So I always thought a game like The Sims would only appeal to people in their teens and twenties, but boy, was I proved wrong! I know a lot of people started playing this series since it came out nearly twenty years ago and would thus be much older now. I'd like to see just how many older people play this game. I'm in my early twenties and started playing at about 12, BTW.
EA_Lanna: Simmers, we encourage safe posting and ask that you please practice this. Please do not specify your exact age in comments if you are a minor. These comments will be removed per our rules.
Its funny to see that the players are mostly those like me that have grown up with sims 1/2/3... But, its also sad to see that the second smallest one is the newer generation of players. I can see why, Sims 4 is not appealing like it was back when i was kid. I would like the game quite as much as i did.
When I started playing The Sims (it was The Sims 1) I was very young. One thing that kept me playing was, that it didn't feel like a game for children. It actually felt like an adult game (with things like cake dancers and burglars). It felt like it kinda gave me "insights" into a world I wasn't old enough for yet.
That was one of the big attractions for me. You know, many underage gamers like playing games that are actually not intended for their age. Curiosity and the excitement for something new is hard to resist when you are young.
However The Sims franchise has changed. From an attempt to be a reallife simulation it has turned into a fluffy puffy unicorn cuteness trying desperately to cater to an underage audience only. It totally lost it's spice imo. Things like cake dancers for example are absolutely unthinkable nowadays.
I bet a lot of potential players who are actually in the right "target age" would never touch a game as tame as The Sims 4.
So many romance interactions have become simply prudish and overly sentimental while they once were actually naughty and in keeping with the time, broad humor is basically missing and "bad" aspects of the world like burglars have been completely removed.
The Sims 4 has become an idyllic world kid's game without any depth!...but sadly this approach will bore even many of the kids who are supposed to be the main audience.
There are still a lot of "older" players supporting the game, beause they once loved it and nostalgia is a strong feeling as well.
I'm one of these players. And without any doubt there are many things that have improved, like CAS or the sims in general beeing less ugly.
But the game has a serious image problem in my opinion which is related to the choice of the target audience it wants to reach.
It's just not "cool" enough to be attractive for many minors. (Hard to be cool when trying to be as prudish as can be.)
And in consequence it makes many adult players suddenly feel like "You are definitely too old for this".
But this is just my opinion and I didn't intend to state it as a matter of fact.
When I started playing The Sims (it was The Sims 1) I was very young. One thing that kept me playing was, that it didn't feel like a game for children. It actually felt like an adult game (with things like cake dancers and burglars). It felt like it kinda gave me "insights" into a world I wasn't old enough for yet.
That was one of the big attractions for me. You know, many underage gamers like playing games that are actually not intended for their age. Curiosity and the excitement for something new is hard to resist when you are young.
However The Sims franchise has changed. From an attempt to be a reallife simulation it has turned into a fluffy puffy unicorn cuteness trying desperately to cater to an underage audience only. It totally lost it's spice imo. Things like cake dancers for example are absolutely unthinkable nowadays.
I bet a lot of potential players who are actually in the right "target age" would never touch a game as tame as The Sims 4.
So many romance interactions have become simply prudish and overly sentimental while they once were actually naughty and in keeping with the time, broad humor is basically missing and "bad" aspects of the world like burglars have been completely removed.
The Sims 4 has become an idyllic world kid's game without any depth!...but sadly this approach will bore even many of the kids who are supposed to be the main audience.
There are still a lot of "older" players supporting the game, beause they once loved it and nostalgia is a strong feeling as well.
I'm one of these players. And without any doubt there are many things that have improved, like CAS or the sims in general beeing less ugly.
But the game has a serious image problem in my opinion which is related to the choice of the target audience it wants to reach.
It's just not "cool" enough to be attractive for many minors. (Hard to be cool when trying to be as prudish as can be.)
And in consequence it makes many adult players suddenly feel like "You are definitely too old for this".
But this is just my opinion and I didn't intend to state it as a matter of fact.
I agree with many of the things you said, @Avianator! However, there are quite a few "naughty" things in TS4 I don't think were in previous games. For example, "attempt to seduce", the lingerie outfits (okay, they were in previous games, but I don't remember them being in the base game), the woohoo is a lot more "showy" with the one Sim's foot sticking out of the cover where the other Sim's head is and teens were never able to "mess around" before. However, I miss the making out on beds and sofas like in TS3 and I had fun playing "Spin the Bottle" in TS2.
