This is an in-depth CSP and needs to be studied with reference to all four elements of the Theoretical Framework (Language, Representation, Industries, Audience) and all relevant contexts.

You will need to study:
• the game
• its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thesimsfreeplay/
• its Twitter feed
https://twitter.com/TheSimsFreePlay?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%
5Eauthor

Media Language

• How are the codes and conventions of a video game used in the product? How are these conventions used to influence meaning?
• Have developing technologies affected the media language? Some familiarity with the development of the Sims franchise (2000 – present) will be necessary.
• The way media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies. As a life simulation game Sims Freeplay includes many normative codes and values.
• The application of a semiotic approach will aid the analysis of the way in which the website creates a narrative about the world it is constructing.
• The genre conventions of video games, particularly the subgenre of life simulation or sandbox games, can be identified and discussed in relation to other CSP video games.
• How is the game’s narrative driven? What is the motivation for continuing engagement with the product and for the purchase of ‘premium’ content?
• Narrative in the context of online material can refer to the way that the images and the selection of stories construct a narrative about the world – one which is likely to be ideological.
• Sims Freeplay provides a useful case study for the discussion of Baudrillard’s concepts including simulation, simulacra, implosion and hyperreality

Media Representations

This product provides a wide range of opportunities to study representation. These include selfrepresentation and representations of reality. The representations of gender (van Zoonen), ethnicity (Gilroy), religious affiliation and age in the Sims franchise have been an on-going subject of debate and there have been notable changes as the series has evolved.

Representation of particular social groups
• Who is constructing the representation and to what purpose? (Stuart Hall)
• What are the values, attitudes and beliefs embodied in the representations found in Sims Freeplay?
• Analysis of the construction and function of stereotypes
• Representation of the real world and claims about realism
• Audience response to representation and issues around identity (Gauntlett)

Media Industries

Sims Freeplay is a spin-off from the highly popular and successful Sims franchise (Electronic Arts). It is an example of the ‘freemium’ commercial model – increasingly popular for app developers – in which the basic content is free but premium content is a paid for supplement. This game is a case
study example of diversification and technological change as the video game industry has started to shift away from a reliance on hard copy console and PC products to streaming and (as here) to apps for tablets and mobile phones.
• The use of diverse digital platforms
• How are video games rated and regulated in the UK? (Livingstone and Lunt)
• A study of the Sims franchise will also engage with the effect cultural producers have on media industries.

Media Audiences

This CSP can be discussed in relation to some general trends in the industry such as the gradual shift away from a heavily male-dominated target audience. Also, the reaction of some reviewers and regulators to Sims Freeplay is indicative of wider concerns about the potentially negative influences that video games are claimed to exert on players, particularly young players. These debates can be seen in the context of competing theoretical approaches to the audience, eg effects theory (Bandura), cultivation theory (Gerbner) and reception theory (Hall)
• The role of fans and fandom in video gaming (Jenkins).
• How Sims Freeplay is marketed to a predominantly youth audience
• The interaction between audience, product and digital platform and the opportunities for
audience involvement
• Differing interpretations by different groups – those belonging to and outside the primary
audience.

Social and cultural contexts

A discussion of the social and cultural context of Sims Freeplay will focus on the rapid growth and development of the video game industry and the debates about representation and effects.