Claire Lee's review of The Sims 4
Date last edited: 05-31-2024 at 10:07PM
Rating: Teen
Review:
Claire Lee
Title: The Sims 4
Developer: Electronic Arts, Maxis
Genre: life simulator
ESRB rating: T
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Primary audience: teens and adults
Year of Release: 2014
Platform: PC, console
The Sims 4 is the latest installment of the Sims franchise. Created in 2000 by Will Wright, all four installments and the few spinoff games have sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video game series of all time. To play the Sims 4, a player must create a household of one or more computer-generated people called Sims and move them into a house in one of the many neighborhoods the game has to offer. From there, the player determines the course of action. Young Sims will go to primary or secondary school, and adult Sims can either get a job or go to college and get a degree, which will open up more career options. Ultimately, the course of the game is mostly dependent on the player.
The First Media Key: Balance
The developers of the Sims 4 take a balanced approach to creating new updates by keeping in mind the different goals of each player. One of the most interesting things about all the Sims games is that there is no specific objective. Like in real life, the player is left to determine what sort of things they would like to do. For example, some players are interested in adding supernatural elements and playing with mythical creatures such as mermaids or aliens, while others prefer a more realistic gameplay. There are expansion packs for both types of players. The game also provides multiple environments, called worlds, for Sims to live in. The player has the option to move their Sims into a big city, a remote desert, a tropical island, a Mediterranean coastal town, and many more places. You can also choose any style of architecture for your Sims’ home or simply have them rent an apartment, and there are many choices for clothing, hair, makeup, and accessories.
The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness
Unfortunately, like many games, the Sims 4 has a very secular outlook. Things such as same-sex relationships and cross-dressing are normalized in the game, which could affect impressionable younger players. However, a large part of your experience with the Sims is what you make of it. I tend to make nuclear families that behave morally. However, the player can also choose to have their Sims do immoral things. The Sims 4 is overall an acceptable game to play for someone in the right age bracket as long as they are aware of the secular attitude of the developers. I would advise parents to keep this in mind and only allow their teen to play if he or she has good critical thinking skills and can recognize that the things presented in the game are not in line with Church teaching.
The Third Media Key: Dignity of the Human Person
As discussed above, the Sims 4 portrays certain things that are accepted by society at large but are not in line with the Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person. In addition, there are ways to kill your Sims and some people choose to do this for fun. While this is certainly nowhere near the level of murdering a real person, it still creates an unhealthy mindset in the player. Nevertheless, there are other ways in which the Sims 4 upholds human dignity. For example, the player can have their Sims have very wholesome interactions with toddlers, babies, and animals, who are all incredibly adorable. I enjoy seeing parent Sims play with their children, watch them grow, and create a loving environment for them to grow up in. There is even an expansion pack called Growing Together, which is entirely focused on adding different family bonding activities. Overall, while not perfect, the Sims 4 has some redeeming qualities when it comes to the third media key.
The Fourth Media Key: Truth-filled
The Sims 4 is meant to be a life simulator, but there are many ways in which it does not tell the truth about the real world. It is possible for Sims to have sexual relations (although nothing is shown hence the teen rating), but they will only get pregnant if the player specifically chooses the “try for baby” option. This is not telling the truth about God’s design, as we know that human beings are not the authors of life, and pregnancy can happen whether we intend for it or not. Male sims are also capable of getting pregnant if the player chooses, which is contrary to simple biological reality.
The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring
The Sims 4 does not always inspire players to do what is good, since immoral actions in the game do not carry the consequences they often do in real life. For example, it is not possible in the game to contract STDs or get pregnant from casual sex, and a Sim will never go to jail for getting into a fight. However, it is possible for the player’s personal gameplay to be inspiring. When you create a Sim, you can choose certain personality traits. Some of the traits available are negative, such as the evil and materialistic traits, but others are actual virtues. For example, the player can choose for their Sim to be good, generous, or family-oriented. These Sims will be more empathetic to those around them and will be attentive to the needs of others. Thus, the players can be inspired by what they see their Sims doing so that ultimately they can be reminded of the highest good, which is heaven.
The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed
The Sims 4 is a very advanced game that usually requires a desktop computer to work properly. The graphics are excellent and have a great deal of attention to detail. A greater variety of gameplay can be achieved by purchasing the various add-on packs. Although this can get expensive, it’s worth it in my opinion. My only criticism would be that the Sims 4 has taken some steps back from the Sims 3 in several ways. The Sims 3 did not require a loading screen for your Sim to get from one place to another, and you could watch your Sim travel by bike or car, boat, or horse, whereas the Sims 4 requires loading screens. Furthermore, certain things that were all in one add-on pack in the Sims 3 were broken into multiple for the Sims 4. An example of this would be the addition of animals. The Sims 3 pets added dogs, cats, horses, and many small animals such as turtles, birds, snakes, and hamsters. The Sims 4 created a pack for cats and dogs, a pack for horses, and a pack for various rodents. It seems like this was done in order to make more money. While I enjoy playing with these animals in the Sims 4, I wish they were all in one pack like the previous game. Overall, I view these faults as minor and they do not have a significant effect on my experience.
The Sixth Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience
The Sims 4 with its expansion packs offers many experiences that are relevant to real life. A pair of engaged Sims can go through all the intricacies of planning a wedding and pregnant Sims will deal with nausea and increased appetite. Parent Sims will be woken up in the middle of the night by crying babies and will have to potty train toddlers. There is even laundry to keep track of. If you want your Sim to have the same hobby as you, that is very likely possible. Sims can have hobbies such as painting, writing, fishing, skiing, and many more. All these options ensure that the Sims 4 is a game that people can relate to.
Given these points, I would say that the Sims 4 is a very good game but still has its flaws. Many aspects of the game do not align with Catholic teachings on morality, but this is to the point where playing the game would be immoral. Thus, in light of the Church’s seven media keys, I give the Sims 4 a 4 out of 5 star rating.
Seven Keys:
Balanced:
Attitude:
Personal:
Truth-filled:
Inspired:
Skillfully Made:
Experienced:
Overall Rating: 25/35
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