the sims: interaction & play jodi davis final project com 597
TRANSCRIPT
The Sims: Interaction & Play
Jodi Davis Final Project COM 597
The Sims & The Sims Online
The Sims and the Sims Online are both gaming software/programs that allow individual players the ability to create their own homes, neighborhoods, communities and essentially, their own “worlds”.
Understanding the Game
“Sims” is short for Simulated Character
Players have the ability to create avatars/characters or use pre-created ones
Players create and decorate their own homes
Players control the events that occur
Mimics everyday life Virtual community (both
online and off)
Understanding the Game
“The ability to play God”
“A Virtual Dollhouse”
“Ability to be masters of their own fantasy domain”
Understanding the Game
Goals of the Game Keep your Sims
happy No end – no Win Never-ending “story”
Main Focus/Key Aspects
The idea of “Play”The Sims versus The Sims OnlineThe issue of IdentityWomen and Gaming
The idea of “Play”
…two concepts of play – modeling and subjunctivity - … Modeling boils the world down to a clean subset, and subjunctivity explores the characteristics of that subset. This, it seems to [Crawford], is the foundation of creativity. The world is a complicated and messy place; we don’t know what it will do next. By modeling the world in some fashion, we create a mentally manipulated version of the world. There are zillions of ways to model the world; we are always creating new models. A playful person is particularly good at making models (Crawford, p. 231).
Modeling & Subjunctivity
Modeling Models of our world and community Models of ourselves (avatars/characters) Models of other people
Subjunctivity Exploring the characteristics of an environment
Broken down in its simplest form, The Sims Game(s) is “play” – both modeling and subjunctivity.
The idea of “Play”
We “play” to educate ourselves Players submerge themselves into a
“model” of their lives Learn as the game is played
Everything is through trial and error Player constructs the “world” – has more faith
in the system.
The Sims and the Sims Online
The Sims A one player game Create avatar/character to control
(can create a whole family and or the whole neighborhood)
Build a home or live in an already created home
Work to earn an income (get a job through the newspaper or search the Internet)
Interact with other avatars (computer operated avatars)
Share the story of your Sims family online (online photo album)
Download skins and other extras to enhance the game.
Create your own community.
The Sims Online A multi-player game Create avatar/character to control
(can create a total of 3 characters) Build a home or live in an already
created home No job required. Avatars are self-
employed and must create work for them selves to earn an income.
Interact with other avatars that are controlled by “real” life individuals (like online chat).
Share the story of your Sims family online (online photo album)
Download skins and other extras to enhance the game.
Create a community with players around the world – a virtual hangout.
The Sims and the Sims Online
Jamie Madigan’s four unique aspectsSocial InteractionsThe Internet ModelThe EconomyFreedom of Expression
The Sims and the Sims Online
Social Interactions“The entire game centers around visiting others and
playing with what they have created for you”
The game revolves around dialog between two or more people. There really is no reason to play this game if you do not plan to interact with, socialize with or have dialog with another player in the game
Interactions include, but are not limited to: parties, barbeques, dances, clubs, etc.
The Sims and the Sims Online
The Internet Model Crawford’s definition of “play” The Sims Online as a model of the WWW
Ability to email, chat, search, visit homepages, bookmark favorite locations
A network (or web) of friends and enemies Friendster.com Ringo.com Myspace.com
The Sims and the Sims Online
The Economy
“Almost everything you do can be tied to Simoleans. You can charge people to enter your house, play your games or anything else” (Madigan, 2002).
Currency = Simoleans (Both versions) The Sims Online must create their own jobs or create
a source of income The Sims non-online version – jobs can be found in
the newspaper or by searching on the Internet
The Sims and the Sims Online
Freedom of Expression Creation of avatar/character Building, designing and decorating home Freedom to be anyone you want to be
Issue of Identity
Ability to renegotiate one’s identity
Anonymity An alluring incentive
to online gaming Difficult to monitor
Women and Gaming
A large number of Sims’ Players are women (almost half) The customizability of the game appeals to both
sexes Women like good stories, character development
and solving problems (not to say they don’t like shooting/violent games – there were several Women Quake players)
Women have often been ignored in gaming society
Conclusion
It comes down to the ability to live out one’s dreams and fantasies. The Sims game series provide a temporary (mostly temporary) escape from reality, where individuals can have greater control over their destinies, their lives and the events that occur around them.