I got to say that I was quite suprised when I recently started playing the Sims 4 to see that a mobile phone is kind of forced upon you.
I kind of understand that videogame developers use it as a way to access some kind of menu, without loosing the flow/ mood of the game. However, in the other games I have played a character would often only access the phone if the player told them to do so.
But even so, the Sims developers could have made it so that you can decide for yourself if you buy a phone or not, because they did it before in Sims 1 and 2 (I do not know about 3 because I never played it). I think there is nothing wrong with having just a landline for certain services.
And if it is about traveling and socializing, there are different solutions for that. E.g. like they did in the Sims Castaway. Or by making the mailbox having more functions then receiving bills.
