were not scary. I find the forums much more scary now then I did back then, except when there was a major problem during the sims 3 days that was scary.......But that was not the whole forum that was one sick person on here. Some wonderful simmers took care of his a-- and then things went on fairly friendly until sides started being taken for the sims 4 content. I wish that we could go back to the fun and friendliness of the forums in the past.
Two of my nephews, and one of my nieces I know for certain are Simmers themselves. And they are all invisible Simmers too.
A lot of the students that I had in class, were not allowed on forums, but they played the sims. So that could be what is happening. Some parents feel that 13 is too young to be on forums, some of the kids that played were 10 and 11 so I guess the parents were not letting them on the forums, and I think parental controls do not let younger children or parent controlled children on forums. I have also found that most of the kids that played this game were under 13, so I would say parents have a say in the forums. They let kids on twitter and facebook so I do not understand it, but I guess there is a reason.
Two of my nephews, and one of my nieces I know for certain are Simmers themselves. And they are all invisible Simmers too.
A lot of the students that I had in class, were not allowed on forums, but they played the sims. So that could be what is happening. Some parents feel that 13 is too young to be on forums, some of the kids that played were 10 and 11 so I guess the parents were not letting them on the forums, and I think parental controls do not let younger children or parent controlled children on forums. I have also found that most of the kids that played this game were under 13, so I would say parents have a say in the forums. They let kids on twitter and facebook so I do not understand it, but I guess there is a reason.
I was invisible all of sims 1 and some of sims2 also. Grandson introduced me to the forums and showed me they were not scary. I find the forums much more scary now then I did back then, except when there was a major problem during the sims 3 days that was scary.......But that was not the whole forum that was one sick person on here. Some wonderful simmers took care of his a-- and then things went on fairly friendly until sides started being taken for the sims 4 content. I wish that we could go back to the fun and friendliness of the forums in the past.
I think those 'sides' are only taken by a small handful who tend to be more vocal than they need to be. We all get irked by what someone said at times, and that's natural.
Though it's difficult to have an opinion around here sometimes when there's a select few who feel the need to invalidate everything said with nothing more than assumptions on their part. It gets worse when they start twisting everything you've said around. I feel, for me, when someone starts twisting my words around and making it seem like they know more about what I'm trying to say than I do, I may even appear to take a side. I have a tendency to play the same game as the person I'm engaging with (figuratively), but I see this as also being off-putting.
This is another reason some people don't post. I have thick skin, and even I get discouraged at times.
Dissatisfied with Sims 4 and hoping for a better Sims 5
Yes, "invisible gamers" are the silent majority playerbase of most AAA games, not hardcore forumites. The latter likely compose of roughly 5% of everyone who buys the game. The people who go on forums are fan(atic)s. They are passionate about the topic in one way or another. Generally, people tend to be passionate about a few fields, but not the majority of things they encounter in their life.
Think about movies. I'm really into movies and the intricacies of their making and their history and whatnot, but most people who go to the movies are just looking for a good time. They haven't spent hours debating with people on the internet whether or not the concept of the "auteur" is dead. They hear that there's a new Marvel movie out, remember that they liked the two or three movies they've seen in the franchise, and decide to see it. It's a similar concept.
I was an invisible simmer until sims 4, though I did lurk around the later half of Sims 3. (I was mostly lurking to find any solutions to bug and tech issues for sims 3.)
Yes, "invisible gamers" are the silent majority playerbase of most AAA games, not hardcore forumites. The latter likely compose of roughly 5% of everyone who buys the game. The people who go on forums are fan(atic)s. They are passionate about the topic in one way or another. Generally, people tend to be passionate about a few fields, but not the majority of things they encounter in their life.
Think about movies. I'm really into movies and the intricacies of their making and their history and whatnot, but most people who go to the movies are just looking for a good time. They haven't spent hours debating with people on the internet whether or not the concept of the "auteur" is dead. They hear that there's a new Marvel movie out, remember that they liked the two or three movies they've seen in the franchise, and decide to see it. It's a similar concept.
Interesting point. You also reminded me of watching a movie with someone who sits there and picks everything apart while I'm thinking, Dude! I'm just trying to enjoy it!
No hard feelings, I hope.
Dissatisfied with Sims 4 and hoping for a better Sims 5
Interesting point. You also reminded me of watching a movie with someone who sits there and picks everything apart while I'm thinking, Dude! I'm just trying to enjoy it!
No hard feelings, I hope.
None at all! I know I've been that annoying friend, and I'm trying to improve. But sometimes I just can't help myself.
I was an invisible simmer also until this game. This is the first forum I've actually written anything in. The only reason I came here was because the main menu on the game says (discuss and) learn more on the Sims 4 forums so I came and lurked a bit before actually writing anything. I just wanted to learn more basically and possibly share my excitement.
