Is the sims appropriate for a young kid to play?

chocolatefrosting · April 28

So before I get into it yes, I know it's technically rated E for everyone, but that being said, a lot of games are rated E that probably shouldn't be.

(Edit: I was corrected it's actually rated T for teens)

I'd like to hear your opinions about it because I the game obviously presents a lot of adult themes. (Sexual themes, death and subtle violence, etc.)

So my question is do you personally think this game suitable for young children to play?

DaWaterRat · April 28

How young? How mature? I've known 7 year olds who I think would be able to handle the Sims just fine, and I've known 16 year olds who couldn't handle the more mature aspects (I've known a couple of adults I would say weren't mature enough for The Sims...)

Also in the US, the game is rated T for Teen, not E for Everyone.

That said, I think 8 would be about the earliest I'd tell another parent "yeah, the Sims should be fine for your kid" Kids tend to be much more resilient to "adult themes" than adults give them credit for.

Calico45 · April 28

I started playing pretty young, myself, honestly. So young that finding out woohoo was a thing was a major surprise. This only happened well after I actually had the talk with my parents, but I don't consider it is as sectioned off in 4 as in the first game.

You can very easily hit woohoo or try for baby from the romance social menu. In contrast, I genuinely did not think having babies was possible in the original Sims for a very long time. Even if the animation is tame, it could easily provoke a conversation with a younger child.

4's violence is more toned down than in the older games in my opinion. Those slaps were hilarious, but aggressive. (Granted, if they are watching Roadrunner or Tom and Jerry it is nothing in comparison.)

A few darker aspects from the older games are gone, too, like the social bunny or the therapist. I personally never took those to heart and found them funny growing up, but different kids different parents.

I find the Sims largely innocuous vanilla. Still depends largely on the child and parental concerns, though. I'd also personally be careful of the community around the game. Not that I don't like the Sims community, but it is a large part of games parents don't think about. Even if 4 is fine vanilla, they can mod in so much and it is ridiculously easy to find tutorials on YouTube. It is just something to be mindful of.

Simmingal · April 28

Well idk I've played since I was like 5 with The Sims sooo

I'm afraid the concerns are little late

to me I don't see any reason kid couldn't play the game its about same as playing with dolls really well minus all the plastic junk

recall i used to just do magic and raise dragons and build houses with 100 toilets for fun

also idk what we call subtle violence i mean one could say super mario is very violent game forcing player to fight every creature that crosses your path but i guess thats not what we are talking about hmn?

maybe i wouldn't take them to the mother though... i recall being traumatized by meat eating plants as kid not because of sims tho but because of moomins which btw kids show and ten times more traumatizing than teen rated game called sims

also have you just ever been to toys section in store like theres so many toys that are literally like
"BE A SOLDIER SMACK THE HECK OUT OF EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE RAISE A BABY DOLLS WITH NO ORGANS WEIRD MONSTERS DESTRUCTION"
that tbh... yes i would say sims is safer alternative in comparison

sure theres the romance but isn't that also in like every fairytale ever and everything you see on tv just switching channels like idk

Lulu29 · April 28

I would say that it largely depends on the maturity of the child whose playing the game. Would I recommend it for someone aged 6 and younger? No. But from 8+ (as an example) it really depends on the child and the parent.
The current game is as vanilla as you make it I suppose (without the addition of mods which can make it more adult orientated)-the only exception to that would be the "woohoo" interaction. I was also introduced to it from a young age (the very first Sims) and remember sniggering with friends at those interactions. I'm in agreement with another poster on this thread that it never did me any harm growing up, and the age I was playing it I already knew a little about that stuff anyway.

As I said; it depends on the maturity of the child and the discretion of the parent at the end of the day; everyone is different.

cody6268 · April 28

I would say so.

I have a HUGE problem with parents who let kids play games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Grand Theft Auto. There's a reason they are all rated "M". I have long believed that part of the reason a lot of kids are so screwed up these days is parents who ignore the ratings on the games; and kids for wanting to play them. Warfare and killing aren't fun, but these games make it look that way.

And I'm not that old myself--25.

EricasFreePlay · April 28

I personally was 22 when the series got started. I think maybe death would have been the worst part of Sims 1. Kids should know that people fight if they really don't get along.

Sims 2 and 3 were the games where I would be concerned about WooHoo and Try For Baby. Parents would need to talk to their kids about sex and pregnancy (lasting more than 3 days) before letting them run wild with the game. I like that they keep the Police, Firefighter and Military careers mild and don't show the sad reality that sometimes those careers come with.

