Ruth A Deller, Sheffield Hallam University UKr.a.deller@shu.ac.uk @ruthdeller

'They've still not finished the bloody game yet': Fan anticipation and 'unticipation' for The Sims 4

‘They’ve still not finished the bloody game yet.’ Anticipation and ‘unticipation’ for The Sims 4Background and contextSurvey overviewPromo and responses“Missing” contentFan drama and community divisionAnd now it’s out…?

There was however the above little proviso sneaked in at the bottom… giving away that they’ve still not finished the bloody game yet. So hey, maybe it will be better upon launch day, it’s only in four months time. (The Mare’s Nest, May 2014)

Fan anticipation and ‘unticipation’ - where have we come from? Wanting to avoid hurts of the

past from disappointments (Brooker 2002)

Resistance to capitalist, corporate practices (Dyer-Witheford and de Peuter 2009)

Tensions between bespoke/creative production team (e.g. Maxis) and big corporation (e.g. EA) (see McCulloch 2013a)

The Sims franchise as site of fan co-production (e.g. Jenkins 2006, Gee and Hayes 2010)

Ideas of ‘fantagonism’ (McCulloch 2013b) or the ‘anti-fan within the fan’ (Theodoropoulou 2007)

Sims fans seeing fan-modding and creation as fixing EA’s problems. Piracy of DLC (store content as ‘trade-off’ (Deller 2013)

Well done to [name] at Mod The Sims and everyone else that’s currently spreading the news like wildfire about the whale of fail that is EA’s supposed advancement in the Sims series for next year. We warned it was going to be a rush job to grab a slice of the new consoles, and the screenshots that have now been leaked are downright damning in what a poor product these bumnuggets are expecting you to cough up full whack for... The Shiny Happy People out there can wriggle about it all they want, but are they now going to say with a straight face that Sims 4 looks anywhere near better than Sims 3... Having the faces lit up like Sims 2 and turning up the Gamma Correction doesn’t take away from the fact they are blatantly going to be asking people to pay up for what appears to be the bastard child of Sims 2 and Sim 3, conceived after a takeaway pizza dinner from a shag on top of the office photocopier.. This is the shape of things to come? Well that shape looks like a wreckedtangle! (The Mare's Nest)

There are tons of lists out there compiling missing or removed features from The Sims 4.  The lists are so long and detailed many are wondering what’s actually in the game and why they should buy at all.   Graham Nardone attempts to answer that question at Mod The Sims and in the process pisses off fans — inadvertently I’m sure — by dismissing our complaints and concerns over the missing features as “minutia of differences”. (Honeywell's Sims 4 Blog)

The Mare’s Nest, 2014

Pre-release survey available for a month (Aug 2014) – 777 respondents. Post-release survey currently active.

Gender: 75% female, 22% male, 2% other, 1% did not disclose.

Age: 13-19: 20%, 20-29: 36%, 30-39: 20%, 40-49: 13%, 50-59: 7%, 60-69: 3%, Other 1% (0.4 under 13; 0.6 over 70)

Wide range of nationalities but approximately 60% American.

Players actively played: TS1 8%, TS2 54%, TS3 79%, TSM 13%, Other Sims PC games 2% Mobile/tablet Sim games 8%, console sim games 5%, other simulations 21%.

Most popular sources of TS4 news/gossip: Fan blogs/sites 75%, Official EA/The Sims websites 73%, Fan forums 66%, Official YouTube 56%, Official forums 47%, Fan YouTube 46%, Official Twitter 34%.

Approximately 70% of qualitative comments about TS4 were negative. Survey details

The general look of the game looks like something my 5 year old granddaughter would be interested in... The trailers are pushing the weirdness, which is too over the top for me. And of all they've released, hardly anything family oriented; it seems to be a game of partyhartyyoungadults... euw... don't want... (#305)

I think it's played too much into the "weirder" stories thing. Sims was already weird and wacky... It's just so confusing. Every simmer plays their own way. Why are they assuming we all want weirder? It's a little unsettling... (#361)

Sorry, but what an awful advertising campaign. The SimGurus saying nothing for almost half of the time, the long waitings with the "you will have news soon", the "no comments" when people make interesting questions just two months later say "and the answer is no, sims 4 won't have this, too" (#19)

They have been extremely quiet and frustrating with their marketing. "No comment" is a stance that can only hurt them in the long run, and there are very few times that "no comment" can be employed by anyone without it seeming like an evasion for the worst reasons. (#23)

The fact we haven't seen any real (i.e. not staged) gameplay is worrying. It's like they're trying to hide something, like the game is still lacking core features because they've spent too long on """""emotions""""". (#55)

Typical EA promo material. Not like the actual game, staged (every single video shows the same thing)... tries to fool people into believing some things will be possible in the game when they are not... Not honest at all and only tries to trick players into buying the game. (#259)

38% of survey respondents received an invitation to use the pre-release CAS demo.

