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Is The Sims too childish now? Teen & Adult players have been forgotten

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  • simlicious2015simlicious2015 Posts: 373 Member
    But the entire sims franchise has always had a little quirkiness from the start lol. I don’t think it was ever meant to be taken too seriously. The way they dance, the way they fight (TS2) ...even the way the robbers used to come in the house...it’s goofy...but I like it lol
  • ddd994ddd994 Posts: 418 Member
    But the entire sims franchise has always had a little quirkiness from the start lol. I don’t think it was ever meant to be taken too seriously. The way they dance, the way they fight (TS2) ...even the way the robbers used to come in the house...it’s goofy...but I like it lol

    I love that cartoon element too, but that’s not what op is referring to. The games used to have a more mature sense of humour and personality to them..
  • SimsLovinLycanSimsLovinLycan Posts: 1,910 Member
    The Sims is not the mechanism for doing that.

    All media has the potential to be the mechanism for doing that. Parents just need to be willing to take the time to, again, discuss the media that their children are exposed to with their children and answer any questions they have. Part of being a parent is being a mentor to this little apprentice human who's looking mainly to you to show them how the world works and how to navigate it. My mom taught me early on that being a parent is a lot of time work, and showed me through her efforts in raising me and my siblings just how much a parent has to step out of themself to be anywhere near effective in raising a kid. It's not mass media's job to protect kids from the sadder, scarier, tougher, and darker things of life. It's the parent's job to discuss these things with their kids and help them to understand and handle these things.

    Again, I reiterate, kids aren't as fragile as some adults think and can handle a lot more than people are taught to think as they become adults and are taught to look down on kids as inferior, weak, incompetent, and intellectually vacant. It benefits everyone, kids and adults alike, when darker, scarier, and more challenging content is tackled in movies, T.V., and videogames.

    Besides, no matter how much you try to protect kids from getting scared or being sad from any piece of media, it's going to happen anyway. There were kids who were freaked out when the Wicked Witch of the West guest stared on an episode of Sesame Street, there are episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that are downright depressing, and I'm pretty sure that there are kids who find any of the purposefully toned-down to the point of making Big Bird look like a major edgelord baby shows out there scary or depressing somehow. You can't protect them from the negative side of life or even their own negative emotions. You just can't. And you only hurt them when you try.
    There is a song I hear, a melody from the past...
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  • Jordan061102Jordan061102 Posts: 3,918 Member
    edited April 2020
    Totally. Just look at the romantic interactions in TS2, this is so natural and almost like in real life. While in TS4 they kiss 2 meters apart.
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  • Huiiie_07Huiiie_07 Posts: 1,200 Member
    It seems kinda weird to me that people seem to assume that those who want the game to be a bit more mature equals them wanting things like violence in their games. I agree with many others here who said that the game just needs more consequences, needs to be a bigger challenge. The current game is far too easy in many regards. Discover University added challenging gameplay, which might have been good had they not gone too far with it. They seem to struggle with balancing the difficulty of the game, but that's nothing new. TS1 was too hard as well for many players. Let's face it, the game seems childish because it's not hard enough. It's currently too easy to form relationships, it's too easy to get promoted, it's too easy to become rich and it's too easy to become famous. The game would look much less childish if those things had a higher difficulty, maybe like TS3 or TS2 had.

    The game can be open to all age groups without looking childish. Past games, especially TS2, did just that. They don't need to add adult themes to the game to achieve that. And the good thing is, in case you really want more mature themes in your game, there are enough mods out there that do just that.
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  • BeardedgeekBeardedgeek Posts: 5,520 Member
    Just watched an official Sims 2 trailer that contains: Sexual kinks, polyamory, homosexuality, heavily hinted at threesomes, 🐸🐸🐸🐸 probing jokes NOT connected to homosexality and more. And again, that was an official trailer.

