DGC Ep 396: The Sims (part two)

DGC Ep 396: The Sims (part two)

Author: Brett Douville and Tim Longo July 10, 2024 Duration: 1:11:37

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on 2000's The Sims. We spend a little time on the gender normativity of the title, sprinkle in some stories about our various households, and also fit in some reader mail! Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary.

Sections played:
A few more hours!

Issues covered: satire and farce, Timmy's toilet troubles, Betty's rapid rise in scientific circles, sexual orientation and the Sims, dark times for Bob, Jeff in the military, whether the game is conforming to gender biases all the time or not, Diane and politics, how Betty got her job, thinking about design decisions around careers, the value systems that the game systems express, working with smaller spaces and the difficulties for game development, the American Dream qua Nightmare, being in the 1950s and the music, "None of my good points are inadvertent," opacity of systems in other simulations vs this game's clarity, a toy vs a game, Bob winning things via the phones, Chance and Community Chest, Potty Talk with Tim and Brett, dolls and trains, finding SimCity more serious, can the Sims die?, not knowing that we had to pay the bills, investing in Bob's creativity, touching on the animation and object systems, teenagers and hygiene, getting Bob's confidence up, a little ditty, the shlubs getting the gals, encouraging community via modding and engagement, moon names, code names, hunting for things in games, the tension of player cleverness and wasting your time, environment scanning, visual language and level design, getting playersr to have intuition.

Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Mia Goth, Mad Men (obliquely), SimCity 2000, Unpacking, Fallout (obliquely), Will Wright, Monopoly, John Mellencamp, Seth Rogen, Raid on Bungeling Bay, Bethesda Game Studios, Skyrim, Jonah Lobe, Quiet: Level One, Sasha, