The Sims Online

Last updated

The Sims Online
The Sims Online Cover.jpg
Developer(s) Maxis [1] [2]
Publisher(s) EA Games
Producer(s) Margaret Ng
Virginia Ellen McArthur
Designer(s) Will Wright
Chris Trottier
Jenna Chalmers
Programmer(s) Jeff Lind
Greg Kearney
Artist(s) Bob King
Composer(s) Jerry Martin
Series The Sims
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: December 17, 2002
Genre(s) Massively multiplayer online social simulation
Mode(s) Multiplayer

The Sims Online was a 2002 massively multiplayer online game (MMO) developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts (EA) for Microsoft Windows. The game was a subscription-based online multiplayer version of the 2000 Maxis game The Sims , in which players could interact with others on virtual user-made lots, buy and customise properties, and make money by taking on jobs the game's virtual economy. The Sims Online was the project of Maxis founder and Sims creator Will Wright, who sought to create an open-ended online game based on social interaction, with ambitions for the game to be a platform for emergent gameplay and the creation of virtual societies and politics. In line with these ambitions and the prior commercial success of The Sims, The Sims Online received considerable pre-release coverage, with expectations that it would be successful and break new ground for online multiplayer games.

Contents

Released following a two-month public beta, The Sims Online was met with mixed reviews from critics. Reviewers generally praised the game's social features, but found the game to lack the depth and appeal of The Sims, with many describing it as similar to a chat room. The overemphasis of jobs and money-making in the game was particularly critiqued due to the limited, repetitive and time-consuming nature of these activities in overall gameplay. The game similarly fared poorly commercially, underperforming press, industry and publisher expectations for the success of the game. The game also courted controversy, with its open-ended approach to social interaction leading to organised player harassment and simulated cybersex. The player count of The Sims Online peaked at slightly over 100,000 players in 2003, a modest number compared to other popular multiplayer games of the time. In March 2007, EA announced that the product would be re-branded as EA-Land, introducing several major enhancements to the game. Within several weeks, EA announced the game would shut down, and closed the servers on August 1, 2008. The Sims Online has retrospectively been viewed as a failed experiment, with its failure attributed to its limited features, repetitive gameplay and subscription fee. A free third-party reimplementation of The Sims Online, titled FreeSO, was launched in 2017.

Gameplay

Sim and neighborhood setup

Players setup the game by select a city and creating a sim. Cities represent persistent servers with different players; each player may have one sim per city with a total of three sims. Creating a sim is similar to The Sims, with control over name, gender, and appearance. [3] Once the sim is created, a player enters the city view of the selected city, divided into neighborhoods which feature a grid of properties. Players can use a search, browser and map filters to locate existing properties, including by attributes including their popularity and category. As in The Sims, players are required to manage their sim's needs whilst on a lot by keeping their eight individual motive levels high, which include hunger, comfort, hygiene, bladder, energy, fun, social, and room. [4] The Sims Online features a similar skill progression system to The Sims, with some modifications. Skills improve players' ability to generate an income using skill objects. Skill progression is accelerated by the number of people progressing the same skill at the same time in a lot. Skills also degrade over time based on the total number of skill points earned. [5]

Social interaction

The Sims Online integrates social features that allow players to interact with others. Players can search, bookmark, and locate other players in their neighborhood by name in the city view. This view also provides a top 100 list of the most successful sims and properties in the neighborhood by various categories. The relationships between players are visually depicted in a friendship web, which depicts the player's network of friends, enemies and acquaintances. These statuses are manually set by players. [6]

Relationships are indirectly measured by a relationship score that increases and decreases along with the daily and lifetime interactions a player has with another. Players have also several modes of social interaction inside and outside of properties. Messages can be sent through the user interface to specific players, which turns into a real-time chat if both players are online. If both players are on the same property, they can interact using an open text chat creating speech bubbles to nearby players. Players can also select animated gestures and interactions, with more earned by progressing skills above a certain level or having a higher relationship score. Some gestures and interactions are mutual and require both players to accept before proceeding. Players can manage unwanted behaviour by ignoring the player, removing their text in chat, or banning them from the lot if owned by the player. [5]

Making money and managing property

Player properties in The Sims Online can be inhabited by other players as visitors or roommates. Sims Online Screenshot.jpg
Player properties in The Sims Online can be inhabited by other players as visitors or roommates.

Simoleans are the main commodity in The Sims Online, used to purchase lots and objects and design buildings. There are several other sources of income for players. Passive sources of income include a daily 'visitor bonus' based on the number of minutes that visitors spend in the lot, and an 'achievement bonus' for featuring on the game's top ranking lists. Players with properties also can set several items that allow others to pay them an income, including tip jars and fees for vending machines and pay-to-enter doors. Players can also trade and sell objects for a profit. The primary source of income for players is using job objects. Some job objects produce items of value accumulated at a rate based on the player's skill level and number of other players simultaneously producing items. These objects are based upon a single skill requirement. Other job objects require multiple players to participate, and feature minigames that payout based on the efficiency of the players, including games to navigate mazes, guess the correct letters in a code, and create a pizza with the largest variation in ingredients. These objects often have multiple skill requirements at different levels, requiring players to find others with compatible skills. [7]

Players purchase and manage properties in a different manner to The Sims. Players select a vacant lot located in a neighborhood, with property values affected by the location and size. Players that own a property can invite roommates to inhabit them. Roommates have the ability to add or remove their own objects and manage visitors, but do not have the rights to manage expand the property and its inhabitants. The owner's user interface provides additional pages that allow them to manage inhabitants, such as lists of admitted and banned users. Property pages in the game's city view provide key information a property, including its residents and property type. [5]

Development and release

Development and release

The Sims Online was taking The Sims into a giant, shared world. It was kind of Darwinian: who can build the coolest place that the others want to hang out in? I wanted the social structures to be as emergent as possible.