During the run of any other game I played I'd never participated in forums and that still holds true. Mostly I'll just look for a walkthrough for a quest I'm having trouble with or look up other things like alchemy effects because I don't want to get that knowledge the hard way (in game).
I also don't even have a you tube account, so I don't "like" or "dislike" anything.
I'm pretty sure if I was working full time, and still raising kids I would barely be here at all... the plain game time would matter more.
I usually am that invisible gamer, but it wasn't until the Sims 4 was announced, I wanted to learn about the game, so I activated my forum account.
Honestly the only thing that is keeping me here, is to shamelessly pitch my Ideas. But when the time comes and the developers made their favorable choice, I might stay, or I may go back to being an invisible player If they don't do my ideas.
I was one of the "invisible gamers", until around 2005, when I joined a gaming site called The Swordsman.
(It was for fans of the "Prince of Persia" - Sands of Time/Warrior Within/The Two Thrones.
I had so much fun then, and all because I joined - after spraining my ankle.)
I, and others, got to chat Live, w/ the producers/creators, that were involved with creating that POP series.
Because of that site, I still have the holographic notebooks, autographed posters, etc., guidebooks, etc., and a lot of very fun memories...
Then real-life became too busy with raising my 3 children, husband, going to College full-time, Working full-time, often with overtime.
There was barely any time to even turn on a PC for fun, never mind participate in gaming forums.
Eventually, things calmed down more, and sometime during the later Sims 3 days, I joined the Sims forum, and a few other sites.
Now it's mainly here, and SimsVIP.
I can't call myself invisible for Sims 4, because I already joined forums for Sims games, around 5 yrs ago, so I'm not new or anything...
But, I always, long ago, and to this day, buy games because I think I will enjoy at least the majority of what's in it.
I never used to even know of videogame reviews years ago, lol...I went into Store, saw, read boxes, bought...
(the new "digital only times" are ruining that for me a bit )
The only exception to this, was looking up cheat codes for a console Sims game, had me come across comments on how the PC versions of Sims, was so much better, so I looked for them, and found it to be mostly true - (though I still have all my console versions too.)
I thought it read that the Invisible Gamers are the ones who don't visit the site. So, any lurkers aren't invisible, they're here and are checking out the game information and while not posting, are part of the forums.
They're not lurkers, like most here are, they're the ones who just play and don't even register to the sites. *So, anyone who is here saying they were until TS4, aren't Invisible. If you Register, you're visible. That's why TS4 doesn't have Any invisible Gamers- they Have to register. EA knows them.
Comments
First of all the reason i don't respond to forums, blogs, and so on is because society itself is at the point where they are very judgemental about everything. Rude to the point where if i keep typing i will tell you where to go and the quickest way to get there!
Second, My grammer is pathetic and someone always wants to point out wether or not i spelled there, thier, or their right or wrong. Even though i get on here and see people writing EP, CAS, WOO, GTW, GP, (which by the way i have no idea what most of them mean) abbreviating every word they can think of simply because they want to be the first to post like there , thier , or their is a fire to get too.
Third, I have posted in the past on various different types of forums be it sports, gaming, hobby whatever and it is the same everywhere. You may post a suggestion in a suggestion thread only to find that it got posted by somebody who has no authority to change anything regarding the subject to begin with, so to me it is pointless to make a suggestion in a matter where the Original poster has no authority to change anything and he is just trying to get get "so called forum points" for posting a "thread topic" that is seen on every forum.
Fourth, in regards to social media, Someone always wants to act like they are more experienced with the game than you are because they have been playing the game since the first version of the series came out. Do you really believe that makes you an expert on a game where the engine might have changed, or gameplay is different, or maybe you created a mod that made the game better, or you have a youtube channel where you show off your builds in SUPERSONIC speed mode while you talk to the viewers about what you had for lunch the day before? Really expert? I think not in fact if i go to watch a build on youtube and they do it in fast mode i stop watching and give it a thumbs down b/c it is not informative whatsoever.
I will stop typing now because i could go on and on as to why people don't get involved with people they don't know on the Internet, But a positive i will add is this forum to this point does seem like a decent place to find information but the whole I want "Toddlers" or I want "Pets" topics are a turn off because none of the other DLC's work the way they should, so when i see people wanting to spend more money on new content with mediocre gameplay. I have a tendancy to say "Well the game is what it is and they are not going to fix it so why get involved when it is all about the almight dollar in the end!"
And last but not least- Jack Nicholson "Anger Management" "Sarcasm is Anger's Ugly cousin!" Have a great day and I am off to go build a Big Modern House happy simming.
I'm going to be one of those annoying people who respond now!
It makes me sad to think that people want to post but don't for various reasons. Ideally everyone would get to have their say, without worrying about what other people think. It doesn't matter how vocal one person is in comparison to another, we all buy the same content, and we pay the same money. If our money has the same value, then so does our opinions.