I think you should separate the 20 and 30 year olds. See what the difference is there. Every poll about age has them grouped together and it's always dominated.
I think you should separate the 20 and 30 year olds. See what the difference is there. Every poll about age has them grouped together and it's always dominated.
So curious to see the difference in those two.
I'd like to, but age is a very serious matter on the forums here and I can't change the poll again. I think there may be more 20 somethings than 30 somethings (based on the comments), but I could be wrong.
I started playing The Sims when I was 11 years old 19 years ago. I had a break while at Uni which was so long I skipped Sims 3 entirely, but nostalgia pulled me back in the end and I bought Sims 4 shortly after Get to work released.
My daughters started me playing the sims with the first game...... however this is the only sims game I have all the packs for. I miss the sims 2 though, I hope sims 5 has more sims 2 features along with the best features of 3 and 4. I’m a dinosaur..... I remember having the first Atari game almost 40 years ago. I can even remember my sister in law having the pong game before that. I am so old I can remember using basic on a computer before windows, no cell phones, and no internet (public one anyway), I remember black and white TV screens and no cable! I had my first calculator when I started college, and it cost $60 and was fairly big. At least I didn’t have to walk to school in the snow (like we used to always hear old people saying then), we actually had school buses..... lol ( and I lived in an upper desert - meaning not much percipitation). Now I am so computer illiterate I can’t do much, but I have always loved playing video games since they came out, and now that I’m retired and my children are grown I have more time to play, and I don’t have to share a computer (or laptop) with them. I will say having the internet on my phone is one of the best technological things that has happened in my 60 plus years!
I look at the Sims series the same as I look at the Narnia series of books. They are fantasy. They are for the young and the old, but surprisingly just as much for anyone in between that still use their imagination. Many do.
It's actually surprising how many older simmers there are out there. I started playing the sims when it came out on Gamecube, it's weird. When a new sims would come out, I'd reject it but then inevitably start playing it and loving it. I'm only 21 now.
It's actually surprising how many older simmers there are out there. I started playing the sims when it came out on Gamecube, it's weird. When a new sims would come out, I'd reject it but then inevitably start playing it and loving it. I'm only 21 now.
Ha, same here. It took me a long time to make the switch to ts4 from ts3, I was so attached
So I always thought a game like The Sims would only appeal to people in their teens and twenties, but boy, was I proved wrong! I know a lot of people started playing this series since it came out nearly twenty years ago and would thus be much older now. I'd like to see just how many older people play this game. I'm in my early twenties and started playing at about 12, BTW.
EA_Lanna: Simmers, we encourage safe posting and ask that you please practice this. Please do not specify your exact age in comments if you are a minor. These comments will be removed per our rules.
Its funny to see that the players are mostly those like me that have grown up with sims 1/2/3... But, its also sad to see that the second smallest one is the newer generation of players. I can see why, Sims 4 is not appealing like it was back when i was kid. I would like the game quite as much as i did.
You can't make that generalization simply because only 10% of forum respondents are 13-19 years old.
Don't be sad. They're on YouTube, Twitch, Discord, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+, and Snapchat.
Early 40's. Unlike most people here I discovered the Sims only two years ago, I wanted a virtual dollhouse to decorate but ended up enjoying the gameplay so much that I haven't done any building or decorating
Early 40's. Unlike most people here I discovered the Sims only two years ago, I wanted a virtual dollhouse to decorate but ended up enjoying the gameplay so much that I haven't done any building or decorating
My grown daughter is the one who introduced me to Sims2. Her sisters-in-law introduced her to The Sims, which was good, since my daughter was on her own in KS and her then hubby had been deployed to Kuwait. My daughter is a worry-wort, so I was glad she had something to occupy her mind. However, our phone calls ended up being mostly about The Sims. Come the year Sims2 was released, she was determined to fully explore Makin' Magic, which she had just gotten. Her hubby got her Sims2 for Christmas. It called, and she answered. LOL She was so blown away by it, she just had to share when they both got back to our home state of CA. My addiction was swift. I can tell you, it was a very good way to combat the "Empty Nest Syndrome". I'm humming a rather famous Beatles tune, since I'll be 64 next birthday.