Will Wright, Wired [8]

The Sims Online was conceived by Maxis lead designer and creator of The Sims, Will Wright, who envisioned future games would be online as the "norm rather than the exception", [9] and proposed the concept of an online Sims game to Maxis in 2000. [10] Delivering a keynote speech at the 2001 Game Developers Conference, Wright revealed initial concepts and screenshots for The Sims Online, [11] outlining an aim for the game to imitate and represent real-life social networks as "an interactive exploration of the emerging social web" and based upon the "social topography" created and explored by players. [12] [13] [14] Wright also attributed conversations with author Neal Stephenson and his 1992 novel Snow Crash as inspiration for the game, with its notion of a metaverse also emerging as a comparison point for publishers and reviewers. [10] [15] [16] To reinforce the idea of an open-ended virtual environment, Wright concieved the game would be "thematically empty" upon release, with its settings and social dynamics to be created by players with minimal guidance from the game. [17]

To realise Wright's concept, the development team aimed to create an online game with The Sims engine that encouraged interaction between players, [18] and provide a broader business and economic simulation built from this premise. [19] Initially pitched as a smaller matchmaking client where players could visit each other's houses, suggestions by EA and Maxis to focus the game on a subscription model led to development of a larger online game. [10] The team, which initially had little to no experience creating massively multiplayer online games, encountered challenges and delays in creating and scaling tools and processes from a game originally intended as a single-player experience. [10] [20] [21] Ultima Online developer Gordon Walton joined Maxis to provide experience on designing online games. [10] The team also featured a larger representation of women for the time reflecting the majority female audience of The Sims franchise, [22] commended by the ELSPA as a "success story" for the female games industry workforce. [23] The undisclosed development budget for The Sims Online was estimated by industry insiders to be $25 million. [24] EA announced the release of a public beta in October 2002. [25]

Prior to release, The Sims Online received significant pre-release coverage and high expectations as a potential commercial and cultural phenomenon, [26] following the showcase of the game at E3 in May 2002. [10] [27] Featured as a cover article on Newsweek , the game was hailed as a "step forward for online games" and an emerging "forum for social interaction". [15] Lev Grossman of Time described the upcoming title as a "daring collective social experiment" to simulate a "vast virtual society" and "sandbox where we can play out our fantasies and confront our fears about what America might become". [28] Some noted the novelty of an MMO that did not feature a fantasy theme in contrast to popular MMO games of the time, including Everquest and Ultima Online , [29] [30] with speculation that its general appeal could "bring multiplayer online gaming to the masses". [31] Others expressed caution about the game's high expectations, with Chris Morris of CNN noting the commercial risk due to the poor performance of previous EA online games Motor City Online and Majestic , and the "looming question of whether casual gamers will be willing to pay a monthly fee". [32] The Sims Online was launched on 17 December 2002 to coincide with the Christmas period. [33] The release was accompanied by a kitsch-themed launch party organized by EA and held in New York at the Altman Building. [34]

Controversy

I think the problem is that the game itself is mind-numbingly boring. It's an axiom of these games that the less there is to do, the more people gravitate toward cybersex.

—Peter Ludlow, Reason [35]

The Sims Online was subject to controversy due to the behaviors of some of its user base, [36] [37] prompting commentary on whether these behaviours consisted of virtual crime. Many critics noted the unexpected adult behavior of the game at release, with critics observing the game had a "sleazy" and "off-color" tone due to the risqué theme of the franchise, [38] and commonly encountered flirting, sex, and users operating virtual brothels offering sex in exchange for simoleons. [39] [40] This had not been entirely unexpected; Wright had previously stated the developers were "counting on" players to create "bordellos and whatever else they can imagine" with the game's open-ended tools. [14] Players also discovered that the relationship system could be abused by threatening to label the reputation of others as untrustworthy, with cases spanning from targeted harassment to widespread, co-ordinated efforts by a Mafia of players who would extort victims and properties. [41] [42] [43]

Public attention was further brought to these issues by Peter Ludlow, a University of Michigan philosophy professor, who operated an online blog titled the Alphaville Herald that frequently canvassed the activities of the inhabitants on the server of the same name. [44] Under the pseudonym Urizenus, Ludlow observed, wrote about, and interviewed users engaging in practices including scams, [45] sadomasochism, [46] [47] prostitution, [48] and organised crime. [49] Of particular concern was a reported griefer, Evangeline, who claimed to be a seventeen-year old male who operated a brothel offering virtual sex services in the game. [50] [51] Ludlow, among other academics, noted the ethical grey area of these activities, although the potential of "real money" being exchanged for simoleons opened up issues around the "exploitation" of users. [50] Ludlow's account on The Sims Online was banned by EA on the basis that he had included a link to his website in his player profile, raising mainstream commentary on the merits of Ludlow's reporting, the potential harms of virtual crime, and the adequacy of moderation in the game. [50] [51] [52]

