Do you think the Sims 4 & its DLC is too US/euro focused?

I'm going to say no just because "too US/euro focused" makes it sound like a critique if I said yes, when I am not particularly bothered. Everything has its own bias, scope, setting, and targeted audience. I would like to see various cultural and global content come to the game, but I am not sure how well they could actually correct that focus bias and if they necessarily need to.

Normally I wouldn't think twice about whether or not a game should change its chosen slice of perspective, but I do think The Sims has opened itself up to this type of criticism. Less so because of being a life simulator and more so because of the marketing and rhetoric promoted around the game.

I don't know. I am more attached to the Simlish approach of vaguely familiar to the real world but distinctly unique to a fantasy world rather than trying and failing to represent our vast globe, but if they invited the challenge then they need to stand up to it.

They have to pick a country or region, and it's impossible to please everyone. Besides, it shouldn't be a shocker that it has a heavy US focus, considering that the game comes from the US...

We have England, Japan, Mexico, Eastern European with the US. So, it's not a problem. However, I wouldn't mind Canada to be included in the game considering I'm Canadian. But no worries. ;)

I would expect any simulation game to have it's core representation in the country of origin of the development team. There's a whole lot to learn about individual cultures that really can't be accurately done if the people working on the game have never actually lived and experienced said cultures. Maxis has tried to step outside of their American experiences on a bigger scale but it always seems to end up in inaccuracies (Britechester/Uni) or controversy (Mt Komorebi/Snowy Escape).

That said, I think they do a really good job of at least embracing fashions, hair styles and architecture from a variety of cultures and several of their worlds (Selvadorada, Komorebi, Henford, Windenburg, and possibly even Sulani and Forgotten Hollow) really do at least feel like they are somewhere other than North America. I think making a world resemble a different cultural location is an acceptable medium as opposed to expecting all of the simulation and lifestyle of the world to be fully accurate.

So no, I don't think it's too US/European focused, I think they do a lot of research to add in what cultural representation they can. But I'm also of the opinion that I don't think they should be focusing on any actual real life designs and locations but merely taking inspiration for a little fictional familiarity, and that the world of The Sims should always be it's own. Then no one would feel "left out".

I would have loved for the game to be multicultural from the beginning/ in the basegame.

I don’t expect realism in The Sims so I don’t expect accurate cultural representation. The Sims live in their own world, not ours. I think the devs are trying to be inclusive in a generalized alternate reality type of way, and that’s about all we should expect. Anything else just invites controversy, as we’ve already seen. The game is American made, so there are naturally going to be more American reference points. Extending those references outside of that boundary is okay, but trying to fully represent the whole world is folly. I don’t expect my Sims to become Tibetan monks anymore than I expect Anime characters to vacation in Disney World. Sometimes it’s okay to stay in your lane.

No. It's a US game made in the US by (mainly) US citizens. It's fine. Can't represent every country in the world nor would I have them try. I never race or culture played much in the sims. My sims are just sims to me. Living in just a world ?
Just give me zombies and a swamp world.

If it were a couple of years or so ago I would have said yes, namely US centric, but the team has added worlds and objects inspired by other cultures and I hope this continues.

As a game based in the US, it will obviously be somewhat US focused. So I don't mind to an extent.

That being said I find the sims 4 base game more US centric than previous versions. The previous versions felt more generic, easier to identify with. I think is caused by the way sims 4 handles worlds. They are all very specific locations and unlike sims 2 and 3 we have no possibility to edit them or create our own.

But if you add in all the packs with different worlds, it gets better. We have Central and Northern Europe (Windenburg), England (Britechester, Henford on bagley) Japan (Mt komorebi), the Pacific (Sulani), South America (Selvadora, unfortunately not residential). San Mychuno and Evergreen Harbour even allow some flexibility as to where we think they are located. Both vibrant modern cities as well as old industrial cities can be found in different parts of the globe. Same principle for a remote forest location without background buildings (yay!) like Glimmerbrook. Of course we have plenty of US worlds (willow creek, oasis springs, del Sol Valley, Strangerville, Brindleton Bay.

If you want you can have some options to play outside of the US, if you choose your EP/GP carefully. But some regions would still be very welcome to be added like Africa or the Mediterranean.

erm.
I'm just gonna say:

CAS: too crop top/basic focused.
(not enough unique looking alternative fashion or occult gear or cultural stuff or grandma wear or... basically anything more fun and exciting than shorts and croptop)

B/B: too modern/basic/mid century/basically ikea focused.

and too many items are huge machines where it does not make sense
(like the mighty cupcake machine)

Worlds: too much green lawn and blue sky similar weather and effects

i think we shall have some other world types by now like cities,deserts, african world, fantasy places, creepy forests, underwater, space, historical/cultural ones... just no more "here have lawn" enough lawns :neutral:

Gameplay: too much... lack of it? :sweat_smile: but also avoiding new animations seems to be a problem

Food: do not care tbh my sims have plenty to eat like yeah okay they add new culture inspired pack sure add few of that culture but its not like im out here feeling like i lack food options

mannerisms: well it would be lovely to have more options always