I have an on and off relationship with The Sims. I got into the game back in college when the first one came out (it was a good way to meet girls I will admit), and since someone I know used to work at EA, I practically got all The Sims 2 and its expansions. Of course, I never ended up opening most of them and now they just sit in a box in my basement. But with The Sims 3 out, I am slightly curious. I had some amount of fun with the older titles, and now that I’m becoming more of a casual gamer, maybe I will enjoy my evenings simply watching people I create live their virtual lives and buying them new furniture and toys. And with no sort of DRM, all systems go right?
Not so sure anymore. Apparently, this new Sims game takes DLC to a whole new level, since furniture items like pool tables are now no longer included out of the box. Instead you have to buy them with real money. For example, if you want a certain furniture set, you’ll have to pay 2,000 SimPoints, amounting to $20. 20 US Dollars for an in-game furniture set? As someone that hates paid DLC, I’m horrified that the developers are withholding ingame items that were present in previous iterations of the game and now they’re just charging for them later. And what worries me is that all those casual gamers out there will actually buy this stuff! While I would never succumb, I’m feeling a little nauseous imagining the thousands of other people shopping for digital items for their Sims. I have to admit – the paid DLC scheme shows a lot of profit potential, but it’s downright evil.
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