Post-release content and EA-Land

Following release, the development team used surveys, feedback and demographic studies on the player base to plan a growth strategy for the game, aiming to provide more specific goals and activities, enhance the social aspects of the game, and integrating more features from The Sims into the game. Initial features added by the development team included clothing racks to customise outfits, a player trading feature, [53] non-player characters that provide services, and pets from The Sims Unleashed ; [54] however, the introduction of the clothing rack also introduced a exploit into the game that allowed players to generate large amounts of money. Despite being fixed, the exploit led to hyperinflation and permanently impacted the game's virtual economy. [55] [56] [57]

In February 2008, EA announced that The Sims Online would be relaunched as a free-to-play reworked version titled EA-Land. The launch was the product of ongoing development from a small development team led by EA studio head Luc Barthelet from 2007 under the initial name TSO-E, designed as a single, merged city. [58] [59] As part of this process, several features were introduced into the game, including the introduction of the ability for players to upload custom content into the game, and the integration of web and social media features, including Facebook apps and user-created widgets. [60] [61] The relaunch announcement was met with an unenthusiastic reception; Jim Rossignol of Rock Paper Shotgun described the relaunch as "horribly rebranded" and "buzzwordery", [62] and Eurogamer didn't "understand any of it". [63]

Closure

On 29 April 2008, weeks after the relaunch of the game, EA announced the EA-Land service would be shut down from 1 August. [64] The announcement was met with disappointment from users, [65] with Barthelet noting the difficult and "particularly complex" reasons for ending the service weeks after relaunch. [66] EA-Land shut down at 4:35am PST on 1 August 2008. [67] To commemorate the closure, EA developers held a 'See You Soon' party where players congregated until the shutdown of the game. [68] [69] The final moments of the game at this party were recorded by Henry Lowood's research team as part of Archiving Virtual Worlds and Preserving Virtual Worlds, two Congress-funded projects to investigate and develop measures to archive software content. [67] [70] [71]

Reception

Sales

The Sims Online was a commercial disappointment, peaking in sixth place in United States PC sales charts in December 2002. [81] At launch, the game sold 105,000 units, a quarter of its production shipment. [82] By early 2003, the game was reported as having between 80,000 and 85,000 subscribers at launch, 40,000 of whom remained on a free trial. [26] [83] [84] Citing an "error on expectations" for sales, EA immediately dropped the retail price of the game from $49.99 to $29.99. [54] [83] The subscription base, which remained under 100,000 for most of 2003, [85] [86] underperformed industry expectations, [87] and fell short of EA goals of reaching 200,000 by March and 400,000 subscribers by the end of the year. [24] [26] [88] Analyst Bruce Woodcock estimated active player subscriptions for The Sims Online peaked near 105,000 in 2003, sharply declining in the years after. [89]

Reviews

The Sims Online received "mixed to average" review scores according to review aggregator Metacritic. [72] Reviewers generally praised the social networking features of the game, with several comparing it to the functionality of a chat room. [73] [76] [80] Describing the game as a "chat room come to life', Michael Lafferty of GameZone considered the interactive social gameplay to be a highlight of The Sims Online due to the diversity of the player base. [80] A. A. White of Game Revolution commended the "realized" and "excellent" integration of in-game instant messaging and email. [77] Jessica Theon of Computer Games praised the game's design and social features in encouraging player co-operation, although she found the map and search function making it difficult to navigate to find others. [74] Game Informer enjoyed the communal aspect of the game, but wished there were more gameplay options than "mindless genial interaction". [76] Scott Steinberg of PC Zone highlighted the game's "unique approach to massive online play" and focus of the game mechanics to "bring people together", but found the lack of a chat log made it difficult to monitor and continue conversations. [39] Several critics also discussed the negative aspects of player interaction. Steve Butts of IGN noted the gameplay was open to "confusion" and "abuse", observing easy ways to exploit the property manager system. [38] Dana Jongewaard of Computer Gaming World found players were generally unwilling to interact in gameplay and were primarily focused on making money. [75] In contrast, Jessica Theon of Computer Games found players to be "incredibly friendly and helpful". [74]

Many critics questioned the merits of the game's changes compared to The Sims. Steve Butts of IGN noted the gameplay lacked "challenge and conflict" due to the individual focus of gameplay and less scripted nature of other players. [38] T. J. Deci of Allgame considered the social mechanics to detract from the appeal of The Sims, citing the lack of player customisation to differentiate players. [73] Dana Jongewaard of Computer Gaming World noted the design of The Sims Online omitted large aspects of the original game, including its events, careers, and special characters. [75] A. A. White of Game Revolution noted the game's greater emphasis on collective activities was effective, but reduced the uniqueness of individual sims, their interests and personality traits. [77] Scott Steinberg of PC Zone lamented the absence of the "little details" from The Sims, such as disasters. [39]

The game's business simulation mechanics were also critiqued. Steve Butts of IGN noted that the lack of a "player-run market of commodities and items" limited the incentive of focusing on the money-making aspects of the game. [38] GameSpot similarly cited the functionality of the economy as a problem for the game, finding skill building and money making activities to be limited and repetitive. [78] A. A. White of Game Revolution found the money-making activities generic, "non-interactive", and limited in progression, leading to an "intense emphasis on drudgery" and the proliferation of "sweatshop" lots on the game to facilitate money-making. [77] Carla Harker of GameSpy similarly described them as a "boring", "time-consuming", and "repetitive chore". [79] Describing money as the "downfall of the game", Scott Steinberg of PC Zone noted the job objects dominate player participation and interaction, stating "the emphasis on cash and beauty leaves the game unbalanced, offering little reward to the player who wants to pursue a different path". [39]

Accolades

The Sims Online received Best Simulation Game at the 2002 E3 Game Critics Awards, [90] [91] and the award for Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year at the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2003. [92]

Retrospective reception

We know as little about why multiplayer online games fail as we do about why they succeed. The size of their publishers may be a factor but is no guarantee of success ... as with the Sims Online, it would seem that an MMOG based on a top-selling single-player franchise should have been a sure hit. But in spite of its ardent fan base, two successive attempts at launching the game failed.

