The Sims: Free Play CSP

 Create a new blogpost called 'The Sims FreePlay CSP - Language & Representations' and complete the following tasks.


Language / Gameplay analysis

Watch The Sims: FreePlay trailer and answer the following questions:



1) What elements of gameplay are shown?
  • Relationships (platonic and romantic)
  • activities
  • households
  • character development.

2) What audience is the trailer targeting?
Teens

3) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer?
  • Personal Identity- avatar and community
  • Personal Relationships- friendships and romance
  • Diversion- activities and game development

Now watch this walk-through of the beginning of The Sims FreePlay and answer the following questions:



1) How is the game constructed?
  • Tutorials
  • Diagram of sim needs 
  • Dress up
  • Needing a job
  • Developing own town
  • having a 'Net Worth'
  • creating a sim community

2) What audience is this game targeting?
Teen boys and girls
Mainly girls because of the more options of clothing items for girls than boys

3) What audience pleasures does the game provide?
  • Personal Identity- Own avatar, own idea of the ideal community
  • Personal Relationships- sim community
  • Diversion- Gaming, activities
  • Surveillance- Sims needs

4) How does the game encourage in-app purchases?
  • Needing to buy things to develop in the game
  • Daily/ Weekly quests to earn gems
  • Advertisement

Representations

Re-watch some of the expansion pack trailers and answer the following questions:

1) How do the expansion pack (DLC) trailers reinforce or challenge dominant ideologies?
They reinforce dominant race/ ethnic ideologies through their representations of their sims. 
e.g. in the pre-teens one the asian kid was doing martial arts and in the penthouse one it was only white people living and owning those rich areas.

2) What stereotypes have you identified in The Sims FreePlay?
  • Quirky smart Asian woman- Police force
  • Asian doing martial arts- pre-teens
  • White people in expensive areas: penthouse

3) What media theories can you apply to representations in The Sims FreePlay?
Uses and gratifications: Personal identity, Personal Relationships and Diversion

Representation reading

Read this Forbes article on gender and racism in The Sims franchise and answer the following questions:

1) How realistic does The Sims intend to be?
It is meant to be as is living a fantasy life in America rather than a hyper realistic one.

2) How has The Sims tried to create more realistic representations of ethnicity?
Adding more details to alter the appearance of a Sim with a less stereotypical ways of representing different ethnicities.

3) How has The Sims responded to racism and sexism in society?
They do not tolerate it or promote it, however, players are free to play with the game’s systems in any number of unintended ways.

4) What is The Sims perspective on gender fluidity and identity?
They haven't thought much of that aspect of life and choice.

5) How does The Sims reinforce the dominant capitalist ideologies of American culture?
It is all about buying/ purchasing items and functions in order to make your living in the sims life much better which is exactly how a capitalist society is.



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