Overview
The Sims has been around for years, but Sims 4 is the latest version played by avid fans. It’s one of the first and most popular open-world, real-life simulator games. Players get to design their own Sim and build its life however they want. They can recreate aspects of real life, including a career and friendships, and even play out dramatic family and romantic sagas.
So what should parents know? We pulled all the information for you right here.
Harmful Content ❗️
Given that it’s a real-life simulator, it also includes some inappropriate and dark themes in the real world. Sims can experience physical trauma and death, emotional and mental struggles, substance use, and other adult themes.
Players can also download mods to Sims 4 (as is common with tons of video games, including Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, etc.). These user-created mods can sometimes add much more mature features to the game, including violent, sexual, and more explicit substance abuse references.
Lastly, Sims is known for being a highly addictive game. Players can get sucked in for hours in their Sims world. If you know your child is more susceptible to addictive games, we suggest keeping gameplay limited and supervised.
Language
The game itself does not have any inappropriate language. In fact, the Sims don’t even speak English — they speak a made-up, gibberish language called Simlish.
Sex
Sims can have romantic relationships with each other, including flirting, kissing, sleeping in bed together, and having sex — although the game uses “Woohoo” as a euphemism. There’s no nudity or explicit graphics here, but parents should be aware that it’s an option. Sims can also have babies together as a result of Woohoo-ing. Also worth noting — Sims that are set as teenagers are not allowed to Woohoo, though they can start exploring flirting and romantic experiences.
Violence
There’s no gory violence in Sims, although they can experience fighting (very cartoonish) and tragic accidents such as fires, electrocution, and drowning. Death can occur, but it’s similarly cartoonish, with a Grim Reaper-like figure appearing. Additionally, Sims can become ghosts after death.
Positive Value 💫
Sims has always encouraged players’ creative side and freedom of expression. Kids can try their hand at storytelling with as many characters and plot twists as they desire. Sims also teaches problem-solving and real-life skills. Players see the rewards that come with things like good money management and parenting, and they see the consequences of poor decisions, as well.
So, should my kid play it?
We suggest this game for about 13 and up, with younger teens having significant supervision. The game itself is generally appropriate, but the mods add a level of risk that parents should be cautious of.