I think the series should be kept as a Teen rated game but if younger kids want to play it, they need parental supervision for the parts they may not understand.

StrawberryYogurt · April 28

Are you asking about Sims 4 or another Sims? Since this is posted in franchise you could mean any pc or console game. Some games have variations in what you may think is appropriate or not.

Some mods will add very adult themes that are not naturally in the game. Be mindful if your child knows how to download and install mods. They can watch tutorials easily on youtube. Also some simmers may make adult videos or references in videos on youtube.

The game is T for teen and usually toy with the idea of some adult themes but never goes explicit. Most sims games features many "life states" that feature occult characters, like vampires, witches, zombies and more. In some games religion is practiced (TSM) or referenced. There may be seasonal or holiday/religious activities or objects in some games. Some games have creepy music or dialogue to make the player feel unsteady or anxious.

Violence
Any violence in the game is mostly exaggerated and cartoony. Most sims will die naturally from old age, others may have a surprising or possibly disturbing death that can come about randomly. You can die by shaking a vending machine over and over again in TS4:Snowy Escape. If your home is too dirty and leave plates everywhere, your sim can die by flies consuming their body in a mass flurry in The Sims 2.

Most of these kind of deaths can be avoided if you know what to look out for. It is a staple in sims franchise to add new kinds of deaths in expansions and games because simmers are amused by them. Some of these odd deaths cannot happen to babies, toddlers, or pregnant sims. Sims cannot murder each other, but they can slap, shove, yell, and fist fight others. The fights are mostly slapstick. They may get a moodlet or angry feeling but they do not leave scars or bruises. The player can remove doors / pool ladders in some games to trap a sim where they will die of starvation, drowning etc.

There are no 'weapons' in the game per say in the game (no guns, bombs, knives to hurt others). Some toys,objects, or life states can cause harm to others. Vampires may bite sims necks, cowplant can swallow and eat sims, drones can zap sims (Sims 2:OFB)

Sexuality

Sims can be nude, strip, skinny dip, (play strip poker in TS1), and flash others. The game will not show sexual organs, there is a mosiac blur that covers their body when a sim is nude.

Sims can have sex called 'woohoo' in the game. In each expansion it is also a staple to add new "whoohoo" spots. Sims may have sex in the car, a dumpster, a treehouse, a hot tub, a closet, on public property etc across various games. Sims can have multiple love interests and infidelity is possible. They can be pregnant and have babies. Sims can kiss, massage, make out, grab butts, flirt and whatnot with other sims. In Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle, there may be a neighborhood action enacted called "free love" where sims will romance anyone.

Puberty is typically not experienced in the game ie. Sims will not menusrate, boys voices will not crack. Sims will "age up" to a older life state and immediately have breast and deeper voices. However in TS2 teens may develop acne.

Sims typically do not have a gender preference, sims can romance the same sex. In TS4 lgbtq features have expanded in CAS to make transgender, non-binary, or other body shapes/features (can choose whether a single sim can impregnate or impregnantes others). In Sims 2 sims have "turn ons / turn offs" that choose what a sim is attracted to. This ranges from body shape to underwear to hair color. In Sims 3 & 4 you can alter breast size.

Teen sims cannot be pregnant, but can romance other teens. Teens can "play in bed" with a partner or alone in TS4. In various games strangers or friends may ask your sim out for dates or flirt with your sims. In TS3 you may get love letters from friends or strangers. In one dialogue, it is hinted that the sender sent you an explicit photo of themselves. In all games, sims cannot be married to more than 1 sim at a time. In some games your sims can have an aspiriation or goal to have as many romantic partners as possible, or have "whoohoo" with multiple partners. Some sexual or explicit actions cannot be performed on a lot where children are present.

Drug/Alcohol Use

Alcohol is called "juice" in some games. There will be bars that are given a designed to look like alcohol, or drinks that do, but no game explicitly states a drink contains alcohol. In some university games TS3,TS2, a "bubble blower" machine is available that looks like a large hookah. Sims can blow bubbles and get high. In TS3 there are "herbs" (lavender, licorise) etc that artsy sims want to obtain and add to dishes that give them moodlet boosts.

Profanity
Sims does not use profanity, think those old orbit gum commericals. Any dialogue just may hint at a profanity. Sims speak "Simlish" a made up language. Sims when fustrated my show a speech bubble that is referencing to foul language (TS1), usually something like: "@#$&%!"

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This is what I remember to the best of my ability! Of course there may be much more im missing but it also depends on the game. For example Sims Urbz way different from My Sims (which is tame like Animal Crossing). You can also use commonsensemedia for parental reccomendations and comments on any of the games. Of course whether you feel like the game is appropriate for you child will depend on you, the maturity of the child, what your personal morals are.

