After Mark Zuckerberg acquired Oculus VR in 2014, he made the following statement in a Facebook post. “This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online but entire experiences and adventures.”
Extended reality (XR) is a term used to define the spectrum of the digital world. Augmented, mixed and virtual reality are the newest spheres in which newer generations are experiencing reality.
Gaming has become the newest innovative outlet for entertainment and escapism. It has been a form of entertainment and a media genre where people have seen representation not given in traditional media. Life simulators, like “The Sims,” have allowed people to create themselves in their dream careers and lifestyles or live their supernatural or sci-fi fantasies.
“The Sims” has been a trailblazer in the life simulation genre for decades now. Electronic Arts (EA), the gaming company distributing “The Sims” series, has seen a lot of criticism from simmers for their lack of consideration of the players’ wants.
Many have expressed their dissatisfaction with the sims online through Reddit posts and their videos on YouTube. One Reddit user, tori_story95, took to the platform to criticize the blatant disconnect between the price tag and the product of “The Sims 4” expansion packs.
“In truth, the biggest problem with The Sims games is in fact EA itself,” the post said. “EA is responsible for the irresponsible funding of The Sims franchise and cutting corners with content just to make a profit. . .I am not one of those players that sees a new pack release and says ‘We want University!’ Or ‘We want cars!’”
The post added how uninterested it would be to receive content they did not hope for.
“My criticisms of the Sims 4 are not about what packs we don’t have yet,” said the post. “But rather of the lack of content included with $40 packs. For instance, Island Living is really the first pack I am genuinely disappointed in and feel robbed of $40 even though I haven’t bought it yet. The lack of gameplay for an expansion pack really grinds my gears.”
Kore Bourbeau, a junior studying strategic communications, is an avid “Sims” player.
“I enjoy ‘The Sims’ because of the ability for users and consumers of ‘The Sims’ to create their own projects and implement it in The Sims with the use of mods,” Bourbeau said. “It's very creator-friendly.”
Bourbeau said despite EA’s criticisms, she still believes “The Sims” gives a unique experience worth the inconveniences.
“Yes, sometimes things are more expensive and people complain about the $40 bundles,” Bourbeau said. “It is annoying and obnoxious. But, it's definitely also user-friendly because it allows user creativity. Sometimes you can get featured in ‘The Sims’ and have your own creations become actual official ‘Sims’ clothing or furniture.”
However, Bourbeau does understand the frustration of “The Sims” community. She referenced the release of “The Sims 4: Horse Ranch” expansion pack after the release of “The Sims 4: Cottage Living” expansion, which seemed like an unnecessary expense to simmers when horses could have been added in “Cottage Living.” She said the content of both “should have just been in (the) same pack.”
“But instead, it was another $40,” Bourbeau said. “That really upset people and I think that was rightfully so. They totally should have gone together and it shouldn't be $80.00 to get both of them. I know they do their bundle deals but it's still frustrating.”
With all of its criticism over the years, “The Sims” has stayed at the top of the life simulation genre. Though, it seems its dominance in the life simulation genre may not be coming to an end.
In the past two years, the life simulation community has seen the announcement of two new life simulators: “InZoi,” which released its gameplay and avatar creation demos Aug. 20, and “Life By You,” which has since been canceled.
“InZoi” has received mixed reactions from the public and has sparked conversation on the use of artificial intelligence in games and the prospect of realistic graphics in life simulations.
Chip Linscott, director of the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies, said virtual reality is an emerging technique in gaming.
“We want to, as people who do games and virtual reality production, have images that people believe are real,” Dr. Linscott explained. “So that they become immersed, that they feel like the game or the simulation is (actually) something that's happening to them.”
Realism in gaming has become a number one priority in the expanding industry, creating experiences that will be indistinguishable from reality in the long run. This desire expands across 2D, 3D and eventually 4D gaming genres.
While terms like “uncanny valley” are used to describe the disconnect between realistic graphics and the lack of realistic reactions, there are questions on whether realism is starting to go too far.
Jeff Kuhn, director of Ohio University’s ESports program, spoke on the lengths realism in gaming has yet to go and the “uncanny valley” phenomenon in realistic gaming.
“It's kind of creeping people out, especially in VR, when you have this extremely lifelike character,” Kuhn said. “Yet, there's just something wrong with her eyes. Their eyes are like dead — it's weird in a sense.”
The sentiment shared in gamers’ reactions to the demo of “InZoi.” Some fans do not think the game will break through the market like some hope.
“I don't think it's a very good competitor for The Sims,” Bourbeau said. “It's just something about ‘The Sims’ style of art—a lot of people will probably find InZoi to be uncanny [valley]. Like, ‘they look like people’, but they look a little too similar to [real] people.”
Many users are also concerned about InZoi’s use of artificial intelligence in the game along with its seeming lack of diversity. Fans have taken to Reddit and other chat forums to express their frustration with this.
However, “Inzoi” has made strides with gender inclusivity. Instead of picking a gender, players pick a body type and are allowed to change their InZoi’s gender-sexuality preferences. However, there are only two body type presets at the moment.
“An existing and long-standing problem in games is having diverse bodies, diverse races, ethnicities, hairstyles, skin tones, (and) facial features,” Lindscott said in response to criticism of “InZoi.” “All of these things have been a historical problem for games, and there's still a problem. It's getting better but it still has a long way to go.”
Despite criticisms, many are looking forward to the expansion of the life simulation genre and the hopeful growth of “InZoi” as a brand.
“The Sims” continues to foster creativity and inspire players. As technology advances, the future of life simulation games holds exciting possibilities for even more immersive and imaginative experiences. Fans will have to wait and see if “InZoi” can keep up.
