THE SIMS SOCIAL DESCRIPTION

The Sims Social is a Facebook game developed by EA in 2011 through their

Playfish brand that – within one week of its debut - had accumulated over 16
million players and was one of the fastest growing Facebook games of all time
(Ward, 2011). The setting for the game is the fictional town of Littlehaven.

Utilising a methodology proposed by Konzack (1999) - in which he puts forth

the notion that all games contain 7 fundamental layers – an analysis shall be
undertaken of The Sims Social utilising this bottom up approach, taking each
layer in turn. In so doing, we may elucidate a more in-depth understanding of
the game with regard to, not only its textonics, but also its ergodic nature – in
the sense as described by Aarseth ().

and was the fifth most-used Facebook application in less than a month of
release.Taking place in a fictional town called Littlehaven. Create a Sim, guide
him or her through life, make friends and enemies, and create a mansion that
will be the envy of your neighbours! Break virtual hearts and be surrounded by
wealth in no time.
The Sims Social lets the user create their own customizable character. In this
version, however, the player uses their character to interact with those of their
Facebook friends. The characters can develop likes or dislikes for other Sims,
creating relationships that can be publicized on the user's Facebook page
LAYER 1: HARDWARE
The Sims Social is an in-browser game and as such requires no specific
hardware to run.

User interaction is achieved through manipulation of the mouse in a

conventional sense – for instance, to point and click within the game window
elicits movement from the player’s avatar or initiates interactions with in-game
textual objects and menu icons.

Assassin’s Creed (PC Version) is highly dependent, in performance terms, on

the physicality of the player’s pc. What graphics card is present? What version
of Direct X is intrinsically supported? The answers to these questions will
have a dramatic effect on the aesthetic experience of them on the part of the
players.

Standard peripheral devices are utilised for user interaction with the game
software. Standard interactive conventions for the genre are followed – for
example, the w,a,s,d keys are mapped to avatar movement within the game-
world. Near-360 degree orbiting of the player’s perspective is controlled using
standard movement of the mouse.

LAYER 2: PROGRAM CODE

LAYER 3: FUCTIONALITY
According to the 7 layers methodology, the framework of functionality deals
with the interpretation and responses of the application’s code vis-à-vis the
input of the user. At this layer we do not necessarily recognise the application
as having any intrinsic game-play, as the framework can encompass other
forms of interactive software.
In The Sims Social the player has a high level of agency concerning the
intratextual interactions. Therefore – in terms of functionality – the game can
be viewed as mostly a non-linear experience, with some linear components
present, as defined by the game code. One instance of this would be the
restriction placed by the code in obtaining a second property within the town
until a pre-defined level of play as been reached and certain objectives
fulfilled.

LAYER 4: GAMEPLAY
At this layer we consider the software application as a game, thus we consult
Ludology; the study of games. The player is an active participant through the
direct control of the main character, achieved through touch and swipe
gestures on the screen. The computer handles control of all Non-Player-
Characters and the player will interact with these as part of the solution to
certain puzzles. Items will be collected – in a ‘pick it up, you never know when
you may need it’ fashion - and accessed through an inventory system visible
at the edge of the game window. These items can be used within the
environment, on other characters, combined together to create new objects or
a combination of all these.

The virtual space of Machinarium is a futuristic/industrial city spread

over approximately thirty locations – some which are interconnected and the
playground is the area around the screen of the Android device. The player
character can explore the city freely, however, some areas will not be
immediately accessible until one or more puzzles have been solved.

There is no time limit for the games’ duration and advancement is

dependent upon the level of puzzles completed – this being a measure of the
players achievement.

The main goal, as in any adventure game, is to bring the narrative to a

conclusion – in Machinarium’s case; for Josef to rescue his Bot Girlfriend and
foil his antagonists’ plans to destroy the city’s tower.

The sub-goals are to complete certain puzzles and thereby unlocking

new scenes to explore.

The obstacles in the way of the main goal are, unsurprisingly, all the
minor puzzles and tasks that must be completed along the way.

There are occasional puzzles encountered that are randomly

generated and require a real time counter response as opposed to a
predefined one.
Rewards are in the form of satisfaction from overcoming a taunting puzzle,
unlocking additional scenes and uncovering more plot. No traditional penalties
are imposed, such as death or loss of points as with other genres, but instead
we have the frustration of when you can’t figure out how to proceed past a
certain puzzle.

On par with preceding games from the Sims franchise, the player must
manage their avatar’s food, hygiene, bladder and sleep needs as well as their
social and entertainment desires. You start out with basic accommodation,
which you will extend and furnish. However, a major distinction between
earlier editions and this Facebook edition is that the player will depend upon
an ever-widening circle of friends to advance. For example, to build an extra
room to your house you will have to request help from your friends.

But there is one big distinction from those single-player games: in the
Facebook version of the Sims you depend on an ever-widening circle of
friends to advance. For example, to build a new couch you may have to ask
your friends to send you wrenches (or you could pay real money). Later, if you
want to expand your property, you may need even more friends to sign a
petition.

There is a formula here. None of these big Facebook games are about
developing your skill as a player. They are not about using your ingenuity and
reflexes to overcome obstacles or explore interesting worlds or stories. They
are about getting you to come back as many times a day as possible, to keep
inviting more real-life friends to play and eventually to start spending real
money directly on virtual items like cars and furniture.

You can even harvest crops. (Sound familiar?) As with other Facebook
games, the Sims Social is free to play, though it quickly encourages you to
spend real money.

