I don't believe the Sims series will ever not be /the/ life simulator, no matter how bare bones it feel at times. The thing about competitors, there is a clear difference in theming: they're leaning more into realism than the Sims series will ever get. This is great for people who want realism (and really, a more mature approach) in their simulation games and it certainly doesn't hurt to have competition for consumers, but those games will more than likely never reach where the Sims series has gotten. The loyalty is just not there for them, as there is with the Sims that's surviving on its name (and hate to say it, player-created content) alone.
Anyway, it is not negative to discuss problems with this series, but I do agree that the community tends to lean towards the absolute worst of attitudes most of the time. The community can and will never fully understand what exactly is happening behind the scenes, but can only make connections from what's happening in other aging series, whether inaccurate or not. Even /I/ am doing that right now!