—Celia Pearce, Communities of Play [93]

Initial post-release reception of The Sims Online evaluated the game as falling far below the cultural, commercial and critical impact of The Sims, with some labelling the game as a failure. [33] [94] [95] Early assessments from analysts suggested the game's disappointing performance arose from a late December release too close to Christmas, poor reviews, and a limited time from announcement to release to generate support for a subscription service. [96] Computer Gaming World assessed that whilst the game was meant to be a "breakthrough" game, "players stayed away in droves". [97] Several authors categorized The Sims Online as part of a trend of failed launches of massively multiplayer online games in the early millennium. [93] [98] [99]

Many writers attempted to assess the reasons for the underperformance of The Sims Online. Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire of Computer Games cited the game's difficulties in attracting a "diverse player base" and "role-playing and storytelling community" due to the medium of a massively multiplayer online game being "expensive" and "time-intensive" for players to maintain. [100] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer wrote that the mixture of pre-broadband performance issues and lack of infrastructure failed to "support the infinitely malleable persistent virtual world The Sims required". [101] Describing the game as an "imperfect" transition of The Sims, Steen et al. attributed the underperformance of the game to the "disassociation" between the idea of the player as an avatar and the dissatisfying social and economic gameplay mechanics that dominated the online experience, creating a "chilling effect" on natural social interaction. [102] Dan Morris of PC Gamer stated the game needed a "well-defined narrative, not just a sandbox". [103] Graham Smith of Rock Paper Shotgun described the game as a "mess", citing the vulnerability of its player-driven economy to bugs and the unscrupulous nature of players. [55] Leah Williams of Kotaku noted the game was a "bold experiment" with a sound concept, but "faded quickly" due to the newness of the internet, the lack of players and available features, and constant development changes. [104] [105] Describing the game as a "letdown", video game historian Phil Salvador assessed that whilst the concept "should have worked", the game's economic features were "a constant grind" with "non-existent" entertainment venues, but noted that "its communal work interactions anticipated the sort of social games that are popular today". [106]

Legacy

Developers of The Sims Online retrospectively shared views that the game was a disappointment. Will Wright assessed the game's lack of success as due to the online subscription model failing to fit with the core audience of The Sims, noting that Online was "a very different game", [107] and that many of the constraints of the game came from the limitations of creating a multiplayer online game. [108] Executive producer Gordon Walton stated that the game was not shipped with the complete features envisioned by the development team due to time constraints, writing "not having a fully functioning economy and more fun activities ... made the game less appealing than we wanted". [33] Although later added in EA-Land, The Sims developer Don Hopkins considered the initial lack of support for player-created content was also a major factor in the game's failure. [109] [110] Associate producer Jessica Lewis speculated the game's higher price and subscription fee at launch deterred some consumers, who could purchase expansion packs for The Sims for cheaper. [54] The Sims 2 , a single-player title and sequel to The Sims, was developed by Maxis and published by EA in 2004. Sims 2 producer Tim LeTourneau assessed that The Sims Online was "ahead of its time" even though it "never resonated as strongly as the regular Sims game did". [111]

The Sims Online frequently arose in discussions about online integration in future Sims titles, with journalists noting the failure of the game suggested the unpopularity of the concept. [112] [113] The Sims Online was also noted to foreshadow later business practices by EA to increase online integration and monetization of the Sims franchise. [114] In 2011, EA published the online game The Sims Social on Facebook, [115] which featured similar social networking features on the platform. [116] Dollowing negative feedback to the online integration of the 2013 title SimCity , EA announced The Sims 4 would be "an offline, client-based game". [117] In discussing the future direction of the Sims franchise in 2020, EA CEO Andrew Wilson noted The Sims Online had been influential in the studio's approach to considering how "social interactions and competitive elements" could be integrated into the gameplay experience for future Sims titles. [112] [118]

FreeSO

FreeSO, a free fan-made recreation of The Sims Online created by developer Rhys Simpson in C# and MonoGame, was launched in open beta on 6 January 2017. [119] The game is a non-commercial, legal re-implementation of The Sims Online, acting as a client to read the game's original source code, and has been approved by EA. [120] Simpson had developed the game from July 2016, [121] seeking to "recapture the feeling" of The Sims Online. [122] Initially featuring a shared area named Sunrise Creator that accommodated 200 users, demand for the beta was so high that the servers crashed under a load of 1,000 accounts. [123] [124]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxis</span> American video game developer

Maxis is an American video game developer and a division of Electronic Arts (EA). The studio was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun, and acquired by Electronic Arts in 1997. Maxis is best known for its simulation games, including The Sims, Spore and SimCity.

<i>SimCity</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

SimCity, also known as Micropolis or SimCity Classic, is a city-building simulation video game developed by Will Wright, and released for several platforms from 1989 to 1991. SimCity features two-dimensional graphics and an overhead perspective. The game's objective is to create a city, develop residential and industrial areas, build infrastructure, and collect taxes for further city development. Importance is placed on increasing the population's standard of living, maintaining a balance between the different sectors, and monitoring the region's environmental situations to prevent the settlement from declining and going bankrupt.

