 | 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 3: Ambitions
- Windows
- Price: $39.99
- Genre: Simulation
Common Sense Media says
Expansion lets players dive into Sims’ professional lives.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Sims 3: Ambitions is an expansion pack to The Sims 3 (the original game is required to play), and that it contains the same sort of violence, sexuality, and questionable behavior as its forebear. New professions provide fresh opportunities for getting into fights, stealing, and flirting, but the depictions of these activities are no more graphic than they were in the original game. As usual, players have the freedom to mold their Sims however they like, which means they can turn them into good little la- abiding creatures or lead them towards a more devious life of evil or crime.
What's it about?
SIMS 3: AMBITIONS, an expansion to the popular life simulation game (the original game is necessary in order to play), focuses on letting players experience more of their Sims’ work lives. Rather than having them hop in a car and disappear for hours to earn a living, players can now head out on the job with their avatars to complete work-related tasks. You can save people from blazes as a firefighter, bust some ghosts as a ghost hunter, ruin and enhance your client's appearance as a stylist, and bribe or beat people up for information as a private investigator. Players can explore new hobbies as well, such as sculpting models of other Sims and crafting new inventions. As usual, players can guide their Sims however they like, turning them into model workers or making them duty-shirking sloths. As an expansion, the rest of The Sims 3’s features remain available, which means players can dabble in these new tasks as much or as little as they like.
Is it any good?
As Sims expansions go, Ambitions offers a fair bit of content. The ability to fully explore, take part in, and direct your Sims’ careers fills a pretty big void in previous games, and the extra hobbies and skills provide interesting new ways to fill our Sims’ leisure time.
However, it may not be for people who enjoy working with large households or big families of Sims. The professions we explore are involved enough that it can make trying to effectively and successfully manage multiple Sims difficult. But that’s a fairly small tradeoff for the ability to head out into the world and have a more meaningful career. There's no question that Ambitions is one of the better expansions to the world’s most popular PC game franchise.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about gender equality in the Sims games. In this expansion, women and men are both capable of entering the same professions and being paid equally. Are there any professions in this game that you think women or men would have a difficult time entering as an equal in the real world?
Families can also discuss our Sims' ability to goof off on the job. Are the penalties in the game realistic? Do you think that real workers could get away with what our Sims can get away with?
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Teen, 15 years old
July 12, 2010
AGE
Great and Educational for Kids of any Age.
In my opinion, this game is fantastic - it does not promote bad messages, whoever said it does they're wrong because sex and all the other bits are natural and your kids are going to have to learn about it sooner or later, so it might as well be in game form. Plus, they go under the covers so you honestly don't see any of it. Also, it promotes good messages, kids will learn to make the links: if you don't treat people nicely then they won't be nice to you etc. and so they learn to be responsable and nice even though its in a game form. Thinking about it its a brilliant game for any kids.
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Parent of 7 and 10 year old
June 30, 2010
AGE
A safe way for children to mimic life... but be careful of MODS
I have been playing The sims since I was in jr. high and I still enjoy playing now that I'm an adult. (when I have time) My younger brother (7) and sister (10) play the game now and love it. Many parents are concerned because you can die or "Woohoo" in the game but honestly my siblings have yet to discover both of these things. I study child and adolescent development in school and in my opinion this game is a great way to expose your youngsters to being able to mimic life. For example, my little brother always makes his sim children go to school. He says "you have to go to school so you can have a good life"... he is 7 and is learning to manage daily tasks thru the game, its a good thing.
One thing you might want to watch out for is downloading mods. Many mods involve things like adult/teen marriage and woo-hoo. Many mods always involve nudity and even more "real life" sexual acts. However as long as you monitor what your child downloads or disallow downloading mods all together you'll be fine and safe!
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Teen, 13 years old
December 11, 2010
AGE
PERFECT 4 TEN AND UP
PPL THIS GAME IS THE BEST! I GOT IT WHEN I WAS 11 AND AM STILL PLAYING IT ( I NOW HAVE THE AMBITIONS EXPANSION PACK) THE SEXUALITY IS IN THE CONTROL OF THE KID THEY DON'T HAVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN SO I THINK THAT TEN AND UP CAN USE THIS AMAZING GAME!!!!!
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Adult
July 16, 2010
AGE
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Kid, 11 years old
July 6, 2010
AGE
Well I've Played it only Once but my friend has the game she loves it. She says IT'S BAD IF YOU MAKE IT BAD which i totaly agree you can't have sex on that without you wanting to. its a lot like real life so in a way its educational messages are positive if you have sex you get married later it's easy to play and scence its not online its safe. But scence it's around the sex thing it might be bad
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Kid, 9 years old
August 31, 2010
AGE
What the heck?
I DID NOT KNOW YOU could drown in sims!!
or get shocked and die!!
my nannys niece came over and brought sims
with her...
UPDATE: Huh. Guess you can. Pretty good game, btw.
SOOOO WEIRD
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Parent of 11, 13, and 14 year old
June 30, 2010
AGE
Wonderful, challenging simulation game.
My daughter is eleven and got hooked on The Sims years ago when I first got it for the PC. As stated above the game is what you make of it. Young children enjoy the interactions, building and role play the game provides.(It is like a virtual doll house) The mature aspects of the game (The Woo Hoo, make out, etc.) go undiscovered by younger kids. Not until the newer games, Sims 2 I believe, did the adults have to woo hoo to have a baby, but adoption is always an option. The best aspect I've found is the time management skill. My daughter enjoys trying to get all of the Sims required actions completed without the cheats.
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Teen, 14 years old
October 21, 2010
AGE
I've been playing the sims games since I was about 8, and there was iffy stuff in all of them. It didn't scar me for life or anything. I didn't catch on. I think that 15+ rating is a bit extreme. 14 year-olds are in high school, 9th grade, and took health class 2 years ago. You should hear the things they say! Worse than any media can teach them. I think they can handle sims 3.
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Teen, 16 years old
December 1, 2010
AGE
Should be E-rated. :D
To be honest, you're wrong about the sex part. They do go under covers, but there's no moaning. It's just laughing and they make weird noises all the time. Another thing, they speak in Simlish, so at least there's no profanity involved. I play The Sims 3 and I've played every single Sims game since I was around 10 years old. This game is completely safe for your kids because the focus is on the professions and jobs; not the sexual content. If they're not looking for it, they won't find it. Simple as that. :)
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Kid, 12 years old
February 12, 2011
AGE
Good EP
Adds new jobs... that's it but is really fun to have it is worth buying.
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| Platforms: | Windows |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Simulation |
| Developer: | Electronic Arts |
| Release date: | June 2, 2010 |
| Price: | $39.99 |
| ESRB rating: | T for Teen – Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence (Windows) |
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