Video

I have been playing the Sims off and on since the Sims 2. This game, like no other game, has had a major impact on my life, from helping me cope with mental illness to encouraging my love for writing, to connecting with family. And now, through Sims 4 and becoming a content creator, it’s allowed me to make friends from around the world and truly changed my life.

It’s not my life this game has touched. I’ve seen countless stories, of those in the LGBTQ+ community who, through the game, have had courage to come out; from simmers who were bullied and once doubted their self worth; and to so many of us who, through the game, were able to envision a life of passion, living our own stories, and realizing our worth is not through society, but intrinsic. 

Which is why this letter is so important. 

I cannot speak for every simmer, but there are pressing issues about Sims 4. And it isn't a simple matter of filling community wishlist items like spiral staircases or cars or..even improved babies, Those are just symptoms of part of what I, and so many others feel, is a bigger, systemic issue: the feeling that, every year more and more, the Sims has lost its way and lost sight of what once made the game so special.

Depth. The ability to realize and create stories. Real relationships. Representation. A world that we can freely create and be and do, in a way real life limits us. But also consequences, immersion, a feeling that the game is more than a game. A place where we build, create and tell stories that matter. 

But we don’t have that depth. Always, in the name of performance, we’ve seen things stripped. Gone is story progression, unique traits, horoscopes, wants/ fears, an attraction system, aspirations with lasting consequences. Our Sims whims, reactions, and every desire are tied to emotions that can change on a dime. Gone are the days where cheating on a spouse or getting a divorce would have a lasting or meaningful impact. Family is family in name, but any sim could easily be traded for another.

The worlds are much the same way. Beautiful, stunning in design, but ultimately empty. There is little we can interact with. We cannot even fit the worlds a little, to make them our own. As demonstrated recently by Pleasant Sims for a comparison of retail systems for 4 vs past Sims games, nothing that happens in the Sims 4 worlds actually happens. A sim who buys something at a store does not come home with anything in their inventory. This is not merely about the retail system but symbolic of a larger issue: nothing a sim does matters. It’s a beautiful world where nothing holds meaning. 

The next problem is representation. The team over and over again claims it stands by diversity and representation, and while certainly some notable strides have been made, 6 years in and POC simmers still cannot create sims that look like them. We are told the problem is being addressed, only to have little explanation when an update flops. We are never told why, or how, such a basic need, was not included in the bg, let alone fixed over more than 6 years. Or why the team responded to whitre game changers but not so many POc simmers in our community. 

There are other issues, with a need for more nuanced and diverse cultures; less depictions based upon American western ideals; and a need for more diversity, perhaps, on the team itself. Many would also argue that LGBTQ+ simmers could use more representation as well, as well as better systems for greater body diversity, where things don’t clip. For instance, on plus sized sims, or where I buy a new pack and the Sims have more realistic body types vsa impossible barbie like body standards. 

Communication has been a problem for a long time. On one hand, it’s so exciting to be a part of a community, and that sim gurus are able to share updates, teaser, and even occasional snippets of their lives. So many gaming communities do not have that. Community challenges, livestreams and shang other simmer creations are also great.

The problem comes with addressing glitches, bugs (more on this later) and controversy. It’s very possible there are reasons behind some of these decisions, but oten they are not addressed quickly or we are simply told that we are being heard. I understand that this may have some limitations I cannot understand. But even the purpose of surveys are unclear--what are we voting on? Many begin to doubt that what they say matters. 

Glitches and bugs are inevitable. I think anyone who has played the sims or any game for that matter knows ths. But for a game that supposedly sacrificed many features to run better, the glitches and bugs, for many have become unmanageable and this is reported even for many without mods. Common bugs are sometimes left to fester for months or even years. Yet more dlc is pushed out.

I can’t address all the issues in the letter. There is a lack of family gameplay but also missing occults. There is the fact that console issues are either addressed much later or not at all. But the point of this letter isn’t merely to list complaints, it’s to point to why.

I, and many others, feel that the priority has been on shiny new dlc vs fixing= what’s wrong with the game. And that simply being told we are being heard is no longer enough.

I love this game. So many of us do; the Sims is more than a game/. But if these issues are not addressed, if it is not felt sincerely that the team cares about supporting a diverse community with true representation, I am worried. I am worried about the future of a game I have always loved. No matter how many new packs come out I worry, more even.

Thank you for your hard work and the creativity. Thank you for memories and a wonderful franchise.  I have no doubt most all of you work hard. But working hard doesn’t address the problems.

I want to see the Sims 4, or 5 be the best it can be. I want to go back to loving the game. I want to see a bright future for a game that has the ability to shape the gaming world and bring the most beautiful and diverse community there is.

Yours,

Simmer Erin/ Erin Jamieson