The Sims 4: Endless Expansions or Extortion?

From the offset, I have to admit I am a serious Sims 4 veteran. I remember for my 11th birthday being given the game, alongside the original; Get to Work expansion pack, and it being one of the most exciting things. It seems crazy that, being a ten-year-old game, EA is still releasing expansion packs, with the new ‘Lovestruck’ pack set to release on 25 July, hoping to entertain a slightly more mature, romantic audience. However, whilst I love playing the Sims 4, and seeing all the new content that has been added, alongside the evolution from the base game, I feel it would be hard to justify spending £30 on an addition to the game, which should have arguably been an element from the beginning. 

It is arguable, especially amongst the Sims community, that EA is utilising the Sims 4 as a serious money-grabbing situation, forcing avid players to fork out on extra packs, all with different styles and additions, to make the game more enjoyable. Now, you can spend £5 on making your Sims have a ‘Grunge Revival’, or even have ‘Bathroom Clutter’. To be honest, I understand why people may purchase these, the game surrounds itself with storytelling, and the more authentic the storytelling, the more enjoyable the gameplay. However, to play the Sims 4 with all the additional content would cost around £750, which seems an extortionate amount now considering you can download the Sims 4 for free. 

To take a more positive note, there are some expansion packs I love. I particularly enjoy the ‘High School Years’ pack, which allows your Sims to attend a playable high school, fit with the trendiest new fashion, with the Copperdale lot including a funfair, as well as a bubble tea and thrift store fusion. Whilst this pack is clearly designed to fill in the wealth of unplayable schooling time for child and teen Sims, I really enjoyed it, and I think it makes for a fun and highly current addition to the game. I equally enjoyed the relatively gimmicky ‘Snowy Escape’ expansion pack, the clothing and content were really fun to play, and who doesn’t want to watch their Sims learn how to snowboard during a blizzard?

Although the Sims 4 has had some flops, EA does seem to appease the demands of the fans

However, where my praise for the Sims 4 falls short is the expansion packs which should feature in the base game format. And yes, I am talking about the ‘Seasons’ pack. Surely having sunshine or rain in the game is necessary, especially when the game surrounds itself with playing as an authentic human being. Nevertheless, both the Sims 2 and 3 also have additional season packs, so maybe the frustration of dealing with a snowstorm is something you have to purchase to experience. I have a similar grudge with the ‘My First Pet Stuff’ pack, which is just additional content for the ‘Cats and Dogs’ pack. Again, maybe you would like to see your Sims’ dog have a top hat, but surely this content should have been originally included.

There does seem to be a sense that the Sims 4 is drifting away from the kind of standard human living concept, with extra purchases allowing your Sims to become werewolves, vampires or even spell-casters. I do get the vibe of what is going on here, but it all feels a bit gimmicky, and I can imagine playing as a vampire or werewolf once is enough, and then it just becomes another unplayed factor of the game. I suppose if I was more into the supernatural, creating a Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe could be super fun, but in my mind, it just resides in a category of Sims packs that seem unnecessary alongside the fairly standard living in the base game. 

With the ‘Lovestruck’ pack releasing very shortly, I do still feel excited about what the Sims 4 will evolve into in the future. Although the Sims 4 has had some flops, EA does seem to appease the demands of the fans, which seem to shape how the game is played in the future. From the previews, ‘Lovestruck’ seems to be quite a trendy addition to the game, adding cool new furniture and bars, as well as a knock-off of Tinder. I am excited to see what the game progresses into in the future, and, although I am quite critical of the price of the expansion packs, I will still stay as a Sims 4 superfan.