The Sims - who can tell me about it?

[Kallison]

Ten year old DS wants this for Christmas. He said lots of his friends have it. I read the box in Toys R Us and it said some violence and mature sexual scenes, so I vetoed it. According to my kids I'm a huge square and they are the only ones not allowed to see R rated movies. I have relaxed on some of the Teen rated PS2 games. Can anyone tell me about The Sims, should I stick to my guns or cave?

 

[Melrosgirl]

I vote for caving in. I am a Sims player and as much as I have tried to get my Sims characters to do the violent things, lol, they don't. LOL.

It's a fun game. It gets pricey though because you end up buying add ons, etc. Check out amazon.com for more reviews on it.

I really don't see any problems with it. (I'm 29 if that makes a difference.) As with most things, supervision is the key. The sims has the capability of being violent in some respects (I've seen my Sims characters hit their neighbors for instance if the neighbor is a big pain), but no gun violence or anything like that.

does that help?

 

[Jenzebelle]

The regular Sims game should be fine.
Once you start getting into the expansions, then things get slightly risque.

There's a bed and a hot tub that you get where the Sims can "play" in it (have sex). And there's a bubble maker which blows bubbles but resembles a hookah and they get the munchies and act silly after they use it a lot.

IMHO it's fairly tame, but if I were a parent that would probably give me some concern. The violence warning is because Sims can die and haunt you. And because they can slap each other

 

[Melrosgirl]

Jenn,

For the life of me, I can't get my sims' couples to do anything in their bed. They just sleep, lol. (my sims must have boring lives!)

 

[lisajl]

My DD who will be 17 soon, loves the Sims.
We just bought her unleashed! THat way her Sims people can have pets.

I don't see her Sims doing anything "questionable", but again, you know what you want for your child.

I must say...unleased is pretty cute.
They have monkeys, cats, dogs, etc.
Lisajl

 

[SPAGo 98]

in the original sims, the most "sexual content" is kissing (not making out), backrubs, hugs, that kind of thing.

 

[piratesmate]

DD started playing this when she was 10. We're another square family - we don't let her watch PG-13 without reviewing them first. DS (then 20) was playing it & she'd go in his room to watch for quite a while before we got it for her. Somehow, though, I missed certain aspects. Sometimes the noises they make (they don't say "words" when the talk) sound suggestive to me. Last year that went over her head - not this year.

Also, she created a "family" thinking it was a husband, wife & their child. Even though they live in the same house, they won't sleep in the same bed until they "fall in love" - which is 100% friends. You get them to do that by talking, kissing, hugging, complimenting, flirting, etc. It's possible to have them become 100% friends with more than one person at a time.

I'm enough of a prude that I wouldn't have gotten it for her if I'd realized some of the questions that it has prompted. (No, I don't think it's going to cause long-term "damage" to her psyche or anything . . . )

Deb