<i>The Sims</i> (video game) 2000 video game

The Sims is a social simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts in 2000. The game allows players to create and control virtual people, called "Sims", and manage their daily lives in a suburban setting. The game features an open-ended gameplay, where players can choose their own goals and objectives, and customize their Sims' appearance, personality, skills, relationships, and environment. A series of expansion packs were also released that add new content and features to the game, such as new careers, items, locations, and scenarios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Wright (game designer)</span> American video game designer and entrepreneur

William Ralph Wright is an American video game designer and co-founder of the game development company Maxis, which later became part of Electronic Arts. In April 2009, he left EA to run Stupid Fun Club Camp, an entertainment think tank in which Wright and EA are principal shareholders.

<i>SimCity 4</i> 2003 video game

SimCity 4 is a city-building simulation computer game developed by Maxis, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. The game was released in January 2003 for Microsoft Windows and in June 2003 for Mac OS X. It is the fourth major installment in the SimCity series. SimCity 4 has a single expansion pack called Rush Hour which adds features to the game. SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition contained the original game and Rush Hour combined as a single product.

<i>SimCity 3000</i> 1999 video game

SimCity 3000 is a city building simulation video game released in 1999, and the third major installment in the SimCity series. It was published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by series creator Maxis. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and, through an arrangement with Loki Games, Linux.

<i>The Sims 2</i> 2004 video game

The Sims 2 is a 2004 strategic life simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major title in The Sims series, and is the sequel to The Sims. The game was released for Microsoft Windows on September 14, 2004, and a port for MacOS by Aspyr was released on June 17, 2005. Eight expansion packs and nine "stuff packs" were subsequently released between 2005 and 2008. In addition, versions of The Sims 2 were released on various video game consoles, including the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, and GameCube, and mobile platforms, including the Nokia Ovi Store. The three handheld versions of the game are completely different among themselves, unlike the home console versions of the game, which are virtually identical to each other. All three handheld versions take on more of a linear storyline. A sequel, The Sims 3, was released in June 2009

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sims: Unleashed</span> 2002 video game

The Sims: Unleashed is a 2002 expansion pack developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts for The Sims. The fifth expansion pack for The Sims, Unleashed expands the game's neighborhood to include a community area named Old Town which allows players to purchase pets, including cats and dogs, and farm their own produce. Unleashed was announced by Electronic Arts in June 2002 and released in September, with a Macintosh port of the game published by Aspyr Media in December. Upon release, Unleashed received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed to the scope and variety of the gameplay additions in the new neighborhood and pet mechanics, although expressing disappointment at the limited degree of control and gameplay mechanics involving pets. The concept of owning pets would be later re-introduced in The Sims 2: Pets, The Sims 3: Pets and The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sims: Livin' Large</span> 2000 video game

The Sims: Livin' Large a 2000 expansion to The Sims developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The first of several expansions to The Sims, Livin' Large introduces several new objects and architecture features, new characters and careers. The expansion was designed with a more humorous and unusual tone to broaden the creative direction and scenarios in the game. Upon release, Livin' Large received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed to the unique and unusual range of interactive objects, and criticism to the expansion's largely cosmetic approach. In 2002, Livin' Large was combined with the original game and packaged by Electronic Arts as The Sims Deluxe.

<i>The Sims Bustin Out</i> 2003 video game

The Sims Bustin' Out is a video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and in 2004 for the N-Gage. It is the second title in The Sims console series and the first title not concurrently released on Windows PC.

<i>SimsVille</i> Cancelled video game developed by Maxis

SimsVille is a cancelled simulation video game game developed by Maxis. The game was conceived as a hybrid between the gameplay of The Sims and SimCity. Development of SimsVille was undertaken over two years by the Maxis development team for SimCity as an opportunity for expansion of The Sims franchise. Following delays to the game's release window, Maxis discontinued development of SimsVille in September 2001, citing the studio's concerns with the quality of the gameplay experience. Despite its cancellation, design elements of SimsVille would influence later Maxis products, particularly the community features of The Sims: Hot Date and the integration of Sims into SimCity 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sims: House Party</span> 2001 video game

The Sims: House Party is a 2001 expansion pack for The Sims developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The expansion introduces the gameplay features and facilities for players to hold parties and gatherings in their Sims' homes. Upon release, House Party met an average reception from reviewers, with praise directed at the new objects and mechanics that aided social interaction and variety of visual styles, and criticism at the limited scope and lack of changes to core gameplay. Many of the objects and gameplay mechanics in House Party would be reintroduced in The Sims 2: Nightlife.

<i>The Sims: Vacation</i> 2002 video game

The Sims: Vacation is a 2002 expansion pack for The Sims developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The expansion introduces the ability for the player's sims to take vacations, as well as new social features including interests, daily and lifetime relationships, and new interactions. Vacation was announced by EA in January 2002, following speculation about a vacation-themed fourth expansion to the game, and was shipped in March 2002.

Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters. Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem". Other terms include artificial life game and simulated life game (SLG).

SimCity is an open-ended city-building video game franchise originally designed by Will Wright. The first game in the series, SimCity, was published by Maxis in 1989 and was followed by several sequels and many other spin-off Sim titles, including 2000's The Sims, which itself became a best-selling computer game and franchise. Maxis developed the series independently until 1997, and continued under the ownership of Electronic Arts until 2003. EA commissioned various spinoffs from other companies during the 2000s, focusing on console and mobile releases. A 2013 EA-Maxis reboot was subject to what has been described as "one of the most disastrous launches in history", which may have triggered the 2015 shutdown of Maxis Emeryville and the end of the franchise.

