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Should The Sims be aimed at an older audience?
AlexSimmerman
Posts: 80 Member
For me, it seems as though The Sims 4 is very watered down and childish compared to previous iterations. A lot of the humour and quirks from previous games has been removed and it seems EA are primarily targeting children with TS4. Ive seen countless polls and even data from EA themselves suggesting the ‘real’ average age of the Sims audience is around 30 years old. So why does TS4 seem so childish? I’m not expecting an 18+ rated version, but I think as a ‘Teen’ game, There should be subtle hints and gameplay such as bachelor / bachelorette parties, hiring entertainment and some detailed storylines such as affairs, trauma, rivalry etc.
Given how long Sims generations now last; EA should aim Sims 5 at those with mid-high level machines as well as the ‘true’ audience of the game: Adults, or at least teenagers. NOT Kids! Then people can buy it when they’re ready/ can afford to upgrade.
I know they might worry about the Sims being too risqué for parents of children which may put them off buying, but since a generation lasts around 8+ years, surely at some point, the child will be able to buy it themselves or their parents will at some point feel comfortable buying it. However, because of the nature of the Sims franchise, I think most parents wouldn’t mind buying their child the game even if it was rated teen or 15+ anyway.
My hope would be that the next iteration reflects the true audience of the franchise and appeals to the adults and teenagers who have been loyal to the Sims for all these years instead of just the new, young players.
Given how long Sims generations now last; EA should aim Sims 5 at those with mid-high level machines as well as the ‘true’ audience of the game: Adults, or at least teenagers. NOT Kids! Then people can buy it when they’re ready/ can afford to upgrade.
I know they might worry about the Sims being too risqué for parents of children which may put them off buying, but since a generation lasts around 8+ years, surely at some point, the child will be able to buy it themselves or their parents will at some point feel comfortable buying it. However, because of the nature of the Sims franchise, I think most parents wouldn’t mind buying their child the game even if it was rated teen or 15+ anyway.
My hope would be that the next iteration reflects the true audience of the franchise and appeals to the adults and teenagers who have been loyal to the Sims for all these years instead of just the new, young players.
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Comments
So, to answer the questioning topic title - no, I think the current game is playable by so many age groups that a slight tip in one direction would immediately show as a negative in EA's wallet.
A smile is the prettiest thing you can wear
Time enjoyed is never time wasted
The game is currently rated Teen. (Just because there is a tiny amount of content included in it to make it teen rated.) If people strictly followed recommendations they wouldn't buy a Teen rated game for younger children. I think they could keep the basegame as child friendly as possible and include teen rated stuff in EP, GP, etc. Whoever has small children in the house can install it on a separate account and let them play basegame and wahtever EP, GPs they consider appropriate for their children.
I disagree about this. Previous games were made for people of all ages. The Sims 4 is considerably more tamed and aimed mostly at children and young teens. In The Sims 1 you'd get dancing cages and cakes that spawned an "entertainer." The Sims 2 had super racy makeout and woohoo animations. The Sims 3 had "entertainers" again for bachelor/ette parties and your Sims could get juiced an start dancing on counters.
Don't get me wrong. I do NOT want EXPLICIT stuff at all. That's why I don't like WW or Extreme Violence. But I believe they could have more adult-oriented themes and content and still be rated T for teens. The Sims Medieval had traits like "Licentious," "Compulsive Gambler" and "Drunkard" and was rated T.
This has always struck me as being the ideal solution. An ages 10+ rated base game, with DLC that adds the stuff that takes more full advantage of the Teen rating.
(I don’t necessarily want them officially adding M content, as I think it might change the tone too much, and this isn’t something I really feel my gameplay needs, but that being said, can you imagine how much $$$$ EA would make if they made an official sexy grown up pack? They would NEVER, but it would definitely sell 😂)
This EA account is shared between two longtime roommates. The one most likely to be writing here is me, the taller of the roommates, whose opinions do not always represent the opinions of the shorter roommate.
Don't think they would ever add true M content, but content suitable for older teens would definitely be welcomed by many players.
That's an understatement!
Read Sim 66 here:https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/978195/sim-66/p1
https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2020/10/sim-66-prologue.html
Is that teen? I respect you want that, but that doesn't seem fair to expect a game rated T for Teen to cater to children. It's like saying PG13 films should be appropriate for rated G(eneral) audience. When the actual rating of T, or PG13 indicates non child audience, even a movie rated PG obviously means they think a parent should be with a child that is watching it, as it may be too much for a child to watch alone.
That's not fair to older players. It's like having a class of 12 year old being taught on a 5 year old's level because because someone thought it would be fair to put a 5 year old in a class of 12 year olds.
Some of the mods out there would make Rockstar blush..
I use mods to tweak my game the way I want it. I personally don't think we should have to use mods but I guess it's just how it is now.
The game has a teen rating and should be designed for that age group. The problem is adults thinking that teens are innocent little beings that don't know anything about how the world works. They know about getting drunk and they know about sex. Stop sheltering them from it all.
Just for the record I'm not saying that the game should have sex in it. I'm an adult and I don't even want that in the game but the humor like we had in the previous games was harmless and I miss it.
Funny thing is, if you were a teen when you bought the game at release, then you are almost no longer a teen anymore.
At this rate they will lose their own audience if they don't add anything for older simmers.
You're not being fair to younger players, natch.
Read Sim 66 here:https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/978195/sim-66/p1
https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2020/10/sim-66-prologue.html
Parental guidance recommended, but I don't want the game to be aimed at 17-25 year olds who want their more adult themes crowding out everything else.
Read Sim 66 here:https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/978195/sim-66/p1
https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2020/10/sim-66-prologue.html
The game is rated Teen though, not Everyone, so not really suitable for children younger than 13. For younger children there is My Sims.
That's more the fault of the ESRB's standards than EA itself. If they upped the game rating to M (for mature) then they might be able to get by with a bit more risque behavior (remember the Goose interaction from Sims 2?) but then as @Naus suggested, it could have a negative impact on their bottom line. Also, The Sims 4 is more international than ever; what might be okay in the US or Canada or many European nations might not fly in places like Russia or some of the Middle Eastern or African nations. They're already pushing the envelope in many cases with the fluid gender options (same-sex relationships/marriage, the ability to create transgender Sims, etc.).
I don't think a game that has multiple options for Woohoo beyond the bedroom can really be considered "geared to children". I think that the current game is fine, with plenty of mod options available to spice up the game as much as a player wants.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
“Content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. May contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.”
The Teen rating says:
“Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.”
I’d say they are playing it too safe for the Teen rating. And it’s a parent’s job to parent their own kid.
Would like to see some more violence and mature themes, atleast allow sims to get "juiced" if they drink too much. The mean interactions especially need improvement, they're way too babyish. You can tell someone to "go away" oo that'll show em! Atleast give us the option to punch/slap sims
Also it still bothers me how little sims react to being cheated on. They just stomp around a bit and that's it, and I miss how sims woke up mad when you turned the stereo on in their room while they were sleeping. Now they just don't react at all even when I get the entire gang around their bed for a simlish rendition of sweet caroline