 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Sims Social
- Price: Free with Microtransactions
- Genre: Simulation
Common Sense Media says
Mature but lighthearted life sim with new social features.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Sims Social is a life simulation game in The Sims series that is played on the Facebook social network. Players create their own person, known as a "Sim," by customizing appearance and selecting personality traits including introvert, geek, socialite, tycoon, romantic, or villain. These traits influence the Sim's behavior. Sims can enter into friendships, rivalries, and both heterosexual and same-sex romantic relationships with other Sims, which are controlled by Facebook friends. These relationships statuses must be approved by both players before appearing in the game. Sims do not have children, age, or die. Players can spend real-world money to purchase special items or to speed up the game by instantly unlocking quests and building furniture. The game is more fun with more friends to visit, which might tempt players to "friend" strangers on Facebook to get more neighbors.
What's it about?
THE SIMS SOCIAL is The Sims streamlined for social networks. Players care for only one Sim in this version (as opposed to an entire family), by making sure that its personal needs such as hygiene, hunger, and fun are being met. Instead of having an entire neighborhood to explore, Sims are limited to their own house and yard -- which can be expanded with new rooms and outfitted with hundreds of furniture and decorative items purchased from the shop. Sims can also visit the houses of other Sims, which become available by inviting Facebook friends to become neighbors.
Is it any good?
For all its pruning, The Sims Social still feels like a "Sims" game -- in fact, some players will even appreciate that there's less to micromanage. Some of the attempts to copy popular social game mechanics fall flat -- like the superficial crop-tending and weed-pulling tasks -- but overall the social features complement the gameplay. Watching the Sims interact with their environment, and with each other, is the highlight of the game. Players can earn money, learn new skills, and cultivate relationships with other Sims through interactions. Almost everything in the game environment can be clicked on, resulting in reactions from the Sims that range from adorable (two friendly Sims performing a piano duet), to quirky (a "crazy" Sim satisfying her social needs by talking to the plants in her yard). Some of these actions use energy, but many of them don't, so even after players have used up all their free energy there's still entertainment to be had. These features help make The Sims Social an engaging social game with depth and humor.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what personality traits they chose for their Sim. How much of an impact did that choice make on how you played the game?
Families can also talk about the interpersonal relationships between different Sims. Was it fun to be mean to or play jokes on other Sims, or did you feel guilty about it? Were there any consequences for your antisocial actions?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Inappropriate for children of any age.
Let's start with some European statistics:
38% of 9-12 year olds have a profile on Facebook.
40% of children are connected to people online that they don't know in "real-life".
9% of children have gone on to meet someone in "real-life" that they first met online.
We see from these statistics that:
a) Age limits don't work and there are millions of underage users on Facebook.
b) Some children will connect with people that they don't know putting themselves at risk.
c) Some children will accept an invitation to meet up in real life following online interactions.
When playing "Sims Social" players can interact with other users in a lot of different ways, but they are rewarded for entering into romantic relationships with other players.
These romantic relationships can develop quickly into sexual relationships, with options to have sex in different locations, including the bedroom and the shower.
Sex between players is rewarded with "social points" which are then used to advance within the game environment.
I have the following questions for the game developers.
Isn't sex for rewards called prostitution?
Surely encouraging and rewarding sexualised behaviour between "avatars" encourages underage "offline" relationships of an inappropriate nature?
Would parents be happy if their kids were having "cybersex" in a chatroom environment? How is this different?
Isn't there a risk of "Sim Grooming" where kids are connected to strangers within the game environment?
Is there a risk of bullying when 2 players enter into a same sex relationship?
Shouldn't sexual behaviour within the game be limited to those above the age of consent for similar behaviour in "real life"?
When these questions are answered, I may review my opinion of the game.
As it stands, I feel that the game is highly inappropriate for children of any age and that by not restricting sexual activity within the game environment to adults only, Playfish, Electronic Arts and Facebook are behaving in a wholly irresponsible manner.
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AGE
A Sims game for 2011!
I love the Sims Social because I get to make my own home, purchase items, and visit my neighbors.
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Kid, 12 years old
November 16, 2011
AGE
yay
has inappropriate parts
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Kid, 10 years old
December 27, 2011
AGE
i dont know
hmm i wont really suspect for kids
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AGE
Inappropriate
I played Sims Social for a couple of months but decided to quit because of the inappropriate sexual content. In Sims Social, you can flirt and have romantic relationships and I found out later on that avatars can have sexual relationships. I was stunned. I really didn't expect to find that in the game. First of all, because it's on Facebook and is very public. Second because graphics are really good, it helps you be creative and really looks like an innocent game.
Fighting with other avatars is also rewarded so players go fight with as much avatars as they can to get a reward. Same thing with romantic relationships. I'm just afraid how playing this kind of game could affect the perception of kids and teens regarding sex and relationships. If flirting, romantic relationships, and sex could be done easily and without responsibility involved, I think it isn't a good example for kids to follow... or an environment to get exposed to.
If for the creativity part, Sims Social is definitely good...but for character-building, I wouldn't recommend it for children and for everyone else.
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Kid, 11 years old
February 5, 2012
AGE
it has some nudity and violence themes but its a good gme
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AGE
Other than the slow speeds at my house....its fine
Of course having a Facebook account should mean that they should be OK with the whole 'games and app' thing, anyway you can flirt with other friends of yours and of course have the whole sex thing (but that is censored, as well as showering and going on the toilet). There is no nudity!!
P.S: The education would be from the whole life learning and the privacy settings can be changed via Facebook! :D
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| Platforms: | |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Simulation |
| Developer: | Electronic Arts |
| Release date: | August 23, 2011 |
| Price: | Free with Microtransactions |
| ESRB rating: | NR |
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