<i>SimCity</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

SimCity is a city-building and urban planning simulation massively multiplayer online game developed by Maxis Emeryville and published by Electronic Arts. Released for Microsoft Windows in early March 2013, it is a reboot of the SimCity series, and is the first major installment since the release of SimCity 4 a decade before. A macOS version was released on August 29, 2013.

<i>The Sims</i> Series of video games

The Sims is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and is one of the best-selling video game series of all time. It is also part of the larger Sim series, started by SimCity in 1989.

Social simulation games are a subgenre of life simulation game that explore social interactions between multiple artificial lives. Some examples include The Sims and Animal Crossing series.

<i>Spore</i> (2008 video game) 2008 video game

Spore is a 2008 life simulation real-time strategy god game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Designed by Will Wright, it covers many genres including action, real-time strategy, and role-playing games. Spore allows a player to control the development of a species from its beginnings as a microscopic organism, through development as an intelligent and social creature, to interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture. It has drawn wide attention for its massive scope, and its use of open-ended gameplay and procedural generation. Throughout each stage, players are able to use various creators to produce content for their games. These are then automatically uploaded to the online Sporepedia and are accessible by other players for download.

<i>The Sims 4</i> 2014 video game

The Sims 4 is a free-to-play social simulation game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fourth major title in The Sims series, following The Sims 3 (2009). The game was released in North America on September 2, 2014, for Windows, an OS X version was released in February 2015, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released in November 2017. The game was moved to a free-to-play model on October 18, 2022, monetized by the purchase of various paid downloadable content packs that have been developed since its release.

