posted on April 12, 2001 12:43:51 PM
My 11 year old son is buggin' me to purchase (his money) a PC game called Sims People Creator & Livin' Large. Since I am a vididiot (translation Video Idiot) I am not sure if this is appropriate for him. He's a video game player (ninetendo & playstation) and favors the rpg games (Final fantasy etc)....He's a good kid, with great grades & a responsible head on his shoulders, so I told him I would research this game before I gave him a flat out no.....Anyone familiar with this game?....Do YOU think it would be appropriate for an 11 year old?.....
posted on April 12, 2001 05:35:09 PM
Depends on how imaginative & patient your son is. This game is like all the Sim games (Sim City, Sim Ants, etc.): the player creates an environment, personalities, careers, physical needs, friendships, etc. etc. etc.--all the little details of a person's daily life. Several people all at the same time... A very complex game.
Has your son done any Sim games before? If not, he might want to start with one of the simpler Sim games.
posted on April 12, 2001 05:45:05 PM
Ok, I'm addicted to the Sims (don't even want to *think* about how many hours I've spent on that game).
If you are asking about violence, there really isn't any. Yes, your people can die....but it isn't bloody or anything.
If you are asking about content, there isn't anything that wouldn't be approprate for a kid his age.....yes, the Sims get naked to take a bath, but all the good parts are blurred out.
I think in the version you are asking about there is a 'love bed', but again, can't see anything 'good'.
It's just a game where you build your house, teach your person what to do....think gigapet on a larger, human, level.
posted on April 12, 2001 06:00:30 PM
Wanted to add this: In comparison to the other games out there (the boyfriend is addicted to Quake....even went to the convention, although he must be playing it wrong, he hasn't shot one real person yet! ) Sims is not only tame, but a *good* game.
I'd have no problem assigning the game to a group of 11 year olds as a school project.
posted on April 12, 2001 06:36:50 PM
Thanx!....From your input, it sounds like he might actually be able to learn some about "real life" and all the details that are found there....His imagination is limited when creating his own stories, but perhaps this might help to expand that....He did mention the fact that two people can "sleep" (two people, one bed) together & eventually (if they like each other enough) can get into a "love bed"...He's learning about sex (5th grade curriculum) and I'm tryin' to teach him the finer points (beyond the physical)....I've banished the violent games in our house (did a clean sweep immediate following the Columbine tragedy) & wanted to make sure I wasn't getting the end around on this one...
think gigapet on a larger, human, level Now, THAT I can relate to!....We used to have a whole herd of gigapets living here...Most have found their way under beds or in toy chests or van compartments, but I still remember them!
I thank you both for your input. I value your opinions and appreciate you takin' the time to help me with this dilemma.
posted on April 12, 2001 06:38:17 PM
Oh my gosh!! I am sooo... glad their are others addicted to it too!
My 12 year old son bought it for himself with his Christmas monies. He has started 4 different families. Got bored each time. He learned a cheat code so he can have infinite money and just builds dream castles. He never actually plays the game.
I, on the other hand, started a small family: Dad & Mom. Then they adopted a little girl. Dad eventually died, BBQ fire. My son saw it and thought it violant! He screams, and the other Sim characters were useless in helping him.
Eventually my single Mom got remarried and they adopted another baby, another girl...(I was trying for a boy, no luck) and then they had the neighbor move in, to manage the house. After the gerbil made everyone sick and they all lost their jobs and I had to start all over with their careers I slowed down playing.
Now I only play maybe 2hours/oneday/once a week.
You can play the original game w/o the "living Large" expansion packet first and see if it is worth it. The expansion is nice because it has more careers, and odd things, like robots, aliens, voodoo dolls, etc. Ebay has them selling for cheap. I can LOAN you my (son's) "The Sims" and you can see if it is worth the investment. We have been thinking of selling it. We just play using the expansion pack now. Email me if you want to try it out first...
Patricia
[email protected]
I forgot to mention that my son bought me, for my birthday, the Sims House Party expansion Pack. I haven't installed it...yet.
The only violence(besides someone dieing in fires) is when one person, in love with another, kisses or flirts with a 3rd person. There is some slapping or slugging. Sometimes even fist fights...