    Kids game indeed.
    Origin ID: A_Bearded_Geek
  • EdithVEdithV Posts: 859 Member
    Yeah it seems to be more for children than adults as I think they want to get kids hooked young and don’t want the parents to complain. I wish it was more like sims 2, I miss the goofy humour with the raunchy undertones.
  • drake_mccartydrake_mccarty Posts: 6,114 Member
    Sims 4 is a children’s game. Just because someone’s an adult doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy something that’s intended for kids, but just because an adult enjoys Sims 4 (as an example) doesn’t mean it’s not a children’s game. Adults can use kids silverware too doesn’t mean they were intended for adults to enjoy.

    Sims 4 is the virtual equivalent of a Barbie dream house; the franchise is targeted towards children now whether players like that, agree with that, or not.
  • MisslizardMisslizard Posts: 162 Member
    I would not say it is too childish, but they are playing it safe to keep it rated Teen. I do allow my kids to play it, but they also play other games. I do have certain mods on my laptop that are not allowed on the family desktop, where they play. EA has always been about making more money, and not about pleasing the customer. At least that is the impression given off over the last 5+ years.

    I agree about your last comment about not pleasing the customer. I've read so many requests for the 'next sims pack' to be......and their never even close.....
  • MisslizardMisslizard Posts: 162 Member
    Some of the 'storylines' in the houses descriptions are completely inaccurate anyways eg Caliente household saying about Don Lothario- You go into the house and nobody has any romantic relationships.
  • Simoleon_KachinnnngSimoleon_Kachinnnng Posts: 13 New Member
    This iteration of The Sims has definitely been watered down compared to the orginal. My first 2 mistakes in the original Sims game was not buying a burglar alarm and not teaching my Sim to cook.

    I was looking for ages in The Sims 4 for a burglar alarm and had to look up on the internet why I couldn't find it. Same as the fire service where are they? EA went the money route and monetised everything into packs that should have been included with the base game and by doing that EA have watered the down the base game content and at the same time this has had a knock on effect of making the game easier and a lot more chilled than it was all those years ago in the original Sims.

    I don't mind it too much because I have played nothing but high action, fast reflex games for the last 11 years. After playing games like Call of Duty, Witcher 3, Watch Dogs 1 and 2, Andromeda, Red Dead 1 and 2 and many others.. now I just want to play a game I can chill to and relax with after having a s**t day. I don't want to have to run around worrying if I'll get sniped in the back or sit there for half an hour figuring out a puzzle before I can move on in the game. I have done all that before and now it's chill time, some developers forget that people play games to get away from the stress of life in the real world and do not want a game as realistic as what they are trying to get away from for a few hours.

    Yes, the game is watered down and plays more on the safe side of things...but it does what I need it to do at the moment.
  • MissyHissyMissyHissy Posts: 2,022 Member
    DaWaterRat wrote: »
    I mean, I personally think they could get a bit darker without violating their rating code, but I understand why they don't. And honestly it's easier to take the game darker than intended than take a dark game and lighten it up without going to parody levels of melodrama.

    You took the words right out of my mouth.
    Sims 4 has felt more like a sandbox game for me than any of the previous generations have. The reason for this is because I feel more free to develop my own speculation, plot twists and backstories for any of the sims, premades as much as my own sims. It's a lot easier for me to add other 'themes' to the sim's characters, through use of mods or nudging the gameplay in that direction, than it would be to mod that stuff out.

    I see no issue with using mods to 'darken' the game, or add more mature themes to your gameplay, if that's what you want. The game, however, is still suitable for a variety of ages; it's up to the individual how much more they add through mods, to get the game to work exactly as they want it to.

    People have been doing this with the game for all four generations. But I prefer the way the Sims 4 doesn't have too many storylines because I feel I can add my own Sims in without 'interrupting' the perceived storyline of the game. In Sims 2, I rarely played Pleasantview or any of the other base neighbourhoods because I didn't feel like I could play it MY way; it felt more nudged by the existing dramas and storylines present in the game. Sims 3 had dramas and storylines in Sunset Valley that made it difficult to feel like my Sims fitted into the town. In Sims 4, I find that significantly easier.

