Like most other lovers of The Sims franchise, I too was disappointed about the evident downgrade from “The Sims 3” to the new release of “The Sims 4” in 2014. The lack of an open world, extensive Sim customization and personalized gameplay actions that were once seen in “The Sims 3” undoubtedly lowered my expectations for “The Sims 4.” However, the excitement of uncovering what the new game had to offer (or what it lacked) allowed me to set aside my preconceptions and led me to become a member of one of the largest gaming communities in the world. “The Sims 4” is a social simulation game that allows players to construct buildings of their own, furnish houses in their own style and play through their own stylized Sim character. Developed through Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, the game is enjoyed by many users around the world. However, most users do not simply play the game on its own; they believe that mods, which add new in-game content created by players, are essential to enjoyable gameplay.
“The Sims 4” features a number of attributes that greatly expand the social simulation experience (“smarter sims, creative tools, vibrant neighborhoods and rich rewards,” the game’s tagline advertises). However, Maxis failed to fully develop each of those attributes, creating a growing frustration among players. Some players complain about the exhausting, indecisive emotional state of their Sims, not understanding why their Sim is feeling a certain way. Others argue that their gameplay becomes too monotonous after a few hours into the game, claiming that they quickly played through most of the choices and experiences.
Modders in the Sims community address numerous complaints about the game and spend their free time solving issues Maxis often ignores. The modifications added to “The Sims 4” give users a chance to explore different storylines and challenges. Other than further developing the gameplay experience, modders also make sure to represent all sides of the community by adding more building, sim creation and accessibility options. A lot of mods, such as a diverse set of skin tones, are so essential to gameplay that it does not make sense as to why they are not a part of the original base game. Some modders also create mods to fix bugs in the game that Maxis does not address. Also, many players look for gameplay options that are R-rated (wicked whims) to depart from the toned down game intended for a teenage audience.
Maxis’ main focus when dealing with the demands of the community is to create new game packs that sort of address the needs of simmers, but often completely miss the point. An example of this is the disastrous game pack “My Wedding Stories” that promised to give simmers the opportunity to have an enhanced wedding experience with new build items, but ended up becoming a buggy, dysfunctional failure. Many beloved YouTubers in the community, such as lilsimsie, recorded evidence of their disappointment playing the undeveloped pack.
The key difference between mods and expansion packs is the price. Mods are usually always free to download whereas all the expansion packs (including game packs, kits and stuff packs) add up to a total of $870. While players don’t necessarily need every pack to enjoy the game, many end up feeling overwhelmed with choices or left out for not purchasing every pack. Modders also constantly communicate with players and fix their mods through updates ensuring an enriching experience for their users. On the other hand, Maxis fails to apologize or respond to the underdeveloped game packs they sell, forcing simmers to grow more disappointed and lose hope in the game they once loved and the company behind it they once trusted.
Although modders have maintained a successful experience in “The Sims 4” for many gamers, we cannot forget that without the base game, there would be no chance for modders to exhibit their talents. Users are always blown away by their favorite modders’ skills, claiming how useless the Maxis team is, but tend to forget that without Maxis, there wouldn’t be the Sims. It is crucial to remember that while developers are a huge part of designing the game, they still need the approval of their producers before publishing any of their work. Players in the community should definitely voice their frustrations but keep an open mind toward the developers’ time constraints and what happens behind the scenes. Maxis has also become more open to the concept of modding and has given many modders and Youtubers in the community a chance to feature their work in the game. One Reddit used summed up their opinion of mods with a metaphor.
“I think of mods as icing. They’re useless without a decent cake.”
The Sims community is divided in two: one side claiming that the base game would not be as successful without mods with the other arguing that mods are not needed for a gratifying game experience. While my bias definitely sways towards the modders, I believe that both need to co-exist in order for everyone in the community to be represented equally. Without “The Sims.” there are no modders, and without modders, there isn’t a chance for us to expand our creative abilities.
Daily Arts Contributor Lynn Sabieddine can be reached at lynnsab@umich.edu.