@Camkat EA might think they have a new, younger fanbase, but that isn't what I am seeing among the group of players I know. My granddaughters are very disappointed in Sims4. And they're all teens. They all fall within EA's target demographic. But they prefer Sims2 and 3. I am also seeing this with the children and grandchildren of people I introduced to the Sims franchise years ago. So when EA and the gurus talk about this 'target demographic' I have to wonder where their information came from. Did this info come from polls done only on certain web sites that cater to just teens? Did someone wander around the streets of Seattle, LA, Chicago or New York with a clipboard and stop teenagers to ask certain questions about their gaming preferences? I just have to wonder why and how EA came to the conclusion they needed to alienate the players who have been with the franchise since it began. When is it ever a good thing to do that?
The one thing that is totally different in Sims4 that was not in the previous iterations, is this obsesssion with social media. The fact we must be involved in some form of social media during the course of day to day life has been blown out of proportion, and has become the focal point in Sims4. My oldest granddaughter said she went back to Sims2 because of the emphasis being placed on social media in Sims4. She said she plays her Sims games to take a break from texting and reading about what other people are doing every minute of their day. Coming from a sixteen year old, that says a lot about where society is right now. That is the target demographic EA wants. EA wants to take the Sims franchise from being a sandbox game and create a multi-player online game with it. This was their plan while Sims4 was in development but the uproar from the Simming community stopped it from happening. So they went with another tactic. Sims4 mobile and Sims4 on consoles. The success EA has had in these two new markets will change how the Sims franchise goes forward. It has already changed Sims4 as we have seen with the last few packs, and I don't expect it to change for the better any time soon.
So, when is it ever a good time to alienate players? Right now. While they have the attention of many new players, who are heavily involved in sharing everything in their life, with anyone who will pay attention to them. That's my take on why Sims4 lacks depth and why so many of us feel as if we don't matter now. I don't want to share my gaming time with other players. But there are many who do want that choice. Did EA set out to deliberately make Sims4 a disappointing game so we'd quietly leave the franchise? There are times when I believe that is exactly what EA wanted.
2020 will be an interesting year. The first new pack of 2020 will give us a clue as to what they will do with the Sims franchise. One thing I am hoping for now, is for DU to be a good EP. The uni players have waited a very long time for it and I want it to be a good experience for them. So perhaps once this pack is released, the teams will get to work on adding more things for the kids to do. I hope so. I forgot about the pillow fights. Those were fun. The expressions on their faces were hilarious. And the kids jumping on the furniture. So darn cute. <3
EA Staff