I am FUMING that they have released it piecemeal to some of the fans whilst excluding others, not only that, it has gone on for a month. (#10)

I think that EA has set up a clique of privileged insiders and splintered the Sims community. That is very distasteful to me, and I take anything those people say about the game with great skepticism that they are unbiased. Honestly, just the select way that EA has distributed information about the new game has been a huge turn-off for me. (#44)

I don't really care about it, because I hardly know any of the YibSims anyway. I'm very disappointed [name] isn't one of them though, because I appreciate his honesty. But then again, that's probably why EA doesn't give him special treatment. (#50)

EA was using fansites and fans to market their game for them. It's both lazy and deceptive, as people's guards are, theoretically, higher when viewing advertising straight from the horse's mouth. When it goes through third parties, there's more trust involved and it's shady of EA to act in this way. (#66)

I think it is a good idea, though opinions always have to be taken lightly and more research is always needed (whether they are YibSims or not). Everyone's opinions are different and just because one person loves/hates something does not mean it is innately fantastic or terrible. (#326)

It's fantastic. I think using actually sims gamers to test and feedback on the games is ideal. It lets them know what we actually want. (#391)

By a company that wasn't looking for sycophants, I would think it was a great way to involve the fanbase. However, the determined skewing towards Simmers who were mainly positive or supportive towards EA was extremely off-putting and made it seem more like a PR gimmick than a way of consulting and involving the fans. (#433)

Honeywell’s Sims 4 Blog

EA Sims 3 Forums

We’re less than 60 days out from the launch of The Sims™ 4, and I have so much I want to talk about. But let me start with a bit more about the decision we made not to include pools and toddlers in The Sims 4, as we’ve seen some of you have concerns about this.

The fact is, we owe you a clearer explanation for why pools and toddlers will not be in The Sims 4 at launch, so here goes. It begins with new technology and systems that we built for this new base game for The Sims – a new AI system, new animation system, new audio positioning tools, new locomotion logic, new routing intelligence and much more are all entirely new in this game. The vision for The Sims 4 is a new experience that brings your Sims to life in deeper and uniquely personal ways – through emotions, personality traits, behaviors and interactions. To do that, our technology base needed a major upgrade.

So the bottom line is that when we sat down and looked at everything we wanted to do for this game, all the new tech we wanted to build into it, the fact was that there would be trade-offs, and these would disappoint some of our fans. (Rachel Franklin, EA)

So, so disappointing. I love Sim families. I think taking out an entire lifestage is unforgivable. Also, the baby is treated as an object, and will only grow up when you select to. At which point, it pops out of the bassinet as an 8 year old child. Everything is just wrong with that. (#56)

HATE IT. A life simulator without ALL the life stages? Surely you jest. This was not well thought out on EA's part. Regardless that the original game was designed to be online, when they decided to make it single player, they should have put all their efforts into making sure all life stages were in the game instead of what they are going to roll out now. (#99)

It's just lazy. Killing Sims in pools is a well referenced joke in the Sims universe, and leaving them out was always going to create drama. Cutting aspects that /all/ other base Sims games have included is an extremely bad idea. (#98)

The lack of pools bothers me. Not as much as lack of toddlers, but pools have been in basegames since TS1 and they have no logical reason not to put them in now. Again, handled awfully by EA's marketing team, who told us there would be no pools (again, too late, only after players noticed there was no swimwear category in CAS) but that there'd be fountains. And then in every house they show us, they put a fountain made to resemble a pool, as if to rub salt in the wound. Classy. (#259)

WTF EA we even had pools in base game Sims 1. What were you people thinking. If you wanted to give us a half finished product with half the build tools you should give the game to use for half the price. Or better yet if we are YET AGAIN (may I remind you of the 67 patches for the Sims 3 base game, EPS and SPS in comparison to 18 for Sims 2, and 8 for Sims 1) than we should get free game access until you have actually finished the game instead of having to pay for the privilege of testing an unfinished product.) (#284)

No game developer has ever said: 'You know what would make this game better? Loading screens.' They've put them in there because they couldn't leave them out. It's worrying what that might mean for performance, especially if TS4 is going to have multiple expansion packs. (#50)

Pools are a Sims staple and nothing but greed could entice EA to remove them from the base game to sell as DLC down the road. (#606)

I fully believe they've done it so they can sell us pools as DLC and it disgusts me. I have no intention of paying for them and almost look forward to pirating them as a 'fuck you'. (#337)

The fact that it was originally planned to be an online game and then hastily scrapped together to be offline is clear from all the cut features they've announced. It just shows how out of touch EA is with the fanbase... This bare bones game was meant to be played on your ipad. I'm not a casual gamer when it comes to the Sims so that just doesn't appeal to me at all. (#255)

Won't buy, but will try (will likely receive for my birthday). If EA won't patch in missing base game content for free, I will happily pirate any and all additional game content they'll release over the years. (#298)

