So you're basically talking about an in-game "CurseForge" is that correct? I understand why some creators and players could be interested in this, but I'm not sure if this is something that appeals to the majority of simmers. Have you conducted a survey yet?
In your blog you state that you:
"envisioned a vibrant universe where video games transcend mere entertainment, morphing into powerful tools for healing and connection".
How exactly do you envision this? I'd need to see images or UI prototypes in order to understand what you mean. Things like pulsing shopping trolleys are not the most popular features as far as I'm aware. Or do you envision it as part of a welcome screen or -for example - rabbithole buildings where simmers can shop and sell their CC?
You're also talking about XBox becoming the primary hub for this social network/ marketplace:
"The Xbox is poised to serve as the primary gateway for users to immerse themselves in the life of The Sims. The console’s superior graphics and advanced features offer an unparalleled gaming experience."
I'm a PC "gamer" and I'm not someone who's willing to invest in XBox just to connect with the simmingcommunity and buy CC. I play at ultra, love my PC graphics. Perhaps XBox is one of the most affordable consoles, but in all fairness I don't even know how people manage to build and paint in BB mode and CAS with XBoX controllers. I have an XBox controller connected to my PC and I can only run, fight and shoot with that thing. Why would I want to change from PC to Xbox?
Lol, I hear you! I am a person that loves to play video games but we all have to grow up. I think with the metaverse coming in the Sims provides a great platform to draw people in. Of course it would be optional but I believe eventually this is where video games are headed.
"We all have to grow up?"
Oof.
I have Lost Boy / Peter Pan syndrome, there's no hope for me so. 😆
Seriously though, if that's where video games are headed, I might just go back to playing boardgames only or dig for treasure in my backyard. Not sure if a The Sims Metaverse future is something I want to be part of. Am I too young or am I too old?
Thanks for your input! I love this! I will answer going down your post. CurseForge is a mod marketplace for free. I am talking more in terms of the Metaverse. Mods tend to fill up your memory and can be full of bugs. I have had a negative experience with mods and prefer to stick with DLC. Have you checked out sites like Decentraland? I think the graphics are behind and games like the Sims are much better and to me already resemble a Metaverse. Consider this my survey, I wanted to just put the idea out there and see how people responded. I know how my crew responded. The connections and healing are meant to happen in game. And I mean personal healing, people are tired of the state of the world and games can make them feel better as an escape. There are people living in rough neighborhoods. Some of us prefer to play video games all day but we have real world bills and obligations that need to be settled, unless you are already rich. Therefore, my intention was to expand the idea of video games so that we can become the best of both worlds, and I just used the Sims as my example. The Sims have a retail shop in game where Sims can purchase clothing, food, books etc which make them perfect. There is a difference between pc and consoles. My Sim purchases are not shared between the computer and console therefore it is already separate and distinct. Most people on here play the Sims on the computer and as you stated you find it difficult to maneuver. If you are going to play on Xbox most likely you have an Xbox. I am sort a unique case which is why I put this question out there. I was a tech experiment at an early age. I used to play cartridge games on my Apple IIE after typing long lines of codes. I was there when video games started and there was a big difference between computer games and console games. I have had **bleep** near all the consoles that were made and played video games for more than half my life. I can understand ya’ll feelings about the Sims staying like it is, and I mentioned Xbox because the computer version can stay the same. The console to me is where the true power lies and processing capability to draw in my results. Currently, the console Sims is limited because they just made the pc version available on the console. It has the same functionality as the computer versions, which I think leave opportunity for improvement. And when I say we have to grow up it’s because society and life says we do. We have real world responsibilities, and I have children that have needs now. My daughters love the Sims and one is very much into the mods. i remember catching her when she was younger. I had to take the game away for a while because she found out how to make her Sims woo. Having played video games all my life, the future is looking bright for more careers in gaming. There is enormous potential on the player side that has not been explored yet. Watching the progression of games over the years I noticed them get better. I played dungeons and dragons with a die and piece of paper with my friends before video games. So, I hear you all and love the responses! AI is here and humans have to learn to play along. There is room for many wonderful inventions!
Thank you for your lenghty response.
Although I'm still not convinced this so called "metaverse" approach is suitable for The Sims, it is an interesting discussion to be had. The initial idea might not always go down well with a community, but I always believe that through conversation, other -perhaps more attractive ideas could be generated. I agree, there is room for many wonderful inventions.
