The Sims 3 (Game)

The Sims 3 (Game) Release date: 2009. Creator: Electronic Arts. Platform: PC. ASIN: B000166N6SA.

Plot summary: Continuing on the successes of the previous two editions of the Sims, The Sims 3 adds many new elements to traditional Sims game play. Sims games do not have a plot in the traditional sense. Like other simulator games, players make their own stories. In The Sims 3, players create families of Sims. Sims can look any way the player wants and can have any personality the player wants. Sims can start off as adults, or can begin as toddlers, kids or teens. Players create familial relationships. Sims can begin their lives in love with someone and with children, or players can have them fall in love and start a family as part of the game play. The environment of the Sims is also up to the player. Sims can live in a mansion surrounded by fancy things, or a one-room shack. Sims can have whatever job the player desires and can attain skills to advance in their careers. The possibilities are endless. Additional features present in The Sims 3 include simultaneous aging between households. This means that players can create two families, both of which will age at the same rate even if the player is not actively playing those houses. The Sims also have many more options in their lives in The Sims 3.

Critical evaluation: There are few games in the world more addictive than Electronic Arts’ Sims series. The same is true for the latest edition, The Sims 3, which takes the best parts of the earlier Sims games and introduces new features to make game play easier. The best part of The Sims 3 the sense of control it gives the player. This is why it is especially appealing for teens who often feel that they have little to no control over their lives. Players can make or break their Sims. Sims can be based on real people or fictional. Players can create a Sim of themselves and have the Sim fall in love with their dream partner. The Sims 3 allows players to use their imagination but see their creations on screen. It is a game that allows the player to escape their world and enter another, something that many teens will enjoy.

Reader's annotation: The possibilities are endless when creating your own virtual neighborhood! Watch your Sims grow from babies to toddlers, kids and teens to adults, all while you control their lives!   

About the creator: Founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins, Electronic Arts (EA) has become one of the most successful software developers and publishers in the world. One of the most notable features of EA was their commendation and promotion of their game developers, something other software companies were not doing. Game developers would receive profits from the games they created, as well as notoriety for their work. This attracted some of the industry’s best developers as EA was getting its start. After Trip Hawkins left the company in the 1990s, new CEO, Larry Probst, brought EA to its current size and scope. Much of EA’s success if due to their creation of strong game franchises, such as the Sims, sports games like Madden, FIFA, NHL, Need for Speed and Battlefield. In 2007, Probst stepped down as CEO of EA and was replace by John Riccitiello. Riccitiello now manages the company, as well as its many studios, subsidiaries, and labels. The company is headquartered in Redwood City, California. In 2010, EA has 27 titles that have sold more than one million copies, and five titles that have sold more than four million copies (one of which is The Sims 3). (http://aboutus.ea.com/home.action)

Genre: Simulation

Curriculum ties:
None

Booktalking ideas:
Role of simulation games in society
Using simulation games to role-play
Using simulations games as a way to act out imaginary scenarios

Reading level/Interest Age:
ESRB rating of T (for teens ages 13+).

Challenge issues:
Sexuality
Violence

Challenge counterpoints:Recommended for ages 13+.
Recommend parent play game before child.
Recommend parent play game with child.
Recommend parent discuss nature of game (imaginary) versus reality.  

Reasons for inclusion:
Best-selling game (has sold over 4.6 million copies, 1.4 copies in the first week of release).
Positive reviews from PC Gamer and GameSpot.