Life by You won’t shame men like The Sims does, according to Rod Humble.
The Sims franchise has been a smash hit since its first release in 2000 and has been object of study and analysis in various fields when it comes to the world of video games. However, recently there has been a curious revelation by a former developer of the game that has focused on bringing up the issue of men being embarrassed when playing The Sims titles.
This revelation raises interesting questions regarding the perception of masculinity and stereotypes in today’s. Well, Rod Humble, who was head of The Sims at Electronic Arts, has stated that men frequently lie regarding their experience with the game because they feel unmanly. Next, we will talk to you in more detail regarding what Humble has mentioned in one of his most recent interviews.
Rod Humble talks regarding how masculinity has influenced The Sims
Life by You has a Creator function that allows you to configure the gender and race of people in the city
The former boss of The Sims, Rod Humble, has recently revealed that men lie regarding how they play the sims. During a talk at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) with PC GamerHumble told one of the things that happened to him while working on the project is that during the focus groups, the men used to say that they only played to build houses and design themwhen in reality they were also playing to control the lives of the characters and create relationships.
According to Humble, men feel ashamed to admit they are playing The Sims because the game is traditionally considered as “for girls”. However, the former Electronic Arts worker argued that this type of game is for everyone, regardless of gender, and that men should feel free to enjoy it without having to lie regarding how they play it, because the reality is that one thing has nothing to do with the other.
“I remember a group of young people. And they walk into the room, it’s a co-ed room, and we’re like, ‘Hey, what did you do?’ and they’re like, ‘People murdered. I went in and starved, had intimate relationships with everyone in the city.’ But really, what you did was redecorate that bathroom, right? Like, that’s really what you did. There’s this idea that there are some things you have to say you’re doing, but really, no, you’re cooking, you’re doing home”.
In his new project Life by You, the life simulator that might be the competition for The Sims 5, Humble affirms that both men and women, they will feel more identified with the gameplay and there won’t be that “tension” of genres while playing. This is due to the way in which the characters and people are spoken of, since everything is a matter of perception.
“If you hear us talk regarding playing a Life Sim (characters in Life by You), we’ll often alternate between first and third person. So we’ll say, ‘I asked Jeffery on a date, we went on our date, and my person ruined it. ‘ And then they’ll switch from ‘me as a player’ versus ‘my agent did something.’ And that tension is where there’s a lot of magic in life simulation. You go back and forth between: ‘Am I playing that person, or is it a little creature that I have a distance to?’
The former head of the Sims also explained that Life by You is a game that focuses on empathy and understanding from others, which can be beneficial for all players when it comes to expressing their own feelings. This brings up the theme of inclusion, as the game would incorporate a series of configurations to satisfy the way in which players want to develop the lives of their characters to the point of creating an entire city with pure inhabitants of a single gender specifically, including, homosexual, trans and others.
albeit humble did not refer directly to The Sims or Electronic Arts during the interview, it is assumed that he talks regarding this title because it comes from said project and becomes the only competition of Life by You. This would be a way of highlight the advantages that has the new life simulator that is preparing with Paradox Interactive.
It’s possible that the idea that The Sims is “for girls” stems in part from the way the game is marketed. This can do make men feel left out or embarrassed to admit they play it, but according to Humble, that won’t be the case in Life by You.