    In short, I don't think it's too childish. If anything, I think there's more creative freedom in there. Just my opinion, for what it's worth. <3
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  • wrenstaleswrenstales Posts: 777 Member
    The more EP and GP packs you add onto the Sims4 makes it more teen and adult rated, as my game in Realm of magic had a few Sims passing away and the island pack helps Sims to strengthen the RIP ghost into the world. It is designed in many playful ways that allows many users to choose which path they want to play.
  • DijktafoneDijktafone Posts: 775 Member
    edited April 2020
    And with that, a townie without even a letter of biography made it into the final four of the 2020 sims 4 madness. Mind you, the blame isn't on the voters themselves, but on E.A. for not even having remotely tried to give us any fleshed household those last 5 years. There is a world-an universe- between TS2 and TS4 households; a wolrd in which I wish TS4 would have found its ground. See, the way TS4 is constructed, Cassandra Goth is around 10 years younger than her mom (and I'm being very generous!), who is herself, 20 years younger than her husband. Pleasedo tell, how is this not dark to you?
    Oh sure: It's not exactly like that... except that's what E.A. shows us through game data... and I find it so disturbing I never play them.

    And on a more pragmatic matter, if they thought about older players, I gotta ask... Where are the Newbies?
    Post edited by Dijktafone on
  • crocobauracrocobaura Posts: 7,342 Member
    The game has always been rated T for teens but for some reason, in time, it has watered down to include just enough T content to make the T rating. I don't want them to add explicit adult content but rather a more grown up approach to certain themes. In TS1, sims who drank too many drinks at the bar would get drunk and puke and have drunk socials, while in TS4 it does not matter how many drinks you have at the bar even though we have the mixology skill and way too many bars in the game. I have a sim who instead of drinking too much water likes to fix herself a drink at the globe bar every now and then. I could say she's an alcoholic, but there really are no consequences built into the game for drinking too many cocktails or too often.

  • KezealKezeal Posts: 7 New Member
    It's mostly the fact that TS4 lacks depth compared to TS3. On a sidenote it's also horribly optimised for social interactions due to having to click through 10 full menus in Friendly.
  • BluegayleBluegayle Posts: 4,175 Member
    edited April 2020
    Just watched an official Sims 2 trailer that contains: Sexual kinks, polyamory, homosexuality, heavily hinted at threesomes, 🌺🌺🌺🌺 probing jokes NOT connected to homosexality and more. And again, that was an official trailer.

    Kids game indeed.

    Actually a couple of the official trailers from sims 2 showed things that did not show up in game. Toddlers do not hang from ceiling fans nor do woman toss their tops before a makeout session. I am not sure where it shows polyamory? but that may be up to the interpretation of the viewer.

    There is a sims 3 trailer that showed a sim cutting grass with a mower, also not in any game. ( not really a rated item, just something I remembered)

    However I would be thrilled if they returned to the way of Sims 2 again..

    I don't blame Maxis/EA though. Its people who push for more and censors nowadays. Basically the game designers are 🐸🐸🐸🐸 if they do or 🐸🐸🐸🐸 if the don't.
    Post edited by Bluegayle on
    "Every child matters. If we fail our children, we are bound to fail our present, our future, faith, cultures, and civilizations as well."
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  • grannynerdgrannynerd Posts: 4 New Member
    The only reason why I got into the Sims 1 in the first place was because I enjoyed the crazy stuff that happened. Mind you, I was 9-years old at this time. I ENJOYED the adult elements of the game. I am pretty sure that I would've became very bored with the Sims 4 if it came out when I was younger.

    I consider myself a legacy player since I've been a Simmer since the first game came out decades ago. But I really do not get any type of... Enjoyment from the Sims 4. Say, in the older games (2&3) if you made a Sim with "bad" traits, they would wonder off and start terrorizing other Sims if you left them alone for awhile. I LOVED that. In the Sims 4, sims with bad traits only seem to get angry or childish in terms of emotions. They don't really do anything. And I've noticed that the things that they do are quickly forgiven since everyone since Sims seem to have the memory of a goldfish in this game. Speaking of memories, don't y'all miss that? I really enjoyed looking at my sims memories.