References

  1. IGN: The Sims Online Archived 2008-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  2. The Sims Online for PC – The Sims Online PC Game – The Sims Online Computer Game Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Getting Started". IGN. March 27, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. "Live Mode". IGN. March 27, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Kramer, Greg (2002). The Sims Online: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. ISBN   0-7615-4002-4.
  6. "Relationships". IGN. March 27, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  7. "Making Simoleans". IGN. March 27, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  8. Baker, Chris (August 14, 2012). "Interview: Will Wright wants to make a game out of life itself". Wired. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  9. Kelly, Kevin (January 1, 1994). "Will Wright: The Mayor of SimCity". Wired. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Keighley, Geoff. "The Endless Hours of The Sims Online". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 13, 2002. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  11. "Video: Will Wright's classic 2001 keynote on game design inspirations". Game Developer. August 24, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  12. "GDC 2001: Will Wright Unveils Sims Online". IGN. March 23, 2001. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  13. Will Wright (March 2001). Design Plunder. Game Developers Conference 2001. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Will Wright's Design Plunder. GDC. August 25, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Sims Family Values". Newsweek. November 24, 2002. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  16. Levine, Robert (November 1, 2002). "The Sims Online". Wired. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  17. Morris, Dan (September 2001). "The Sims Online". PC Gamer. No. 88. pp. 10–17.
  18. Wildgoose, David (July 2001). "The Sims Online". PC PowerPlay. No. 62. pp. 28–31.
  19. Levine, Daniel (April 21, 2002). "One on one with Will Wright, creator of 'The Sims'". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  20. Mellon, Larry (2005). Building Multi-Player Games Case Study: The Sims Online - Lessons Learned. Game Developers Conference. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  21. Kearney, Greg; Mellon, Larry; West, Darrin (Spring 2003). Scaling The Software Development Process: Lessons Learned from The Sims Online. Game Developers Conference. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  22. "Jobs for the girls". Guardian Unlimited. June 23, 2005. Archived from the original on October 23, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  23. Chicks and Joysticks: An Exploration of Women and Gaming (PDF). Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2005.
  24. 1 2 Becker, David (June 30, 2003). "Will 'Sims Online' alter gaming world?". CNET. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  25. Becker, David (October 3, 2002). ""The Sims" put to online test". CNET. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  26. 1 2 3 Richtel, Matt (February 3, 2003). "Technology: Fine Print in Electronic Arts' Results". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  27. Shoemaker, Brad (May 22, 2002). "E3 2002: The Sims Online impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  28. Grossman, Lev (November 25, 2002). "Sim Nation". Time. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  29. Johnson, Steven (November 12, 2002). "The No-Magic Kingdom". Slate. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  30. "Sim-ulating Life Online". Chicago Tribune. November 20, 2002. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  31. "E3 2002: Sims Online". PC PowerPlay. No. 76. August 2002. p. 56.
  32. Morris, Chris (March 28, 2002). "Goodbye Myst. Hello Sims". CNN Money. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  33. 1 2 3 Drake, Shannon (July 2006). "20 Million Dollar Failure". The Escapist. No. 55. pp. 18–19.
  34. Ito, Suzanne (January 7, 2003). "The Sims' Nostalgic Launch". BizBash. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  35. Walker, Jesse (April 2004). "Hobbes in Cyberspace". Reason. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  36. Chmielewski, Dawn (June 5, 2003). "Hey Tony, outta the way, mob moves on 'Sims Online'". Mercury News. Archived from the original on June 8, 2003. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  37. "Game Sparks Bad Behaviour Online". Wired. Associated Press. July 6, 2003. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 Butts, Steve (January 13, 2003). "The Sims Online Review". IGN. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 Steinberg, Scott (March 2003). "The Sims Online". PC Zone. No. 126. pp. 72–5.
  40. Herold, Charles (February 6, 2003). "Game Theory: Win Friends, Influence People, or Just Aim And Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  41. Simon, Michael (November 12, 2009). "A reputation for extortion". The Guardian. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  42. Farmer, F. Randall; Glass, Bryce (2010). "Objects, Inputs, Scope and Mechanism". Building Web Reputation Systems. O'Reilly. p. 162. ISBN   978-0-596-15979-5.
  43. Zandt, Deanna (July 31, 2012). "Can Anything Save Us From Flaming And Trolling On The Internet?". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  44. Knight, Will (January 25, 2004). "Sins of the Sims". Tampa Bay. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  45. Urizenus (November 19, 2003). "'Voleur' Means 'Thief', Part 1". The Alphaville Herald. Archived from the original on February 11, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  46. Urizenus (December 20, 2003). "Interview with Anonymous, On Alphaville's Bondage, Discipline and Sadomasochism Community". The Alphaville Herald. Archived from the original on June 10, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  47. "Interview with Gorean Mistress Maria Laveaux and Her Slave, Toy". The Alphaville Herald. January 2, 2004. Archived from the original on June 10, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  48. "Evangeline: Interview with a Child Cyber-Prostitute in TSO". The Alphaville Herald. December 8, 2003. Archived from the original on June 10, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  49. Urizenus (January 14, 2004). "JC Soprano: Now the City is Mine!". The Alphaville Herald. Archived from the original on June 10, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  50. 1 2 3 Manjoo, Farhad (December 12, 2003). "Raking Muck in 'The Sims Online'". Salon. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  51. 1 2 Harmon, Amy (January 15, 2004). "A Real-Life Debate on Free Expression in a Cyberspace City". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  52. Ward, Mark (December 22, 2003). "The dark side of digital utopia". BBC News. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  53. Bramwell, Tom (March 5, 2003). "Sims Online gets secure trading". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  54. 1 2 3 Lewis, Jessica (September 17, 2003). "The Sims Online Evolution: A Case Study". Game Developer. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  55. 1 2 Smith, Graham (July 30, 2016). "Have You Played... The Sims Online?". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  56. Nguyen, Lisa (September 25, 2017). "15 Shocking Things You Didn't Know About The Miserable Sims Online". TheGamer. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  57. Olivetti, Justin (July 11, 2015). "The Game Archaeologist: The Sims Online". Massively Overpowered. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  58. Boyes, Emma (February 27, 2008). "The Sims Online reborn as EA-Land". GameSpot. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  59. "Log of Live IRC Chat with Luc, Parizad & Sarah". TSO-E. June 18, 2007. Archived from the original on June 20, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  60. Krotoski, Aleks (February 28, 2008). "The Sims Online becomes EA-Land". The Guardian. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  61. "A Special Message From Luc and the EA-Land Team". EA-Land Blog. April 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  62. Rossignol, Jim (February 27, 2008). "Sims Online Is Dead, Long Live "EA-Land"". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  63. Welsh, Oli (February 27, 2008). "Goodbye Sims Online, hello EA-Land". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  64. Electronic Arts (April 29, 2008). "EA-Land Drawing To A Close". EA-Land Blog. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  65. Terdiman, Daniel (April 29, 2008). "'EA Land' closing just weeks after debut". CNET. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  66. Welsh, Oli (April 30, 2008). "Electronic Arts to close EA-Land". Games Industry.biz. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  67. 1 2 McDonough, Jerome; Olendorf, Robert; Kirschenbaum, Matthew; Kraus, Kari; Reside, Doug; Donahue, Rachel; Phelps, Andrew; Egert, Christopher; Lowood, Henry; Rojo, Susan (August 31, 2010). Preserving Virtual Worlds: Final Report (Report). University of Illinois. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  68. Roman Mars (February 17, 2015). "Game Over". 99% Invisible (Podcast). Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  69. degtiar (2008). moviesEALand: See You Soon Party. Archive.org.
