Who the Game is Marketed To

I think that interpreting t for teen rating, which is supposed to be able to include moderate blood, violence, and sex, as something more like e for everyone starting in sims4 was due to trying to appease what I think of as the Horrified Crumplebottoms of the world, whose tagine is "Think of the Children!!!) even when something says right on the label it's not for children.

There was never anything about the fully dressed cake dancers that anyone could reasonably say kids couldn't see.

I think it's a defensive posture stemming from some kind of collision between hyper-offendedness, and Moral Panic, vying with each other to see who can get the most things banned.

Aside from that, sims 4 went off the deep end in prioritizing style over substance, and focused too much on that segment of players most poised to appreciate that: those who couldn't care less about gameplay, don't want surprises or challenges or bad things ever to happen, and pretty much just want to make pretty dolls and decorate interiors, whether they are playable or not.

This is a valid hobby, of course, but not a game so much as an arts and crafts activity.

People saying sims1 was childish in nature weren't in the same room with a bunch if college students, who found it fascinating and not because they wanted to just make nice dollhouses, but for the unpredictable hijinks, the scary sound effects and bad things that could happen, the absurd or funny things, and the adult snark.

No, they weren't playing it for q bloodbath game, there were other options for that, but for the novelty, mystery, and intrigue of this new concept with so many layers to discover, and weird things that could happen.

"CarpeNocheSims;c-18192745" wrote:
I don't think I agree that the community is annoyed at how childish some of the game is, least I haven't seen that to be true. As part of the over 50 crowd around here (and there are a ton of us!), I don't find it childish (because this game is whatever you make of it).

I find it idyllic (because I play it that way) and that's refreshing. I don't play the game for mature content, there are tons of games out there that are mature. For me, the game is an escape from my very mature life. My sims are beautiful (to me) and live perfect little happy lives. It's a fantasy world and I love it. I have heart issues and the game calms me down, it helps me with my high stress level. I consider it every bit as important as my heart medication.

I don't want realism in this game. I would hate it. It's why I get so worked up over all the bugs and glitches and the lack of QA. This game has become part of my relaxation technique and I need it to behave.

Anyways, I think the game is currently geared towards a very young demographic and that's a massive mistake on EA's part. That demographic is notorious about chasing the next shiny, new object. I don't mean Gen X,Y,Z or whatever, I mean that age group in general. They have short attention spans and are easily distracted. I was at that age, everybody is. EA needs to be catering to us, the old crowd, those who have been playing Sims for years. We are the backbone. I get that it's business to attract new players, however to toss aside your loyal base in the process? Ridiculous and a mistake.

Yes, Sims is important to me BUT I can replace it. I can start painting, coloring, walking more. I can find a word app or something else to relax me. I prefer sims but if EA continues to ignore "ME" and continues to push out buggy crap? I WILL move on. I've done it before, gone over a year without playing and I'll do it again.

So please, stop ignoring us and stop chasing after the finnicky demographic that isn't loyal to anything. Remember those who got you to this point while still courting the new players.

I'm waxing philosophical because I'm rather annoyed that I don't recognize a single person their hyping for this "summit" thing. Not one. They're all my son's age and he hates sims. Again, big mistake going after his generation like this.

Agreeing so hard with all of this. Watching the Sims summit recently I felt as if I was being talked down to, and at one point I did ask myself, "would I still feel this way if it was teenage me watching this, and not 50 year old me", and the answer to that was, "Yeah, I would've still felt the same way if I was watching the summit as a teenager." I don't think that necessarily has to do with Gen X vs Gen Y, or any other 'generation gap' type thing either, I'm a Gen X'er who was raised by Silent Generation parents, and my friendships today run the gamut from Gen Z to Boomers and older. Most of the Gen Z'ers I know are a lot more sophisticated in their understanding of the world than a lot of my peers seemed to be at that age, so why your marketing would involve sounding like your speaking to a group of 10 year olds (in my opinion) is beyond me.

Like you I also don't care much for realism or grittiness in the Sims4, I play my game the way I want to play it and that's what makes me happy. If I want to include drama I can do so through my own imagination, without feeling like I'm being forced into certain scenarios. The Sims is my escape time from life stuff so most of my Sims do lead very idyllic lives. It's also one of the reasons why certain bugs have been bothering me so much lately, because from my own storytelling point of view it interrupts the flow of my game and makes it stressful to play when I constantly have to be either trying to correct stuff in games, or searching out new mods to try and work around the bugs.

The Sims is for everyone, and I know they have to market to new comers to the game as well, but I also wish their marketing was a little broader to recognise older players, or players that have been with the Sims from the beginning.

