The Sims FreePlay - Representation blog tasks

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Textual analysis

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?

  • In terms of Gender the trailers both reinforce and challenge ideologies through how the females and males are portrayed. For example, in the expansion packs for teens, the females aren't dressed in skirts or dresses instead they are in more comfortable gender neutral clothes, however the trailer does reinforce some gender roles. In one scene, a female avatar is scene to fall in to the male avatar's arms which effectively reinforces the role of submissive behaviour amongst women (bell hooks). However in the chic boutique trailer, we can see a very feminine male who could connote to being gay which hints to positive LGBTQ representations.
  • The trailer portrays the avatar enrolling in 'Sim High' which is a social standard for young adolescents. This is a rather neutral representation as it doesn't favour on gender,race or sexuality to another.
  • The race and ethnicity representation is varied amongst these trailers as the avatars have all mixed skin tones and they are represented quite neutrally.
  • In the Chic Boutique trailer, we see a traditional representation of a woman wearing a dress, with long hair and makeup etc.. But the trailer also offers an androgynous representation of a woman who has short hair and is wearing gender non-conforming clothes.
2) What stereotypes have you identified in The Sims FreePlay?

The stereotype identified in The Sims FreePlay are:
  • gender stereotypes- conventional gender conforming representations
  • Capitalism- The stereotype of a white upper class person, working hard for their money to reach success
  • Traditional romantic relationships- lack of homosexual relationships and LGBTQ representations in general.

3) What media theories can you apply to representations in The Sims FreePlay?
  • Paul Gilroy's 'Double Consciousness' for race and ethnicity
  • Gauntlet's theory of masculinity- traditional representations
  • Butler- gender performance  
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?
  • As opposed to being realistic, the game aims to be 'believable'. It replicates an individuals everyday life in order to appeal to any personal pleasures of gaming such as diversion.
2) How has The Sims tried to create more realistic representations of ethnicity?
  • By subverting the traditional caricature animated avatar and making them more realistic by using almost 3D like animations. 

3) How has The Sims responded to racism and sexism in society?
  • The game doesn't explicitly challenge racism or sexism, it emphasises the "all under player control" motive behind the game meaning that it doesn't endorse any inappropriate or harmful behaviour as the game is up to the player. 
4) What is The Sims perspective on gender fluidity and identity?
  • The game doesn't reinforce gender fluidity as players are forced to choose a set gender.
  • The game needs to work of the 'concept' of fluidity for it to be successfully executed. 
5) How does The Sims reinforce the dominant capitalist ideologies of American culture?
  • The execution of 'The American Dream' is heavily promoted in the game as players are made to work their way to success in the game.
  • The game is very 'goal-orientated'.

1) How did same-sex relationships unexpectedly help the original Sims game to be a success?
  • The addition of homosexuality and sexual fluidity in the game helped gain positive success as it shone a light on an under-represented community.
  • The Sims was able to be seen as a progressive game as a result of this which led to its unexpected success. 
2) How is sexuality now represented in The Sims?
  • Sexuality is now more progressive in the game as it allows players to ahve the freedom to have a choice on who they would like to be romantically involved with.
3) Why have fans praised the inclusion of LGBTQ relationships in The Sims franchise?
  • It provided a positive light on gay representations for those within the LGBT community who weren't boldly represented.
4) Why did the Sims run into regulatory difficulties with American regulator the ESRB? How did EA respond?
  • The game struggled with family friendly content as the avatar were able to have sex in the game.
5) How is sexuality represented in the wider videogames industry today?
  • More games now promotes same sex relationships and the video game community is becoming a lot more accepting of them.

Reality, postmodernism and The Sims

1) What does the article suggest about the representation of real life in The Sims 4?
  • The article suggests the representation of real life in The Sims as a struggle : “veneer suburbia”. The author talks about how real life is presented negatively if not played/ lived correctly. At first the idea to set up a family is easy but the author is distressed by the amount of struggle maintaining a functioning family is in the game. The author claims to be left as a single mother and struggling to earn enough money.This hints to the almost over realistic style of the game and how it is supposed to act as a form of diversion but can easily put people into the same stresses and struggles of reality. 
2) What audience pleasures did the writer used to find in The Sims franchise?
  • A form of escapism and the addition of fantasy added to the diversion side of the game.


3) Why the does the writer mention an example of a washer and dryer as additional DLC?
  • The writer mentions an example washer and dryer as a DLC as they wanted to emphasise the feeling of being trapped in a constant cycle of domestic mundane activities 


 4) In your opinion, has The Sims made an error in trying to make the franchise too realistic?
  • I think, by reading this article, that The Sims has definitely made an error as the Author has struggled to find a liking to the game. If the game is too realistic it means it has lost all sense of it being a game which is originally a form of entertainment for people to divert from reality and the Sims has seemed to fail to do this.


 5)How does this representation of reality link to Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality - the increasingly blurred line between real and constructed?


  • This representation offers a good example of hyper reality as it has made players struggle to distinguish whether they are in reality or in a virtual world because of how similar the game is to reality.


The Sims FreePlay social media analysis

Analyse The Sims FreePlay Facebook page and Twitter feed and answer the following questions:

1) What is the purpose of The Sims FreePlay social media channels?

  • To spread the popularity of The Sims game, aswell as build a form of fan base in which Sims player communities can comment under posts and like etc..
2) Choose three posts (from either Twitter or Facebook) and make a note of what they are and how they encourage audience interaction or response.

 Twitter 

  • “Do your sims enjoy the highlife?”
  • “Wish you were a little kid again?”
  • “Feeling like Santa after your Christmas feast?”
  • These questions allow audiences to openly and freely respond with a personal touch. They attempt to offer a form of nostalgia and create realism with relating to actual international events like Christmas.
3) Scroll down the Facebook feed briefly. How many requests for new content can you find from players? Why is this such as an important part of the appeal for The Sims FreePlay?


  • Quite a handful of players have requested new content for The Sims FreePlay which suggests that perhaps the developers are lacking in creating content that is more modern and contemporary. Being up to date and ‘trendy’ is a large part of appeal as it attracts audiences from modern demographics thus increasing the amount of players for the game. It essentially allows more publicity.

4) What tweets can you find in the Twitter feed that refer to additional content or other revenue streams for EA?


  • Additional content that I found was the Sims mobile game but no other recent revenue Streams for EA.

5) Linking to our work on postmodernism, how could The Sims FreePlay social media presence be an example of Baudrillard’s hyperreality and simulacra?
  • I think that The Sims FreePlay social media presence is an example of Baudraillard’s postmodern theory of hyper reality and simulacra because of the way the posts are structured. They posts have the upmost element of realism and make the sim avatars act as if they are living a real life and documenting their lives on a social media account like any ordinary individual.

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