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One of many many options that made the Sims franchise stand out from different video games is the inclusion of varied cultures, wherein gamers can really really feel represented. Whether or not it’s via the creation of a personality or family, it offers them an opportunity to say, “Hey, look, it’s me” or “That is what my childhood house used to appear to be.”
All through the years, the Sims sequence has developed much more with cultural illustration, particularly with the newest For Rent enlargement pack that facilities round a Southeast Asian way of life. I had the privilege of chatting with the EP’s Cultural Marketing consultant, Jason Chu, who mentioned the significance of authenticity in the course of the improvement course of.
In the midst of the early phases, Jason states, “Getting in, the producers at EA had been very clear that they wished one thing that made of us who come from Southeast Asia or are in SEA or have household from SEA… they wished their gamers, this world fanbase, to really feel the acquainted in it. To make it possible for this wasn’t a fantasy or a projection or an objectification of SEA.”
The principle purpose, amongst many others, was to genuinely make it really feel like a lived-in neighborhood. So, as a substitute of seeing cultural illustration as an add-on, it was a necessity that was important to the artistic course of. Chu goes on to say, “I actually wish to reward EA and the design group that I labored with instantly for seeing cultural consulting as a valued add.”
![Sims 4 For Rent Markets](https://twinfinite.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cooking-sims-4-for-rent.jpg?resize=640%2C360)
The group behind the pack might have, by all means, merely targeted on constructing an setting that solely strived to entertain the participant. But, The Sims 4 For Lease pack is rather more than that; it’s meant to carry extra that means to storytelling and even real-life narratives that Southeast Asian gamers can reminisce about.
Jason additionally utilized inspirations from his personal life in the course of the brainstorming course of. Particularly, he states, “In the midst of engaged on this, I used to be messaging my dad, who grew up in Bangkok, and was asking him some questions even about like ‘What would this be like?’ and ‘The place would this be?’” These influences helped the pack develop, shaping its authenticity and illustration. It was very a lot a collaborative venture that didn’t lean on one aspect or one particular person, permitting it to evolve in a respective and appreciative manner.
Even minor options that would have been dismissed had been the center and soul of the pack. Jason mentions, “Little issues like saying, ‘Hey, the night time market might get a bit extra cluttered.’ That’s a part of the enjoyable of strolling via an evening market wherever in Asia, is feeling that warmth and that vitality.”
![Exploring the Night Market in Sims 4 For Rent](https://twinfinite.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/sims-4-for-rent-night-market.jpg?resize=640%2C360)
After all, The Sims 4 For Lease’s Evening Market isn’t the one Southeast Asian-inspired idea within the new world of Tomarang, together with options just like the Stress Cooker, Squat Bathrooms, and Tuk-Tuks. On high of that, the structure breathes extra life into the EP, with the added bonus of incorporating multi-unit houses. Talking of the brand new constructing system, Jason chimes in with how this new gameplay represents SEA tradition much more.
“Multi-generational households are extraordinarily widespread. That’s the norm. I believe that the truth that this new neighborhood and this new world have been packed in alongside this new sport system. It may result in some actually attention-grabbing emergent gameplay,” Chu says. This new model may develop to different cultures that share this way of life, bringing the household collectively in additional distinctive ways in which will not be doable alone.
I used to be additionally actually interested in how the For Lease pack was “Impressed by a singular mix of custom and modernity,” which was beforehand mentioned in its initial announcement. How did EA and Maxis Studios obtain a stability of Southeast Asian historical past and the fashionable age of right this moment? Fortuitously, Jason touched upon this to offer some perception into this course of. He expresses, “If we’re speaking a few fashionable and conventional mix, actually simply reflecting what you see on the road in any fashionable SEA metropolis, like Singapore, Manila, or Bangkok…”
Many different places impressed this mix, reminiscent of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Malaysia, and plenty of extra. Nonetheless, the For Lease world was not constructed upon a singular space, as he states, “This new world, Tomarang… it’s undoubtedly a world impressed by, once more, not aiming for a one-to-one copy of anyone tradition. Or anyone neighborhood. Nevertheless it’s one thing that pulls from, in a respectful and in a culturally conscious manner, of various SEA areas.”
In that mild, Tomarang is a celebration of each conventional and fashionable Southeast Asia, which is among the many points of the place SEA shines. Much more so, Jason discusses how the tradition has impressed many alternative types of media.
“The standard and the fashionable are so blended… I believe that’s why SEA and Asia influences a lot of this kind of popular culture creativeness, proper? You have a look at Cyberpunk, you have a look at Blade Runner, otherwise you have a look at so many alternative IPs set in Asia and SEA. And it’s clear that there’s this form of fascination with this mixing of conventional cultures with extraordinarily cutting-edge modern life. So, for me, frankly, that’s the place the authenticity is available in,” Jason explains.
You possibly can see that authenticity in The Sims 4 For Lease pack via its combination of up to date and conventional values. Meals is a wonderful instance of this, provided that the newest entry gives many acquainted dishes that anybody from SEA or somebody who has household there can reminisce about. Jason additionally counseled the group on this, saying, “One place the place it’s mirrored very well is within the new recipes… the brand new recipes incorporate meals which are native to completely different SEA cultures.”
The meals we share virtually all the time carry out the fondest recollections. Jason and I additionally talked about our pleasure of the basic Filipino dish, Pancit, and the way excited we had been to see it on the pack. Moments like this wouldn’t be doable with out EA and Maxis Studios’ mission for authenticity.
![Sims 4 For Rent New Recipes](https://twinfinite.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/sims-4-for-rent-potluck-party-1.jpg?resize=640%2C360)
“What’s actually neat on this enlargement pack is that it offers folks much more instruments… the emergent gameplay that I had on this final session felt just like the neighborhood my mother grew up in,” Chu mentions. Having this stuff and worlds out there additional permits a extra private expertise, thus establishing extra distinctive alternatives for the participant.
Most significantly, Jason talks about how The Sims 4 For Lease doesn’t play into the fantasy world of Southeast Asia. He provides, “The dev group was very clear that they wished to do it in a manner that will not really feel like a parody. They didn’t need any form of insensitivity towards what folks care about. What folks worth. How folks dwell.”
EA and Maxis Studios’ mission for authenticity is among the many causes this pack has plenty of coronary heart, particularly with the importance of bringing in Jason Chu as a Cultural Marketing consultant. It simply additional solidifies the Sims franchise’s long-reigning success, and it’ll undoubtedly proceed to develop as its illustration values develop.
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