That being said...
I did check out Decentraland and at first glance there's nothing about it that I find appealing. The mix of artstyles is too chaotic to my taste, in fact, it's the opposite of the kind of personal healing I'd need, but I assume this wide range of designs is not what you envision for The Sims. Decentraland as a general concept is something I have absolutely zero interest in and like others, it reminds me of Second Life. I don't know if they are in-fact similar since I've never actually gotten involved with either platform.
It is the in-game community that I actually want to stay away from. It's too overwhelming, I get sensory overload just by looking at Decentraland's homepage. I can almost hear the noise like in an overcrowded trainstation. I'd much rather socialize with a community outside of the game, in peace. And play my game alone, in peace. I'm not one for MMO's, I prefer socials and single player games to be separate. Multiplayer or in-game socializing is something I'd opt out of.
Despite all that there are some features that interest me, such as the "World Builder Game Creator", however, something like this isn't new to The Sims. Sims 2 & 3 had World Creators, a tool that I truly miss in Sims4. It would be wonderful if we could share custom worlds on the gallery, or have a World gallery feature on the world screen that can be toggled on and off. I don't know about turning it into a marketplace though. It would probably cost EA more money just to regulate a marketplace, especially when the content has to be quality assured: nothing can be below Maxis standard if this is sold as official content, like any DLC. There's a reason why EA does not support mods and CC. It's impossible to screen them all and for good reason. It's great to see them collaborating with various content creators, but when you open the door to millions of them to essentially create kits, they're only going to make their own job harder, which brings me to my next point:
The 3 pillars of Decentraland are Create, Experience, Influence. This is how the Decentraland Experience is described:
EXPERIENCE: The dynamic, virtual social world of Decentraland is home to a vibrant community hosting diverse daily events, ranging from parties, art exhibitions, fashion shows, music festivals, and more to interactive experiences from renown brands like Netflix, Doritos, and Samsung. Make friends, play games, explore, and discover all Decentraland has to offer!
Decentraland isn't a life sim as far as I understand. Life sims are incredibly complex, it's arguably the toughest game genre to develop. That's why they're so rare. Why would The Sims stray away from being a life sim first and foremost and instead choose to be a virtual event creator with avatars? I certainly believe there is a place for it as a separate entity, like The Sims Mobile , but for Xbox- and I have a feeling this is what project Rene may be partly about. Trends and events. I don't know for sure though, we haven't heard about it for a while.
I have other, more important questions: can you play out stories within Decentraland's metaverse? Do characters have in-depth personalities? Can you play rotationally? Are there RPG elements? Or is this where AI comes in? It's a scary thought.
I still don't see why EA from their point of view should not keep official development contained and limited to their own dedicated teams, rather than building a large marketplace for many creators. At the end of the day they might end up releasing a CAS or BB kit per week, but it'll most likely cost a lot more money and effort to pull the chosen creators from an in-game marketplace. It will also put more strain on art directors, because most of these online creators will have had little to no industry experience and probably can't even deal with critique and honest feedback. Why would EA take that chance to mess with their own production pipeline?
And non-creators...well...it's probably safe to say that the majority still doesn't really want any in-game shopping trolleys in whatever shape or form.
As for healing and growing up, I turned one of my hobbies into my job, because I'm fun loving and life's too short. I made that choice deliberately. It not only pays the bills, but it keeps me on my feet, creatively. It's hard work, it can be tough and emotionally draining at times since there are many elements that I do not like about the job. These are the kind of things that -if it were only a hobby- I wouldn't have to deal with. Sometimes it's so easy to just want to quit, but so far passion has always won. It's a double edged sword. Therefore I can completely understand why people choose not to turn their hobbies into their job: losing passion for the only thing you may be passionate about can be detrimental to ones health. Ofcourse that's no reason to refuse to offer potential "marketplace" job opportunities in a metaverse-like environment. Then again, folks that really want to work as game artists or developers will do everything to get a paid position in a studio. The industry certainly won't get less competitive because of an online marketplace.
LOL! Great analysis! I love your insight. Decentraland is also no my ideal of the metaverse. I said Sims is more a metaverse than what these people are producing. Without going into too much detail, I believe that the Xbox version can pull it off. You are right that most people that play the sims on the computer prefer offline play. I’m glad to see I sparked such insightful conversation, that’s all it’s about in the end. Speaking with like minded individuals and getting a chance to express ourselves.