May edit to add or correct some things. Happy Simming!

Lulu29 · April 28

EricasFreePlay wrote: »

I personally was 22 when the series got started. I think maybe death would have been the worst part of Sims 1. Kids should know that people fight if they really don't get along.

Sims 2 and 3 were the games where I would be concerned about WooHoo and Try For Baby. Parents would need to talk to their kids about sex and pregnancy (lasting more than 3 days) before letting them run wild with the game. I like that they keep the Police, Firefighter and Military careers mild and don't show the sad reality that sometimes those careers come with.

I think the series should be kept as a Teen rated game but if younger kids want to play it, they need parental supervision for the parts they may not understand.

I agree with death being the only real thing that would need discussion other than sex and pregnancy. The only memories I have where I got spooked by the game was the music in The Sims 1, where the ghosts would appear and when the Tragic Clown appeared and would actually try to avoid those scenarios lol-but still, there's no lasting damage.

ignominiusrex · April 28

I think the best thing to do is for any parent to play it themselves before deciding, if you're not sure. You know your kid best, and as others have said, kids vary a LOT in how sensitive they are, and parents likewise vary a lot in what their own tolerances and taboos are.

You could look at youtube playthroughs if you don't want to try it yourself first. I would have no problem at all letting a 7 or 8 year old play (the vanilla game, no mods) so long as they can handle, say, the violence and innuendo in Disney movies. Disney, even when it's PG or G, can be deeply disturbing depending on the kid! I was traumatized by Bambi when I was little (wasn't everyone?).

Sims don't have revealed nudity if nakedness is taboo in your culture or family, (not universally true and not nearly as true across the world as it is in the US) but check out some Youtube examples of what the "woohoo" looks and sounds like, because that's the most explicit material. Deaths are not generally graphic, like not bloody or gory, but could be emotionally upsetting to a sensitive kid. I would have been upset that young but I was more sensitive emotionally than most kids around me.

GrimlyFiendish · April 28

I would personally supervise any child under the age of 10 whilst they play the Sims 4, mainly so I could explain basic concepts like what woohoo actually is (and that using correct terminology is okay), how 'try for baby' actually works in real life, and how real life consenting adults make decisions centred around intimacy and whether or not they're ready for parenthood (and how, like in the game, 'woohoo' doesn't always have to be a procreative act, also contraception). If children were considered old enough at the ages of 7-8 (in Australia in the 70s at least) to be taught the correct names for the reproductive organs, & the basic mechanics of reproduction, conception and birth, then a 9-10 year old should easily be able to handle knowing what those Sims are doing under the covers.

comicsforlife · April 29

I think if the child is old enough to really read books then it would be just fine by that age most kids have seen more suggestive things on
tv the woohoo

Sims4MagicalTales · April 29

Sims 4 might be a little tame compared to Sims 3 and Sims 2. Although the violence is cartoony, sometimes it was a little aggressive in previous iterations. As for sexuality, there might have been some suggestive interactions. Alcohol is called "juice." I think the kids may need parental supervision if there are things they may not understand.

Sorak4 · April 30

For the Sims 3 and especially the Sims 4 most definitely. 2nd had some really risque animations for making out, and that whole woohoo cutscene that really hits the T for Teen rating, people have sass, people aren't always so kind and the Repomen are psychos!

I would say the first game is on this weird fence on if its even anything but 12+ with all the half naked cake dancers, "dance" cages and those bloodcurling screams when a Sim dies. (Plus pet death from more than old age!)

Nudity was always comically censored personally especially in the Bustin Out nudist colony, might be more hilarious for a young child than anything, although there always has been cases with TS3 where Sims lack censoring at all due to a few bugs.

Bad language never existed minus a text popup box calling you mental related (can't say it on the forums anyway!), if they're low on nice points, and called before 8am. Though Bustin Out and TS4 "have" bad language, BO just does loud censor bleeps and blurs a sims hands, and TS4s is just unintelligence words as usual.

If you think something might be too much for your child you can easily find mods to hide the woohoo option entirely for the games. But even if deaths mostly comical the fact children can drown (and starve or burn in fires in TS1) might not make it too easy on a child to watch, and if you don't think someone being able to create a house full of men and making them flirt is childfriendly, it'd be something I know was shared with many parents back in the day.