    Mind you, I was a teenager when the Sims 2 came out so I was the target audience. As a teenager, I ENJOYED the game play. The Sims 3 came out when I was in college, so I was a teenager entering young adult hood--so I'll say I was still the target audience back then as well. I thought that the Sims 3 lacked some of the things from the Sims 2, but I really enjoyed the open world element since I could keep track of multiple sims at the same time (this is impossible in the Sims 4 which I find annoying). I really loved the Sims 3 University, so I was very disappointed in the Sims 4 Discover University.

    I play the Sims 4 just to build or decorate. But whenever I try to play again, I get really bored since there isn't much to do. I do not enjoy "using my imagination". I feel like this is kind of ableist in a way since I am autistic so I cannot suspend my disbelief. Instead of sims acting like their traits, I have to PRETEND that they're way. Also, I really miss sims having interests. The sims in the Sims 4 all seem to get along easily which is ridiculous. If they have contrary traits or have different interests (a geek obsessed about aliens versus a jock obsessed with the gym) they shouldn't be able to become best friends in 5-seconds.

    I tend to find non-legacy simmers are more forgiving of the Sims 4 since they did not grow up with this game. I grew up with this game. I started playing it at 9 and I am now in my 30's. I'm just saying... EA, please improve this game in the Sims 5 and do not threaten to "not make it" if we refuse to buy it. Y'all really messed up on Sim City which is why Cities: Skylines surpassed y'all in ratings. The company that created Cities: Skylines is working on their own sim game, so EA your time is almost up because I can guarantee that Paradox Interactive (makers of Cities: Skylines) will actually listen to their players and deliver a game. EA needs to have some competition because they have become WAY too greedy and lazy with this series.
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    I agree with the OP and, at risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm just going to point out, once again, that there's no Fear emotion at all. There is an entire "negative" emotion (in a game whose main focus is emotions) missing from the emotional spectrum that lends to the imbalance towards consistent happiness.

    Also, the actual default emotional state is "happy" when it should be"fine". The default should be a neutral place so that, as Sims experience stimuli, the meter then tips one way or the other.

    If these two things were changed, I think we'd see a huge difference in gameplay for the better, and the game would still be perfectly child friendly.
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  • bshag4lvbshag4lv Posts: 9,374 Member
    I find the right mods to make my game an "R" rated game and since there aren't any kids in the house, it's my game and I'll play it the way I want. Thank God for modders!
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  • TheSpotted_CTheSpotted_C Posts: 293 Member
    The players who’ve grown up with the franchise & continue to play seem to have been forgotten about. We want messy storylines, drama, personality, DEPTH.

    Hi - I am a player who's grown up with the franchise and continues to play. I'm not a child. I like TS4, I don't feel forgotten and I create my own messy storylines, nothing gets thrust upon me as it did in certain other versions of The Sims.

    Please keep your opinions about YOU, thanks.
  • FurSimsOfficialFurSimsOfficial Posts: 2,362 Member
    edited April 2020
    Too childish, said it from the start.
    Remember that cringe stream event years ago they did for hours long where they did child games and had hosts talk as if they were talking to children.. making slime and stuff.. Oh god, was that awkward. Yikes.
    Also most of the time, their messages on social media are the same type of vibe.
    The way how they announce things or get excited of stuff reminds me of a parent trying to get excited over a really ugly toy just for the sake of their children :D

    Please, invest more time in your community and learn who they really are, not what you want them to be.
  • NorthDakotaGamerNorthDakotaGamer Posts: 2,559 Member
    edited April 2020
    Sindocat wrote: »
    I'm 51, and not bored. The depth is there if you make it. It's a sandbox. My Sims still surprise and delight me. TS4 families seem genuinely close across multiple generations, if you let them be. Or you can have dysfunctional train-wrecks who relate poorly if at all.

    It's what you make it.

    Where is the depth? Honest question. To have depth you need significant gameplay features, which is a place Sims 4 lacks. Also, a true sandbox would not have the sims need the phone required for most functions and would not have a computer requirement portion for a majority of the careers. Personally, I can't play the way I would desire. Sims 4 is about a bunch of tech addicted lemmings, at least that has been the offered gameplay features.
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