Ultimately, if the developers here our voice then it helps them to make decisions about content. It's more important for them to hear a large number of voices than a handful of loud people repeating the same thing. If I had advice for anyone hesitant about posting I'd say:
* Post it anyway
* Ignore people who try to bait you or put down your opinion.
* Give detailed information about why you have that opinion.
What we say here does get back to the developers and your opinion has the same weight as anyone else's if you express yourself clearly and informatively.
She isn't a fan of TS4. She finds it boring. She prefers TS3. TS2 was a little hard for her. Because of her learning difficulties, I wouldn't let her post here. She constantly tells me to tell you guys stuff she's done. She got multiples one game and wanted me to tell everyone on the forums it.
My husband and brother are also invisible simmers. My husband enjoyed Sims Medieval and also plays TS4 sometimes. My brother plays TS3, but couldn't get into TS4 quite as much. Neither participate in the Sims online community.
EA ID: staravia81
I'm pretty much the same even though I've played all the other ones. I just like playing The Sims!
A lot of the students that I had in class, were not allowed on forums, but they played the sims. So that could be what is happening. Some parents feel that 13 is too young to be on forums, some of the kids that played were 10 and 11 so I guess the parents were not letting them on the forums, and I think parental controls do not let younger children or parent controlled children on forums. I have also found that most of the kids that played this game were under 13, so I would say parents have a say in the forums. They let kids on twitter and facebook so I do not understand it, but I guess there is a reason.
I think those 'sides' are only taken by a small handful who tend to be more vocal than they need to be. We all get irked by what someone said at times, and that's natural.
Though it's difficult to have an opinion around here sometimes when there's a select few who feel the need to invalidate everything said with nothing more than assumptions on their part. It gets worse when they start twisting everything you've said around. I feel, for me, when someone starts twisting my words around and making it seem like they know more about what I'm trying to say than I do, I may even appear to take a side. I have a tendency to play the same game as the person I'm engaging with (figuratively), but I see this as also being off-putting.
This is another reason some people don't post. I have thick skin, and even I get discouraged at times.
Think about movies. I'm really into movies and the intricacies of their making and their history and whatnot, but most people who go to the movies are just looking for a good time. They haven't spent hours debating with people on the internet whether or not the concept of the "auteur" is dead. They hear that there's a new Marvel movie out, remember that they liked the two or three movies they've seen in the franchise, and decide to see it. It's a similar concept.
(She/her)
Interesting point. You also reminded me of watching a movie with someone who sits there and picks everything apart while I'm thinking, Dude! I'm just trying to enjoy it!
No hard feelings, I hope.
None at all! I know I've been that annoying friend, and I'm trying to improve. But sometimes I just can't help myself.
During the run of any other game I played I'd never participated in forums and that still holds true. Mostly I'll just look for a walkthrough for a quest I'm having trouble with or look up other things like alchemy effects because I don't want to get that knowledge the hard way (in game).
I also don't even have a you tube account, so I don't "like" or "dislike" anything.
I'm pretty sure if I was working full time, and still raising kids I would barely be here at all... the plain game time would matter more.
Honestly the only thing that is keeping me here, is to shamelessly pitch my Ideas. But when the time comes and the developers made their favorable choice, I might stay, or I may go back to being an invisible player If they don't do my ideas.
If they do, then perhaps I'll be back.
My Mood:
(It was for fans of the "Prince of Persia" - Sands of Time/Warrior Within/The Two Thrones.
I had so much fun then, and all because I joined - after spraining my ankle.)
I, and others, got to chat Live, w/ the producers/creators, that were involved with creating that POP series.
Because of that site, I still have the holographic notebooks, autographed posters, etc., guidebooks, etc., and a lot of very fun memories...
Then real-life became too busy with raising my 3 children, husband, going to College full-time, Working full-time, often with overtime.
There was barely any time to even turn on a PC for fun, never mind participate in gaming forums.
Eventually, things calmed down more, and sometime during the later Sims 3 days, I joined the Sims forum, and a few other sites.
Now it's mainly here, and SimsVIP.
I can't call myself invisible for Sims 4, because I already joined forums for Sims games, around 5 yrs ago, so I'm not new or anything...
But, I always, long ago, and to this day, buy games because I think I will enjoy at least the majority of what's in it.
I never used to even know of videogame reviews years ago, lol...I went into Store, saw, read boxes, bought...
(the new "digital only times" are ruining that for me a bit
The only exception to this, was looking up cheat codes for a console Sims game, had me come across comments on how the PC versions of Sims, was so much better, so I looked for them, and found it to be mostly true - (though I still have all my console versions too.)
They're not lurkers, like most here are, they're the ones who just play and don't even register to the sites. *So, anyone who is here saying they were until TS4, aren't Invisible. If you Register, you're visible. That's why TS4 doesn't have Any invisible Gamers- they Have to register. EA knows them.