Phreakingdee gets salty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD2xzH1fc7g

The Sims has always been about marketing. EA puts a lot of stuff up that you can either buy, or not buy. A lot of the arguments against the monetization that EA has going on is therefore one sided, narrowminded and most of all, false.

First of all, the basegame, aptly called 'Sims 4', has everything you need to play the game and is on a monthly basis showered with free extra content. That fact alone is a novum, since 'free content' was the first thing that got cut way back during the runtime of the first game. Back then, Maxis ran a 'free thursday' event, that was supposed to give simmers a free item every thursday. It ran only for four weeks and ever since then, free content was basically unheard of, apart from some isolated things for the last 12 years. That leads with the Sims 4 to the stark realisation that Simmers have already gotten relatively more free stuff with this game than in the whole of the 14 years that came before it.

Everything that comes after the basegame is stuff that a Simmer doesn't need, realistically spoken. It's stuff that broadens the options that are already present. Extra chairs, extra clothes, extra hair-does, extra 'you name it including the kitchensink'. If your Sim has a chair, does it really need 250 more chairs? The answer is no, but having the option is nice, since in games, options are good. The more options that a gamer has, the more choices a gamer can make, the more freedom a gamer has within the confines that are possible for any given game is good and will render any given game the better for it.

And that's where consumer responsibility comes into play again. A gamer is not holden to buy anything that a publisher puts on the market for a given game and nowhere is more true than for the Sims. 'Do I need it?' is a moot consideration. We're talking about games, so 'need' shouldn't be a part of anything when it comes to gaming. I bought a Driving Force GT Steeringwheel for Eurotruck Simulator 2 and with an eye to 'American Truck Simulator' (Due out shortly.), but it isn't like I needed the thing to play and enjoy the title. I wanted a steeringwheel and owning a few driving-games, the purchase is defendable.

'Do I want it?' is thus a far better question. Do I want extra kitchenstuff, clothes and hair-does for my Sims? For me, the answer is yes. I want more options for myself and my Sims. It enhances my game and as such, it enhances my experience. In addition to that, the Sims is the one franchise I always come back to. It's timeless, highly enjoyable fun where nothing more is at stake than my relaxation and feel good levels. I am a Simmer, and proud of it. 'Cool Kitchen Stuff' is for me a no brainer.

But nowhere does EA force me to buy all the extra stuff. They've always given a complete game with each base-game iteration and all that comes afterwards has always been icing on the cake. It would be different if the basegame would come without chairs and I'm forced to buy a chair-pack just to have my Sims sit down. That's the point where a line is crossed. Imagine a Borderlands game where you have to buy bullet-packs to continue shooting stuff. No one would stand for that, I wager. But I would have no problems buying extra guns to have my Siren look cool while she murders Bullymongs, because I don't have to buy that extra pack of guns. It's my choice to do so.

This is the same for the new Sims 4 Stuffpack. I don't need it, but I want it and so I bought it. EA isn't nickle and diming me, they're not cynically after my money. They're putting up stuff for sale that I don't need to enjoy the game. The choice to buy lies with the gamer. And if Phreakingdee's latest video proves anything, it is that gamers rather not take responsibility for their actions and sooner lay the blame for their spending with the publishers. It's entitled whining. Nothing more.