[ edited by Malady on Apr 12, 2001 06:39 PM ]
[ edited by Malady on Apr 12, 2001 06:43 PM ]
posted on April 12, 2001 07:37:48 PM
You got rid of all the violent ones? Reality oriented games are very practical. How else can you tune your combat pistol skills in the city without upsetting the neigbors?
posted on April 12, 2001 07:49:49 PM
Malady....Sounds like many other "havtta haves" that we've gotten...At least your copy seems to have been put to good use! & you certainly have cut down (be proud!)...Thanx for your offer, but his friend has the game & I think I will take your suggestion & have him borrow that to see if that's how he wants to spend his hard earned money.
gravid...Three boys in one house...They get plenty of combat practice!
posted on April 12, 2001 09:27:47 PM
Just be aware that if your child is computer literate ( and which ones are not ), that there are Adult addons for the Sims on the net. Changes the whole complexion of the game. Just requires an alert parent.
posted on April 12, 2001 10:27:05 PM
Rancher: About the 'life skills'...well, sort of. You have to keep your people (or family) all moving (going to work, resting, going to the bathroom [they can piddle on the floor if you don't], eating, pay bills, ect).
Somehow, I can do it in real life....but I do get frazzled getting my Sim person all together.
I also have the 'cheat' codes, so I can build the huge houses and decorate them however I want (without worring about money....figure I do enough of that in real life), but I like playing with my people as well.
posted on April 12, 2001 10:28:39 PM
I am a very addicted Sim player, SimCity being my favorite. What I discovered about young teens is that they don't have the patience to enjoy a game of this sort. Every young person that I've tried to expose to the healthy teaching aids of Sim-class gaming has quickly become bored and their interest has only re-awakened once they discover Cheat Codes. You know, before computers, television, and movies, you had to expend effort imagination-wise to entertain yourself. Now, our kids all expect to be entertained: they don't have to think or imagine, it's all created and done for them and poured into them like water into a flowerpot. This is the MAJOR reason why so many kids won't read books anymore -- if the book is good enough, it'll be made into a movie where they don't have to expend any energy and they'll just wait for it. And now, too many dating partners expect you to "entertaining" as well.
posted on April 12, 2001 10:32:12 PM
Oh, and another thing: If your kid likes the Sims, I suggest checking out a game called Rollercoster Tycoon. Basicly the same set up, except you get to build a whole amusement park (rides, bathrooms, food, the works) and you have to keep it up and running. You have to plan where everything goes (can't have a bathroom without a walk way, don't want your log ride to far from the water source) and keep an eye on the 'bottom line' (the money) as well as keep the park clean and safe.
As with the Sims, game people can be killed (I lost an entire group when my rollercoster wasn't maintained....the car went flying into the lake....but again, no blood and guts) but nothing I would personally consider really violent (although, flying out of a rollercoster car is one of my fears....that is why I don't ride the silly things).
posted on April 12, 2001 10:36:08 PM
Borillar: I don't know what it says about me, but I about quit the whole game when I had to level off my land for the house....talk about boring! Not to mention the fact that my hand cramped up while I was pushing the mouse.
Once you get into the game, I think it could hold a kids interest.
Oh, and the cheats only mean you don't have to worry about money when starting the house.....you still have to keep up with the people (I only have one person, but I have to admit, she has piddled on the floor more than once because I wasn't keeping track of things).
posted on April 13, 2001 07:43:16 AM
scrabblegod...thanx for the heads up...I constantly monitor the kids pc/tv/game activities and in this case he'd have to have Dad install an addon, but I don't for one minute underestimate the deviousness of a child who wants something they can't have...SO, do you have the names of the addons I should be on the lookout for???
Lotsafuzz...he doesn't even have the game yet, but he DOES have the cheat codes!!!...It'll be interesting to see how long he retains his interest for the game...things around here tend to be cyclic, so I'm pretty sure it'll make the rounds...It won't actually teach him the life skills, but certainly should give him a good idea of all the "gotchas" along this game that we call "life"...actually a reinforcement for what he already knows & a reality check that hmmmmm, maybe what mom & dad have said is really right!!