Overall the game seems kinda lazy, half-assed if you will. I'm trying to remain optimistic, but EA is making it very hard. (#211)

Every bit of information released is putting me off more and more from this game... (#229)

Even though I plan on buying and playing the game, I do feel like they've left an incredible amount of content out (compared to past Sims games). It's obvious they wanted to include more stuff, but they didn't have the time or the budget, which is too bad, because if the base game is this light on content, they'll sure to lose fans. It's crazy, because if they'd just give the players what they want, they'd make oodles of money! But the EA higher-ups and/or shareholders don't seem to realize that. It's this lack of respect for Simmers that is ultimately going to lose them a huge chunk of their following. (#54)

How long have you got?!... I think my key issues are: Generations and a lack of Sandbox play. Babies look terrible, kids look good, teens are basically grown-ups, and I just don't think this contributes well to legacy play. I also have problems with EA creating 'goals' and unlockable objects. The fun of The Sims is that you can create whatever challenges and stories you want, and I don't want EA telling me how to play my game. I dislike the directional play they are trying to implement, it takes away the key magic of The Sims. (#381)

What (if anything) is putting you off TS4?

What (if anything) is putting you off TS4?

I am really just looking forward to the gameplay. I know some fans are upset that TS4 gameplay is going to be more goal-oriented, but this doesn't bother me. In fact, this will really drive me to play with aging off so that I can what stories are told from following the Sims' whims and aspirations. (#25)

A game that is hopefully not as glitchy as TS3. Without NRAAS, I could not play the current version of the Sims. Having a game that does not crash my computer - upon loading - would be nice. (#31)

I'm looking forward to being able to install player created homes/rooms into my game from directly in the game. Also being able to replace the home my sims are living in at a whim is great. I am not much of a builder, but love playing in the lots other players have created. It looks like the Sims 4 has made that very easy for me to do. There are plenty of other things to look forward to (emotions, more vibrant/populated neighborhoods), but for me, the access to player content within the game is the most exciting. (#593)

The newness. I'm so sick of these past versions I could scream; game development cycles are always kind of on the lengthy side for me. Once I feel I've "finished" with a game, I get antsy to move on. (#348)

What (if anything) are you looking forward to in TS4?

The game looks great, the community [sic] sucks. making it almost hard to look forward to the game, flaming those that look forward to it. or making fun of them. Opinions are opinions and in a game inviroment [sic] there is nothing wrong with having a good opinion. Its a game, and there are so much more to be angry about than stuff that are removed. (#162)

I have been very surprised by the very negative comments on the official forums. I never post there but went there to find some info about TS4 out of curiosity. The general tone of the comments seem very immature and spiteful and I am surprised that the forums aren't deleted. Such negativity only spirals and is a very unpleasant side to such a high profile company. After all, as much as I enjoy playing TS, it a game after all and there is no compulsion to buy/play something you don't enjoy. (#165)

Will you buy TS4?Yes - I have pre-ordered it: 30% Yes - within the first month of release: 8%Yes - at a later date: 7%I am not intending to buy it but will ask for it as a gift: 2%I am not intending to buy it but will obtain it via pirated means: 6% No - I will not be buying or obtaining it: 20%Maybe - I am undecided: 20%Other 6% Hopefully the 50% sale comes sooner than later. its gonna come, no doubt in my mind, but hopefully its swift so i can just try it out myself. i just wont pay 60 for a game that doesnt even TRY to obtain 60 dollars from me. (#596)

I did not realize I felt so negatively about this game. And yet since it is my favorite series (along with a couple others tied in 1st), I feel excited to play it. It's just that I also expect a sense of disappointment to sweep over me after a while. And yet, like the hooked fan that I am... I'll keep playing. It's like an unhealthy addiction (unhealthy because I think the game is not ready). (#622)

I am ecstatic about The Sims 4! No matter what people say, I still think this game is awesome. (#589)

ReferencesBrooker, W. (2002) Using the Force. New York: Continuum.Deller, RA. (2013) More Awesome than Electronic Arts: Resistance and appropriation within the Sims gaming community. Internet Research 14, Denver.Dyer-Witheford, N. and de Peuter, G. (2009) Games of Empire: Global Capitalism and Video Games. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.Gee, J.P. and Hayes, E. (2010). Women and Gaming: The Sims and 21st Century Learning. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.McCulloch, R. (2013a) Towards Infinity and Beyond: Branding, Reputation, and the Critical Reception of Pixar Animation Studios. PhD thesis, University of East Anglia.McCulloch, R. (2013b) A Game Of Moans: ‘Fantipathy,’ Anti-Fandom, and Criticism in Football Fandom. Fan Studies Network Symposium. Theodoropoulou, V. (2007) The Anti-Fan within the Fan: Awe and Envy in Sport Fandom. In: Jonathan Gray, Cornel Sandvoss and C. Lee Harrington, eds., Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World. London: New York University Press, 316-27.