...I didn't mention either it might not be childfriendly in a regard if you consider children could be making people they don't like and intentionally killing them... As I remember all too well

Ray_Trace · May 1

Personally, I think kids are very smart and I don't think there's any need to restrict kids playing The Sims. It's a hugely enjoyable game franchise that they will love, whether it's making people or building things. Of course, the most contestable part is the WooHooing bit but I don't think it's any more explicit than any other games that showcase reproduction of some sort (such as an egg coming out of a hut in Spore's tribe stage).

By the way, if they're scared of deaths or money, just introduce them to cheats. That's how I got by games such as Starcraft and Doom as a child, who was once hugely afraid of dying myself.

Cinebar · May 1

No, as a parent I would not allow my small children to play The Sims. The sexualization of children even if no matter how cartoony is everywhere these days but The Sims is very dumbed down as far as TS4 goes, however, I think the rating for teens is the correct rating.

ayyitsmell · May 1

I started playing sims in my preteen years with Sims 2 and fell in love with the game! Sims 4 is more advanced and adult centered - some woohoo scenes are a little more explicit / risque than others so be mindful of that but its nothing that you'd have to cover your eyes for. But there are still many ways to enjoy the game regardless of age. I just think it depends on what they do with gameplay and their lot types. For teens, I've given them a lot of hangout spots, like bowling alleys, 'teen' clubs, parks, coffee shops. Kids and toddlers can go to the park or swim in the beach or have kiddie pools. Violence is definitely toned down in this series versus the previous ones. My sims hardly fight and there are no robbers/villains that come in the middle of the night. Regarding death, before I found out about cheats, my sims often would die from hunger, fires, etc. There are ways around it to make your sims happy and healthy. If you don't want to play with cheats, its a great way to teach people about responsibility, time and money management, maintaining your relationships with partners or friends, death, and other life concepts lol Hope that helps!

Chaotic_Moira · May 3

That is totally down to the parent, and further which gen of the game one is considering. Games 3 and 4 are pretty watered down. There is a good list above of all of what is in the games. I personally did not let my children play The Sims 1 or 2, and I think my son was 13 when 3 came out and I was okay with it then.

mightysprite · May 7

Minisprite and I started playing together when she was 12, two years ago. It was always something we did together though and it prompted a lot of good conversations about adult issues. I would not have suggested it to her to play alone, and wouldn't have played it with her either before age 10 or so. Now she plays alone sometimes, but usually when she does she's just building. (Or at least that's what she tells me.)

iThreeMuskets · May 9

Yes and no, I'd say monitor them for sure to be careful that they don't WooHoo their Sims but if you don't feel like doing that, I'd say no, don't let them play.

Babykittyjade · May 9

I can't say for sure, I don't have any kids. However,I do think you should get them a kids game like animal crossing. The Sims is not meant to be for kids.

Sunflowergal227 · May 10

I don't have any kids, but i suggest the adult plays it first, or the kid plays with the adult. There are some very mature themes like Sex, death and pregnancy. Then again some kids can be mature for their age. i was 11 when i first played, and i played the sims 2 for psp first. Now, the sims 2 is a bit violent than some of the other games because their slaps can be agressive. Also some kids just get a lecturing for crying! that can be a bit traumatic for some. The sims 4 is a bit watered down about this, however, because it can happen- yeah. Even in my sims 4, i have a sim called Elizabeth Merther, who got divorced, not once but 2 times! that can also be emotional for people. Depends tho. Although honestly, the best game to start with is My Sims. although it is a bit different than The Sims 1,2, 3, and 4.

naeshelle · May 11

I got my start playing the Sims 2 after watching my mom play when I was around 8 or 9. I think the game is fine for kids, depending on what media you let your kids consume outside of the game. If you're a parent who carefully monitors their every interaction with media to make sure they never encounter anything inappropriate, the game is probably best played when they're a teen. However, if your kids are exposed to media with more mature themes, they should be able to handle the game just fine when they're a little younger. I wouldn't let a 6 year old play it but I wouldn't protest an 11 or 12 year old playing it.

LeGardePourpre · May 20

In Germany, it's rated for 6 years old.

Tawk · June 4

I let my children play. I have no mods on the system they play with, so I feel it's not really that bad. A lot of PG movies are worse, in my opinion.

airotciv54 · June 5

As a Grandma, all my grandchildren have played this game, starting at four. My grandkids ages are 5-24 years old, the 24 year old still plays the Sims. At a young age, they like to decorate houses and make families, nothing more. The older they get and begin to understand the game/life, the more they learn to do. That's were Nrass comes in, With a few mods I can put on some limits on game play, if I want. But then I live on a farm and they know were babies come from. The hardest thing has been death to deal with, I have had more tears over dead Sims.

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Is the sims appropriate for a young kid to play?

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