Sims can aspire to three different career paths: Rocker, Chef, and Artist. Each
career consists of 5 levels each with three sub-levels. To advance in their
given career players are required to submit appointments for various jobs.
After the given appointment time the player can send their Sim to work and
earn Simoleons and Career Points. Career Points help further careers leading
to promotions. After each promotion players receive a special object only
acquirable through a career. Upon completion of an entire career track,
players can select a new career track at the cost of forgoing all past career
history.

There are currently 12 traits for Sims in The Sims Social and only can be
purchased with Lifetime Points. All traits feature between three to five levels;
each needing to be bought at a higher price of Lifetime Points than the last
one. The traits are slob, steel bladder, neat, super mechanic, insane, ogre,
ninja, great kisser, night owl, expert cook, music maestro, and art virtuoso.
When the player upgrades the level of a trait, the trait becomes more
prominent in the Sim's lifestyle. The most visible example of this is in the ninja
trait. When a Sim has the level one ninja trait, the Sim walks faster. However,
when a Sim has the level five ninja trait, they can teleport from place to place.
The ninja trait is useful if the player has a larger house. In the insane trait,
Sims can reduce the need of being social and can talk with plants without
visiting people (in previous versions, talking to plants also eliminated the
energy needed to fulfill Social). For example, a level 4 insane trait lets the sim
talk to themselves to fulfill fun and social need without eliminating energy.
Certain career traits, like art virtuoso, provide the benefit of earning more
Simoleons while using the respective skill object. However, these traits can
only be unlocked by reaching specific career levels.

There are six needs: social, fun, hunger, hygiene, bladder, and sleep. [6] When
all of the needs are fulfilled, the player's Sim will become inspired. Inspired
Sims earn more Simoleons when performing skill tasks. Sims with a bad
mood will not follow the directions of the player. Instead, they will fulfill their
own needs by autonomy. All mood meters cycle from deep green (good) to
lighter green, yellow, orange, red, and finally gray. All needs can be improved
from the Sim's home. Another feature located right beside the needs is the fun
meter. This can variate largely depending on the Sim's personality. For
example, a Sim with an athletic personality will not find playing computer and
arcade games as enjoyable as a Sim with a geek personality. Sims will take
care of themselves using autonomy. If left to their own devices, Sims will
perform actions that will help out the lowest meter, provided they have an
appropriate object nearby. This cannot go on extended periods of time, as
eventually the game pauses and tells the player "Your Sim Needs You!", or to
keep playing the game.

The Sims Social has four currencies: Simoleons, SimCash, Social Points, and
Lifetime Points. These currencies are used to purchase items in the game.
Simoleons are the most basic currency and can be most readily earned by
performing almost any non-autonomous task. SimCash can most readily be
obtained by purchasing them with real-world currencies; however, a recent
update to the game permits users to earn up to 10 SimCash as a reward for
playing the game on 5 consecutive days. SimCash allows the player to
purchase special and limited edition objects. When the player begins the
game, they will receive 40 free SimCash. Social Points are obtained by
performing social interactions with other Sims. These can be used to
purchase objects that are not available using Simoleons. You can exchange
the Social Points for Simoleons by buying a Social Point item and selling
them. Similar to Lifetime Happiness Points in The Sims 3 and The Sims 2,
Lifetime Points are a currency only used for buying specific traits. They are
the only currency that cannot be bought through SimCash but rather earned
by completing various quests or leveling up on skill objects.

Social Interaction

Unlike its predecessors, The Sims Social uses the socializing features of
Facebook to allow players to send and receive gifts in order to finish certain
quests or objects. For example, when a Sim levels up to a skill, they must
have certain items to unlock the next level. Most of these items are obtained
by sending requests to other friends or by interacting with friends' Sims. [9] This
has proved problematic to players who do not have a large amount of friends.
When the player cannot obtain objects from friends, the only other option is to
skip the task using SimCash. Furthermore, certain items, such as double beds
and couches, will have a hammer icon in the right corner, denoting that some
assembly is required. To assemble these items, a player will need certain
items that usually can only be obtained by sending requests to friends.

Players can pursue three different relationships with their friends NPCs. They
can become friends, rivals, or enter into a romance. There are various
relationship levels to be unlocked, going from acquaintances to friends to
BFFs or friendly rivals.[10] Each relationship path gives the player different
social interactions, as well as different tasks that can be performed at friends’
homes. For example, rivals can be rude to one another by insulting each
other, playing pranks, messing with household appliances, and other negative
interactions. Once the player reaches a new relationship level. Certain
relationship levels require the other party to first approve the relationship
status before they are reflected in the game.

Crafting

In addition to building items and unlocking skills, players can use items found
by performing tasks to craft special potions and complete collections. Players
can craft numerous potions that can provide benefits to Sims. [11] For example,
a fun potion will instantly max out a Sim's fun level, or a bad mood potion will
instantly tank all a Sim's needs. Depleting needs is helpful when finding
certain items. Items can be crafted by going to the crafting section at the
bottom of the screen. Other crafting items include free energy and Simoleons.
Hovering over items that are required will show the ways to obtain them in-
game. Once all of the required items are obtained, players can click on the
crafting button and craft the item. The crafted item is then stored in the
player's backpack. Many ingredients can also be gifted to other players.

LAYER 5: MEANING

LAYER 6: REFERENTIALITY

LAYER 7: SOCIO-CULTURE

THE SIMS SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES ON CRITICISM

REFERENCES
Ward, B. (2011). Sims Social is Facebook’s fastest growing application.
AllFacebook [Online], 31 August. Available from: http://allfacebook.com
[Accessed 6 October 2012].