14 DAY TRIAL // The Sims is one of those games that redefined the industry and the expectations of the players. The "people simulator", as it was often dubbed, and its plethora of expansions have brought casual and people oriented gaming to millions of players. Anyone can take a character, mold it to suit their view of a perfect human being and then toil away to make he or she get a job, land a love interest, raise a kid or get a new car. While the franchise is one of the best examples of casual gaming and a financial success, there's still a dark spot haunting the Sims.
The Sims is a social experience in its core gameplay. You can't get through it without meeting other people, without experiencing social interaction. So it only made sense for Electronic Arts to create an on-line experience based on the Sims, where players could create a character and interact with other real people and not computer surrogates. That experience was The Sims Online. It was less than stellar though and could not keep pace with the developments in the single player component. So The Sims Online never gained a big following.
Last year three employees, led by Luc Barthelet, convinced EA that the whole TSO concept could be reborn under a new platform and model. And so, on February 21 the last Sims Online city was turned off and the game shut down. Some of the already existing cities are being merged into EA-Land, Electronic Arts' new foray into the social on-line market.
EA-Land is much more of a Second Life type of thing. It allows both paid and unpaid accounts and it lets players develop multiple avatars per each account. Simoleons are to become the official currency and an official exchange rate for dollars will shortly be announced. Players will be able to upload personal content, create virtual stores and there will be Facebook tie-ins. A new data center and new server locations are being rolled out in support of EA-Land.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact the Sim inspired world will make and if the virtual presence of the Sims franchise will at last move towards making a profit.