8th December, 2024
You might’ve seen those TikToks that allude to people game-ifying real life mundane tasks in order to make it fun or enjoyable:
I’m wondering what that trends such as this reveal about the nature of games and their purpose in our lives. What does it say about us that going to work is more enjoyable if we think of it as a game? What does it say about the nature of work in the present day and our satisfaction with life? Games such as The Sims replicate real-life in a gaming reality, which people find fun. Why?
For this Digital Artifact, I’ll be working with The Sims 4 to investigate the questions above. The Sims is a suitable case study given it’s huge success, as it lends itself easily to a discussion around gamification of reality. Charles Paulk explains The Sims’ unexpected success.
I’ve found a handful of useful sources that could help build my understanding of ‘real-life’ as a genre for gameplay. A 2010 article titled ‘The Sims: Real Life as Genre’ by Diane Nutt & Diane Railton explains that:
Check out the my pitch video below to find out how I plan go about exploring this idea and follow my DA’s Instagram account (@you.but.make.it.a.sim) to keep up with the project!