Early 40's. Unlike most people here I discovered the Sims only two years ago, I wanted a virtual dollhouse to decorate but ended up enjoying the gameplay so much that I haven't done any building or decorating
My grown daughter is the one who introduced me to Sims2. Her sisters-in-law introduced her to The Sims, which was good, since my daughter was on her own in KS and her then hubby had been deployed to Kuwait. My daughter is a worry-wort, so I was glad she had something to occupy her mind. However, our phone calls ended up being mostly about The Sims. Come the year Sims2 was released, she was determined to fully explore Makin' Magic, which she had just gotten. Her hubby got her Sims2 for Christmas. It called, and she answered. LOL She was so blown away by it, she just had to share when they both got back to our home state of CA. My addiction was swift. I can tell you, it was a very good way to combat the "Empty Nest Syndrome". I'm humming a rather famous Beatles tune, since I'll be 64 next birthday.
I guess I'll hum "When I'm 64" right along with ya since I'm 64 right now.
I'm 25, only started a few years ago when I got Sims 3 on sale though! and then got Sims 4 for 88% off early January haha. What a deal. But it's so interesting to see that a huge range of age demographics play this game, it's pretty cool.
I’m 28 but have only been playing for two years, I never had a good enough computer to run it. I’d always been interested though, I’ve watched people play different versions of the sims on YouTube for like ten/fifteen years
Honestly, this thread makes me feel better about still playing the Sims, lol. I started with the Sims 2 several years ago and never really stopped. But I have severe anxiety and can't help but care, to an unhealthy degree, what people think of me. So, when someone asks what I like to do for fun, I freeze and am like "fun???? I uh... pay taxes. Like an adult. No, I don't play a silly computer game for hours. Don't be ridiculous."
I honestly did not know that the Sims community was so diverse in age, though. That's actually really interesting.
I can totally relate to this. I'm embarrassed to say that I play video games so much, but I love it too much to ever stop. So, I'll just do it secretly and hope I meet fellow Simmers, who won't judge me. But hey, there are lots of older Simmers on the forums who proved me that age truly is just a number!
@divanthesimmer ... don't be embarrassed, playing this game takes a fair amount of skill to co-ordinate, plan and control. Heck, I'm 50, and have been playing since the game first game out! Not going to stop now, and I still create #CC too.
My daughters started me playing the sims with the first game...... however this is the only sims game I have all the packs for. I miss the sims 2 though, I hope sims 5 has more sims 2 features along with the best features of 3 and 4. I’m a dinosaur..... I remember having the first Atari game almost 40 years ago. I can even remember my sister in law having the pong game before that. I am so old I can remember using basic on a computer before windows, no cell phones, and no internet (public one anyway), I remember black and white TV screens and no cable! I had my first calculator when I started college, and it cost $60 and was fairly big. At least I didn’t have to walk to school in the snow (like we used to always hear old people saying then), we actually had school buses..... lol ( and I lived in an upper desert - meaning not much percipitation). Now I am so computer illiterate I can’t do much, but I have always loved playing video games since they came out, and now that I’m retired and my children are grown I have more time to play, and I don’t have to share a computer (or laptop) with them. I will say having the internet on my phone is one of the best technological things that has happened in my 60 plus years!
@SheriSim57 ... I'm absolutely howling with laughter while reading this! I so hear you ... I'm a dinosaur too (according to my grown son), and my foster kids think I am nuts when I tell them how we had wall phone with a cord, computers weren't a household object, and internet was dial-up.
Comments
Its funny to see that the players are mostly those like me that have grown up with sims 1/2/3... But, its also sad to see that the second smallest one is the newer generation of players. I can see why, Sims 4 is not appealing like it was back when i was kid. I would like the game quite as much as i did.
That was one of the big attractions for me. You know, many underage gamers like playing games that are actually not intended for their age. Curiosity and the excitement for something new is hard to resist when you are young.
However The Sims franchise has changed. From an attempt to be a reallife simulation it has turned into a fluffy puffy unicorn cuteness trying desperately to cater to an underage audience only. It totally lost it's spice imo. Things like cake dancers for example are absolutely unthinkable nowadays.
I bet a lot of potential players who are actually in the right "target age" would never touch a game as tame as The Sims 4.