  70. "Saving Worlds". Stanford Magazine. November–December 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  71. Mars, Roman (March 5, 2015). "The Creepy, Surreal Apocalypse of The Sims Online". Gizmodo. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  72. 1 2 "The Sims Online". Metacritic. Retrieved January 29, 2004.
  73. 1 2 3 Deci, T.J. "The Sims Online". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  74. 1 2 3 Theon, Jessica (April 2003). "Virtual Sims Reality: The Sims Online". Computer Games. No. 149. pp. 74–5.
  75. 1 2 3 Jongewaard, Dana (April 2003). "The Sims Online". Computer Gaming World. No. 225. pp. 104–105.
  76. 1 2 3 "The Sims Online". GameInformer. March 2003. Archived from the original on September 21, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  77. 1 2 3 4 White, AA (January 1, 2003). "The Sims Online - PC". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on April 23, 2006. Retrieved January 29, 2004.
  78. 1 2 "The Sims Online". GameSpot. December 17, 2002. Archived from the original on April 2, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  79. 1 2 Harker, Carla (January 30, 2003). "The Sims Online (PC)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2004.
  80. 1 2 3 Lafferty, Michael (January 1, 2003). "The Sims Online". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 29, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  81. Calvert, Justin (May 30, 2003). "NPD weekly PC game sales chart". GameSpot. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  82. "Sims Online Almost Flops". PC PowerPlay. No. 85. April 2004. p. 20.
  83. 1 2 Todd, Brett (May 2003). "Diminishing Expectations". Computer Games. No. 150. pp. 26–27.
  84. Pham, Alex (February 4, 2003). "'Sims Online' Gives Creators a Painful Reality Check". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  85. Jones, George (May 2003). "Motor City Offline". GMR. No. 4. p. 20.
  86. Morris, Chris (May 7, 2003). "Pay for Web Games?!". CNN Money. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  87. Strong, Everard (March 2003). "Industry Watch". Game Developer Magazine. p. 10. Goldman Sachs believes that if sales of The Sims Online surpass half a million subscribers by the end of March (Electronic Arts' fiscal year-end), EA could see a 20- to 25 cent-per-share boost. However, if total subscribers come in under 350,000, the company could take a hit.
  88. IGDA Online Games Committee (March 2003). IGDA Online Games White Paper (PDF) (2nd ed.). Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  89. Woodcock, Bruce Sterling (2008). An Analysis of MMOG Subscription Growth. ION Game Conference.
  90. "2002 Winners". Game Critics Awards. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  91. "2001 Best of E3 Awards Winners Announced". IGN. June 20, 2001. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  92. "The Sims Online". Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  93. 1 2 Pearce, Celia (2009). "Communities of Play and the Global Playground". Communities of Play: Emergent Cultures in Multiplayer Games and Virtual Worlds (PDF). MIT Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN   978-0-262-16257-9.
  94. "A Top Selling Failure". Computer Games. No. 149. April 2003. p. 71.
  95. Green, Jeff (June 2003). "Flatliners". GMR. No. 5. p. 21.
  96. Morris, Chris (March 4, 2003). "Electronic Arts' Online Folly". CNN. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  97. Scott, Ryan; Salvatore, Kristen; Green, Jeff; Jongewaard, Dana (January 2006). "Online Evolution". Computer Gaming World. No. 258. pp. 62–4.
  98. King, Brad; Borland, John (2003). "Herding Gamers". Dungeons and dreamers : the rise of computer game culture, from geek to chic. McGraw-Hill. pp. 230–231. ISBN   0-07-222888-1.
  99. Olsen, Jennifer (April 2003). "Game Plan". Game Developer. p. 4.
  100. Jenkins, Henry; Squire, Kurt (June 2003). "SimTreadmill". Computer Games. No. 151. p. 92.
  101. Whitehead, Dan (February 5, 2010). "The History of The Sims". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  102. Steen, Francis; Greenfield, Patricia; Davies, Mari Sian; Tynes, Brendesha (2006). "What went wrong with The Sims Online: Cultural learning and barriers to identification in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game". In P. Vordered & J. Bryant (ed.). Playing Video Games: Motives, responses and consequences (PDF). Lawrence Erlbaum. pp. 320–321. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2023.
  103. Taylor, Chris (August 31, 2003). "Reinventing The Sims". Time. Archived from the original on September 4, 2003. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  104. Williams, Leah (January 22, 2021). "The Sims 5 Should Reboot The Sims Online". Kotaku. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  105. Williams, Leah (September 8, 2021). "The Best MMOs That Died". Kotaku. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  106. Salvador, Phil (March 9, 2015). "Farewell, Maxis: a look back and some Sim obscurities". The Obscuritory. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  107. "Will Wright On...The Sims Online". PC PowerPlay. No. 94. December 2003. p. 46.
  108. "To Infinity...And Beyond". Computer Gaming World. No. 263. June 2006. p. 76.
  109. Hopkins, Don (February 5, 2004). "Sims Proposals". Don Hopkins' RadiOMatic BlogUTron. Archived from the original on April 3, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  110. Urizenus (February 12, 2004). "Interview With Don Hopkins". The Alphaville Herald. Archived from the original on June 11, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  111. Takahashi, Dean (February 3, 2010). "Interview with Tim LeTourneau on 10 years of making The Sims". VentureBeat. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  112. 1 2 "EA Hints at the Future of Sims". GameCenter. No. 69. March 2020. p. 12.
  113. Cobbett, Richard (May 18, 2013). "What We Want From The Sims 4: The Sims Online (Or Not)". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  114. "Post Script: How The Sims 4 suggests EA's attitude to its customers is improving - gradually". Edge. No. 272. November 2014. p. 106.
  115. Tassi, Paul (August 19, 2011). "EA's The Sims Social Debuts to Almost 5M Active Users". Forbes. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  116. Geron, Tomio (August 18, 2011). "EA Launches The Sims Social On Facebook". Forbes. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  117. Walker (August 21, 2013). "Smiley-Face Bubble: The Sims 4 Will Be Offline". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  118. Tassi, Paul (February 2, 2020). "EA Reveals A Cross-Platform Future For 'The Sims' In The PS5 And Xbox Series X Era". Forbes. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  119. Simpson, Rhys (December 15, 2016). "FreeSO Open Beta kicks off on January 6th!". FreeSO. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  120. Williams, Leah (October 15, 2018). "How Fan-Based Projects Are Helping Preserve Video Games History". IGN. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  121. Simpson, Rhys (March 31, 2018). "One Year of Beta Testing". FreeSO. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  122. Simpson, Rhys (December 17, 2022). "20 Years of The Sims Online". FreeSO. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  123. Donnelly, Joe (January 9, 2017). "Sims Online fan-made remake crashes at launch due to huge flood of players, plans closed beta". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  124. Keefer, John (January 12, 2017). "Unofficial Sims Online game buckles under unexpected demand and delayed". ShackNews. Retrieved February 12, 2024.