I think we need to stop taking the word preteen so literally. Lately I've been trying to use the term "preteen/young teen" more often because what we need in the game (or at least in my opinion) is that phase where kids make the transition into a teen and go through puberty. So it should cover the ages around 12-14 years old and not just the ones of a preteen. The ages of each lifestage on the game are left to interpretation anyway, so it's not like they have to have a set age. For example, I see Young Adults being from 18 to 29 years old but I know a lot of people consider them to be over 20 to 35. An 18 year old person is considered an adult by law (in most countries), so to me, they are no longer a teenager in the game, because they are no longer in school. This could also be applied to a new lifestage between child and teen. I'm not sure what EA would call it, probably preteens, but I would play that lifestage through phases like I do with all the other ones. Just because it might be called preteens, doesn't mean they can't be over 13 in my game. Besides, what actually matters is the gameplay. Unfortunately, I can't pretend the current teens are younger than 16 years old because they look way too old and act too maturely to be that young. And I honestly do not think EA will change their appearance and behavior. It's not realistic to expect them to do that for a number of reasons. It's not a simple thing to do, it's not just about making the teens shorter and that's it, it's about changing something that is already in the game for years. It's probably as hard or harder than creating a new lifestage from scratch. Besides, they would make more profit with a new lifestage and they wouldn't risk infuriating people who like the teens as they are.
"To7m;15513085" wrote:
But you wouldn't be making me happy having to deal with *another* life stage. I see no point to it, when they could flesh out the existing life stages. Why add more rubbish, when they could focus on what we *do* have? I don't want more life stages. We have enough. I want *better* life stages not more squashed in between the Ines we do have.
@To7m That's not very gracious of you. I do recall when toddlers weren't here, we (those who wanted them) had to deal with certain people saying the exact same things you're saying now ("they are useless", "I don't want them", "I'd prefer if Maxis would focus on something else"). You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but then again, if preteens get added to the game, they will be optional, just like toddlers. I do think all the other lifestages need to be more fleshed out, but we can't expect Maxis to change the way teens are now. That ship has sailed. Like it or not, they are meant to be older, they are never going back to what they used to be in previous games. I wasn't happy with the decision, but now I've come to terms with it and instead of asking for something that will most likely not happen, why not focus on other ways to compensate for it? That's just how I see it anyway. I'll gladly eat my words if they end up changing the teens, but I'm willing to bet anything that they won't.