So many romance interactions have become simply prudish and overly sentimental while they once were actually naughty and in keeping with the time, broad humor is basically missing and "bad" aspects of the world like burglars have been completely removed.
The Sims 4 has become an idyllic world kid's game without any depth!...but sadly this approach will bore even many of the kids who are supposed to be the main audience.
There are still a lot of "older" players supporting the game, beause they once loved it and nostalgia is a strong feeling as well.
I'm one of these players. And without any doubt there are many things that have improved, like CAS or the sims in general beeing less ugly.
But the game has a serious image problem in my opinion which is related to the choice of the target audience it wants to reach.
It's just not "cool" enough to be attractive for many minors. (Hard to be cool when trying to be as prudish as can be.)
And in consequence it makes many adult players suddenly feel like "You are definitely too old for this".
But this is just my opinion and I didn't intend to state it as a matter of fact.
I agree with many of the things you said, @Avianator! However, there are quite a few "naughty" things in TS4 I don't think were in previous games. For example, "attempt to seduce", the lingerie outfits (okay, they were in previous games, but I don't remember them being in the base game), the woohoo is a lot more "showy" with the one Sim's foot sticking out of the cover where the other Sim's head is and teens were never able to "mess around" before. However, I miss the making out on beds and sofas like in TS3 and I had fun playing "Spin the Bottle" in TS2.
Check out my SimLit blog here: https://ageekylegacy.wordpress.com/
Follow me on Twitter @divanthesimmer
Follow me on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/divanthesimmer
Origin ID: divanthesimmer
So curious to see the difference in those two.
I'd like to, but age is a very serious matter on the forums here and I can't change the poll again. I think there may be more 20 somethings than 30 somethings (based on the comments), but I could be wrong.
Check out my SimLit blog here: https://ageekylegacy.wordpress.com/
Follow me on Twitter @divanthesimmer
Follow me on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/divanthesimmer
Origin ID: divanthesimmer
Ha, same here. It took me a long time to make the switch to ts4 from ts3, I was so attached
You can't make that generalization simply because only 10% of forum respondents are 13-19 years old.
Don't be sad. They're on YouTube, Twitch, Discord, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+, and Snapchat.
My grown daughter is the one who introduced me to Sims2. Her sisters-in-law introduced her to The Sims, which was good, since my daughter was on her own in KS and her then hubby had been deployed to Kuwait. My daughter is a worry-wort, so I was glad she had something to occupy her mind. However, our phone calls ended up being mostly about The Sims. Come the year Sims2 was released, she was determined to fully explore Makin' Magic, which she had just gotten. Her hubby got her Sims2 for Christmas. It called, and she answered. LOL She was so blown away by it, she just had to share when they both got back to our home state of CA. My addiction was swift. I can tell you, it was a very good way to combat the "Empty Nest Syndrome". I'm humming a rather famous Beatles tune, since I'll be 64 next birthday.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
I guess I'll hum "When I'm 64" right along with ya since I'm 64 right now.
Rookie builder and casual Simmer || Gallery: https://tinyurl.com/ycummopq
@divanthesimmer ... don't be embarrassed, playing this game takes a fair amount of skill to co-ordinate, plan and control. Heck, I'm 50, and have been playing since the game first game out! Not going to stop now, and I still create #CC too.
Please stop by & leave some love.
Sims4Studio Creator Page: sims4studio.com/thread/16306/tigger3336-creations
My website for FREE #CC : https://tinyurl.com/ycybbczx
Share if you like, everyone is welcome.
Stay as young as you can, for as long as you can!
Please stop by & leave some love.
Sims4Studio Creator Page: sims4studio.com/thread/16306/tigger3336-creations
My website for FREE #CC : https://tinyurl.com/ycybbczx
Share if you like, everyone is welcome.
@SheriSim57 ... I'm absolutely howling with laughter while reading this! I so hear you ... I'm a dinosaur too (according to my grown son), and my foster kids think I am nuts when I tell them how we had wall phone with a cord, computers weren't a household object, and internet was dial-up.
Please stop by & leave some love.
Sims4Studio Creator Page: sims4studio.com/thread/16306/tigger3336-creations
My website for FREE #CC : https://tinyurl.com/ycybbczx
Share if you like, everyone is welcome.