EA CEO is explicit in his desire to target Gen Z and Gen Alpha:

the Sims, Skate and more, all poised to fuel fun and social connection, our growing network will continue adding long-term value. As we look ahead, our talent teams are focused on building extraordinary experiences that drive deep engagement to grow our communities and reach new audiences, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who are turning to games as their preferred choice for entertainment and social connection. Games continue to be one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment and the social networks of the future. We're in the privileged position of creating what people love doing more than anything else with their friends and family.

https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2022/11/01/electronic-arts-ea-q2-2023-earnings-call-transcrip/

Not sure what 'Gen Z' and 'Gen Alpha' are, but have the feeling the EA attitude is, 'If you're old enough to vote, we don't want you.'

"Oldeseadogge;c-18199591" wrote:
Not sure what 'Gen Z' and 'Gen Alpha' are, but have the feeling the EA attitude is, 'If you're old enough to vote, we don't want you.'

More like, if you were alive in 2014, we don't want you /j

The Sims 4 -- yeah, it's nearly 10 years old now. When we think about -- there's a bunch of people who want to play that game who may not have even been born when we launched the game. And while we have a community of many tens of millions of people playing, we recognize the opportunity to really open up and bringing anyone who wants to experience The Sims 4.

-Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA

"simmerorigin;c-18199633" wrote:

"Oldeseadogge;c-18199591" wrote:
Not sure what 'Gen Z' and 'Gen Alpha' are, but have the feeling the EA attitude is, 'If you're old enough to vote, we don't want you.'

More like, if you were alive in 2014, we don't want you /j

The Sims 4 -- yeah, it's nearly 10 years old now. When we think about -- there's a bunch of people who want to play that game who may not have even been born when we launched the game. And while we have a community of many tens of millions of people playing, we recognize the opportunity to really open up and bringing anyone who wants to experience The Sims 4.

-Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA

I think you're onto something there. Even when TS 4 was released, I've felt the T was for toddler. Perhaps it's time for the rating to reflect reality.

"simmerorigin;c-18196572" wrote:

"CordeliaBeaufort;c-18195696" wrote:
Back to old Sims 1 game and packs, there were many adult jokes and features (do you remember the cake dancer? vibrating bed?) I was only 7 years old when I play these but I was out of target group, there was even a parental advisory that I should be above 13 years old but I think we all ignored that lmao.

Today, sims 4 have none of these, or any inappropriate feature for below 7 years olds. I think Sims 4's target group is broader than Sims 1 as it include children too.

So many major Sims content creators and influencers have made video essays and analysis videos reiterating these points. The "charm is gone" or "where's the drama" or "it's very family friendly."

I think the Sims Team must be aware of these observations and criticism. But they might not mean anything for the Project Rene if there is some top-down directive from executives who don't understand the audience but want to target certain demographics for business reasons.

I fear Sims 4 and Rene are competing with Roblox for Gen Alpha.

Ironically, I feel that the YouTubers, at least the major ones, are part of the problem. I feel that most of their channels are marketed towards children and younger teens. The way they talk to their audience it's often hard to believe some of these people graduated high school let alone nearing 30. It's like they are presenting a kids show.

They often have an immature view on on what "drama" actually is, probably what they've seen on scripted reality TV shows. They seem to focus on more superficial things, and everything is bright and perky. They squeel over features that a month later they never touch again.

Their livelihoods depend on chasing the YouTube, Twitch, or other social media algorithms, and since Gen Z/Alpha are using these platforms much more than any other generation, it is who they market to (not to mention the whole issue of what content advertisers on YouTube are willing to monetise).

Honestly, many of these major Sims YouTubers feel like the perfect representation of The Sim's current target audience.

I have no idea what the smaller YouTubers are like, and if they are any different. I hope they are much more varied, but evidently YouTube, the Sims Team, and a large section playerbase that engages with such content, have different priorities.

Sorry for rambling on, I just wanted to share my frustrations and personal opinion.

I think it would be a good idea to make a game pack that adds some things that the more mature players want. (ex: romantic interactions, attraction systems)

Had another look at the Wilson quote. It sounds so noble and open hearted, but it reeks with the stench of corporate greed and lust for money. The game may be free now, but once in new players want the extras, which is where the profits are. Speaking as one with a business degree and working in corporate finance.

> @simmerorigin said:
> More like, if you were alive in 2014, we don't want you /j
>
> -Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA

That's weird because in another video awhile ago one of the EA execs acknowledged that Sims fans had more long time players than the average game. You would think they would build on that.