AQA A-Level Media Studies - Sims Freeplay

EA Mobile and Firemonkeys Studio

Subsidiaries of EA - horizontally and vertically integrated (developing and publishing games themselves - more control)

EA purchased Maxis (developer of sims) in 1997 (horizontal integration)

EA Mobile has 900 employees

Distribution

Available on IOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone

Downloaded over 200m times

11 languages

Requires constant updates: Freemium game encourages in-app purchases and need a returning audience

Synergy

Brand advertisements in-game

Moschino clothes brand - can buy branded clothes in the game

LEGO DOTS - themed unlockable items in-game

Hesmondhalgh - cultural industries

Part of established successful franchise - pre-existing audience

Freemium model - Customisation/items and ingame currency (simoleons) can be bought to skip the time spent progressing

Success in the game is measured through material - VIP points can be bought with irl money and unlock more perks and 'lifestyle’ points can be purchased to speed up processes like sleeping and eating

Values

OG sims creator said the sims was “a satire of US consumer culture” - Freeplay misses this point and encourages consumerism

Example: Quest to build “Sunset Mall” - tasks must be completed within a time limit to unlock a restaurant to eat and sell food/drinks - can then work on a second floor with more shops

This encourages a capitalist culture not only with in-game purchases but also the events presented in the game

Gauntlett - Identity

This game is an example of media products representing more diverse and complex representations of identity

Choice of skin tone - although some would argue it’s fairly limited

Binary gender choices - but this does not limit the audience to traditional representations (e.g. genderless clothing, fluid sexuality etc.)

Jenkins - Fandoms

Fans of the series - “simmers”

Fanmade wiki platforms for information about the game series

Online forums (e.g. subreddits) dedicated to discussing the games

Sims Freeplay social media ccounts - posting updates about the game

Shirky - End Of Audience

Sims Freeplay social media accounts keep audiences engaged with comment sections and the ability to share posts - allowing audiences to communicate back to the creators

Developers also respond to audience feedback - e.g. adding pregnancy as a feature in the game

Livingstone and Lunt - Regulation

Age rating of 12 (PEGI)

Due to it being digital and online - audiences under 12 can still access easily as there is no proper way to verify this information

There are also different regulations in different countries (e.g. banned in certain Asian countries for LGBTQ+ representations)

Demographics

‘Entertainment Software Association’ found that women were more likely to play mobile games. So perhaps this focus on domestic gameplay is targeted to women?

Women aged 18-40

Casual game - accessible via mobile devices

77% of women (35-54) played the game to “help them relax”