The Sims FreePlay is a strategic life simulation game developed by EA Mobile and later with Firemonkeys Studios. It is a freemium version of The Sims for mobile devices; it was released for iOS on December 15, 2011, released for Android on February 15, 2012, released for BlackBerry 10 on July 31, 2013, and released for Windows Phone 8 on September 12, 2013.
The game was banned in multiple countries: China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt due to the ability to form homosexual relationships.
The Sims Freeplay is a game available on multiple mobile devices where the player uses ‘Sims’ who they can control to do many activities similar to real life. It can be considered a simulation of real life and an escape from the real issues and hardships of everyday life to enjoy a simulation of life with no real effect or consequence. This idea can be applied to Baudrillard’s theory on postmodernism and simulacra where he says “It is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real” (“The Precession of Simulacra” 2).
Theorists:
Thomas Schatz-page 3
Steve Neale-page 4
hierarchy of needs-page 6
Henry Jenkins+Jeremy Tunstall-page 5
David Gauntlett-page 7