In The Sims FreePlay, helping the characters you’ve created become the best (or worst!) they can be is a bit like casting a reality show – except more open-ended.
Single mum who moonlights as a firefighter? Same-sex couple raising a couple of rowdy kids? There are no barriers in the game, and it’s a premise that players have been enthralled by for more than a decade.
“We don’t want to make a commentary on the world, but we do want you to be able to create your version of the world,” says Kate Gorman Revelli, vice president of The Sims franchise at Electronic Arts. “A welcoming space hopefully gives people powerful tools for exploration.”
Revelli is a rarity in the industry: a female executive in her mid-30s who oversees one of gaming’s biggest brands. She started playing The Sims in middle school, and knows first-hand how empowering it can be to try out a different life in a video-game – especially for women, who make up a substantial portion of The Sims’ core audience.
Exploring in a space we know we won’t be judged or bullied can lead to moments of genuine self-discovery.– Kate Gorman Revelli, vice president of The Sims franchise
“Unfortunately, a lot of women and girls find themselves boxed in by expectations and judgement,” Revelli says. The world of The Sims FreePlay breaks down those boundaries. “Exploring in a space we know we won’t be judged or bullied can lead to moments of genuine self-discovery.”
The next chapter
That’s not to say The Sims FreePlay doesn’t have room for improvement, particularly when it comes to body types. First released in 2011 (a lifetime ago by video-game standards), the game continues to be powered by an underlying code engine that locks Sims into slim bodies.
Modifying the engine is a massive undertaking, but Revelli is undaunted. “It’s something we’re thinking about a lot – how we might do a wholesale upgrade,” she says. “I’m excited to usher The Sims into a new era.”
Ultimately, says Revelli, The Sims FreePlay isn’t just about recreating your own life inside a game. Its real power is how the game can expand your view.
“When people create their stories, we want them not to just focus on their own representation of the world but see it from other lenses.” Sometimes, that means seeing yourself through another lens.
Of her Sim, Revelli says, “She gets so much more sleep than I do! She looks and acts exactly like me, but she just naps and hangs out with her pets and gardens. Sounds pretty nice, right?”
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