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I finally understand why The Sims 4 has lost its spark in comparison to previous games
quoted from SimGuruLyndsay
original post: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/897947/ask-a-guru-game-development-edition/p13
Not only was the game childified in order to fit into the teen rating (which honestly, is it worth it, when majority of your audience would be over 20 by now?), but the developers are also afraid to offend. Now this is a rather complex problem happening world wide, that a lot of artists and comedians had to comment on. Bottom line is though, you can't have humour without the potential to offend. No matter how innocent, someone can still find your humour offensive. That's why you shouldn't care if it might potentially offend someone or not. A sim drowning to death can potentially offend someone. Should we take out death all together?
“It is impossible to be truly artistic without the risk of offending someone somewhere.”
― Wayne Gerard Trotman
“When we’re young nothing offends us, except adults telling us what should. Then when we become adults, nothing offends us, except we are offended on behalf of our young.”
― Craig Stone, The Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness
“It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so 🐸🐸🐸🐸 what."
[I saw hate in a graveyard -- Stephen Fry, The Guardian, 5 June 2005]”
To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else. David A. Bednar
I believe in absolute freedom of expression. Everyone has a right to offend and be offended. Taslima Nasrin
The humor and tone has changed, you're right. There are definitely darker elements, in text especially, in some of the previous Sims games. We look for ways to keep the edge but are cognizant of the fact that ratings and the ratings process are different today then they were 15 years ago and there are different things happening in the world to influence how people respond to different kinds of humor that we have to be aware of. To your grim reaper example, we have actually always had a bit of fun with him. He played chess in TS1, he brought hula dancers for elders in TS2 and would hang out on your lot, stuff like that. Maybe we're having too much fun with him now? I understand what you're saying though, so thanks for sharing.
original post: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/897947/ask-a-guru-game-development-edition/p13
Not only was the game childified in order to fit into the teen rating (which honestly, is it worth it, when majority of your audience would be over 20 by now?), but the developers are also afraid to offend. Now this is a rather complex problem happening world wide, that a lot of artists and comedians had to comment on. Bottom line is though, you can't have humour without the potential to offend. No matter how innocent, someone can still find your humour offensive. That's why you shouldn't care if it might potentially offend someone or not. A sim drowning to death can potentially offend someone. Should we take out death all together?
“It is impossible to be truly artistic without the risk of offending someone somewhere.”
― Wayne Gerard Trotman
“When we’re young nothing offends us, except adults telling us what should. Then when we become adults, nothing offends us, except we are offended on behalf of our young.”
― Craig Stone, The Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness
“It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so 🐸🐸🐸🐸 what."
[I saw hate in a graveyard -- Stephen Fry, The Guardian, 5 June 2005]”
To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else. David A. Bednar
I believe in absolute freedom of expression. Everyone has a right to offend and be offended. Taslima Nasrin
54
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Yeah, I guess the younger generation might not be into dark humor then.
On the whole, people are more easily offended, where they weren't years ago, but things chance as we change. Years ago, abuse, in any form, was rarely acknowledged. Nobody considered that a finger wagging would be considered a violent action, which it is and can be. Or that a cake dancer popping out of a cake would cause feminists to be up in arms. Unfortunately, they have to move with society too. And society doesn't like to offend anymore. Strange but true.
other companies and products are not necessarily sticking to this motto, because it tends to ruin the product. In the age where everything is offensive, humour has no place to be. That is why more older simmers just turn away from sims and move to other games. After all violence is offensive, but we still have shooters, skimpy clothing is women exploitation, but MMOs still exist. Heck, this is a questline in FFXIV:
and yes, the purple octopus does subtly make jokes that you think would come out out of a tentacle monster and a woman situation. And it's not portrayed graphically. Nor are mature words used. But a simple inkling of a situation can offend.
Indeed. I know MMO's are known for being risqué. There again, they're known as games where you go beat the living daylights out of largely imaginary monsters. They're usually not a dollhouse game where they're definitely not known for violence, of any description, barring a smack to the face (which people get offended by) and things coming randomly out of the sky and ending the sim in question (which people are offended by).
*shrugs*
if I wanted to I could twist everything in The Sims 4 to be offensive:
alien babies - aliens forced themselves on you
child death - child abuse and can't be shown
underwear - too nudey for a T rated game.
clowns - not carring about clownphobic people
That's kind of my point. Don't be afraid to make a joke in case that someone might be offended, because everything can be offensive. It should be enough that you did not direct it to a group of people specifically and did not mean for it to offend. If I made a mean remark towards a minority group, I did so willingly. If anyone thinks that Hawaii dancer women that came with death in The Sims 2 are being enslaved and exploited, it's their issue as I did not intend it that way.
Repose en paix mamie tu va me manquer :
1923-2016 mamie
I like the way you think @Yoko2112 and I'm glad you have friends that not only support you but share your ideas.
Repose en paix mamie tu va me manquer :
1923-2016 mamie
I like dark humour. I even like offensive humour as long as everybody is offended equally (like those old Englishman/Irishman/Scotsman jokes that had different versions depending on your nationality). If you can't laugh at yourself, you shouldn't laugh at others.
Maybe I'm just not easily offended though.
Well said. And games should be all about humor. Life can get people down enough as it is. I don't play games for more of that, I want fun.
I want to feel again that I'm truly playing SIMS!
(I don't understand why someone can be offended by a game, and if so, just don't play it. Simple)
Steven Fry said it best, saying your offended is a non-argument and shouldn't be acknowledge. If someone's sensibilities are so easily disturbed then they have the responsibility to shelter themselves in whatever way seems best. Expecting others to constantly filter for their sake is a bit narsacistic.
"A joke should contain at least two, but preferably more of these:
-cute
-clever
-naughty
-cruel
-bizarre
-relatable (you have been in this situation, seen it, or fear it happening to you.)"
Clever and relatable are a must. Cute, since it's The Sims, but the humor should also have at least one from naughty, cruel, or bizarre. Gross would probably fit under bizarre, like dying in your own pee, like in a certain developer walk-through. I prefer the bizarre that really messes with your mind over the bizarre that is simply gross.
So...
-Cute
-Clever
-Relatable
-Naughty
-Cute
-Clever
-Relatable
-Cruel
-Cute
-Clever
-Relatable
-Bizarre
and for the humor that is hilarious on so many levels, all of them.
There should be a few things that cut the cuteness, just for contrast and surprise.
This. Like wow, it's sad when you can't even have a disagree button because disagreeing with someone somehow became abusive.
That's an extreme stereotype. Some feminists are like that. Most aren't. It's like any internet warrior. You hear from the fringe the most because they comment the loudest.
Besides that...I'm pretty sure that most video games were toned down thanks to Jack Thompson, that sue-happy lawyer who loved making outrageous claims about all video games. Even though he was wrong about everything he claimed regarding the sims (and most other games), he still caused the industry to change.
Well said, the problem is that nowadays everybody gets offended so easily about plum things. I also like dark/offensive humour, but that's kind of weird now... sadly.