Borillar....my kids are readers (I was one of the nuts standing outside the bookstore for the Harry Potter release at midnight!) BUT your words Now, our kids all expect to be entertained: they don't have to think or imagine, it's all created and done for them and poured into them like water into a flowerpot are soooo true!....We've got a room full of board games & craft items & cars & figures, which sadly sit, most of the time, unplayed with in favor of some video/electronic toy!....As for the movies, they are NEVER as good as your imagination can make them. Being a S.King fan from way back in the beginning, every movie (or at least the first one or two that I even bothered to watch) were no comparison to the book. It saddens me that the Harry Potter movie will hit the screens soon. My son has read & reread those books so many times they are worn, and although I'd go to extremes to obtain copies of new books, I hesitate to even take him to the movie. Nope, never as good, especially in the realm that these books deal, even with today's video technology....Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys didn't have movies, (well, at least not until the 70's anyway) and we were delighted just to get the next book in the series to read about their latest caper!
posted on April 13, 2001 08:12:44 AM
Hi, my name is Cyanide and I'm a Simaholic.
This game is really not bad for a 11 year old. He might get bored with it after awhile because it is time consuming.
I forgot what the patch name is, I'll have to look in my files. The patch I downloaded unblurs the parts when they take a bath etc..
But normally, these files has a read me file attached to it telling you what it does.
go to
www.thesims.com
great website. If your son really gets into it, there are alot of sites you can go to download more wallpaper, floors, furniture and skins. (skins is what the person looks like and what they are wearing) they have alot of stars as skins now, like Homer Simpson.
cyanide3 on Ebay
posted on April 13, 2001 09:44:26 AM
Heck! I didn't know about the unblurr patch! My son told me that the game is released in Japan w/o the blurrs but I didn't know I could get it...I don't think I want to. The Dad I have is abit on the paunchy side.
One good thing my son got out of this game. For drama class he had to do a 2 minute skit where he had to talk non-sense and try to sell the audience an object (his watch). He did an exact rendition of the sims talking ("shwa-shwa-ahhhh-piddy-piddy-piddy" ). Got an A+!
lotsafuzz: You only have one sim character?!! WOW, I have 5 in my family and am considering more because it is getting boring. 2 go to school(A+) and 2 go to work (police chief and astronaut). One stays home and keeps the 'relations' up and tends to the household chores. She got abducted by aliens twice (too much time at the telescope) but otherwise it has gotten pretty mundane.
rancher: No problem, I offered because I have a 12 year old (that has all of the cheat codes for playstation games and won't play w/o them) so I know what it's like.
[ edited by Malady on Apr 13, 2001 09:45 AM ]
posted on April 13, 2001 04:01:19 PM
Malady: I know, I'm such a wuss! My person is a blonde bombshell (hey, it's fantasy, right? ) She gets *lots* of visitors, which thrilles the boyfriend to no end because he also has a house (W*A*Y across the pond, thank you very much! )
It has actually been awhile since I've played it....I've gotten hooked on a new game: Black and White. I got stuck with a stupid lion person.....keeps throwing trees at the cows, took a few nips out of a peasent, stuff like that.
posted on April 14, 2001 05:32:16 PM
lotsafuzz
My son just bought Black-n-White. We can't get it to load up on his computer. It's either because he doesn't have enough ram (he has 64 but will be getting more next week for his birthday! ), or his video card. Haven't had the time to find out. It says min. req. 64 ram...
I want the unblurr patch too!! Maybe I will get a 'boyfriend' to move in . I need to make new families in the neighborhood just so I can get more 'relations' (need them for job promotions. I have 10 but need 12.). I already have one family I made, with only a telephone in the house, just for this purpose. My son played them, for kicks, and enjoyed that their comfort went down and they piddled on the floor...
posted on April 15, 2001 06:31:20 AM
You think you are addicted to the Sims? My wife is Loraceel, one of the skinners (creates new clothes - skins - for those wonderful "Simmys" to wear) on Sim Freaks, and the old Threnody's site. *She* is *seriously* addicted. LOL.
posted on April 15, 2001 03:54:51 PM
If he plays Final Fantasy VII (as was mentioned), which contains frequent sexual jokes and even a scene involving an adult club and cross-dressing, The Sims should be no problem.
TISFC!
) Sims is not only tame, but a *good* game.
