1. The Sims: Interaction & Play Jodi Davis  Final Project  COM 597

2. 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”.

3. 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)

4. Understanding the Game “The ability to play God” “A Virtual Dollhouse” “Ability to be masters of their own fantasy domain”

5. Understanding the Game Goals of the Game Keep your Sims happy No end – no Win Never-ending “story”

6. Main Focus/Key Aspects The idea of “Play” The Sims versus The Sims Online The issue of Identity Women and Gaming

7. 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).

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. The Sims and the Sims Online Jamie Madigan’s four unique aspects Social Interactions The Internet Model The Economy Freedom of Expression

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Issue of Identity Ability to renegotiate one’s identity Anonymity An alluring incentive to online gaming Difficult to monitor

17. 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

18. 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.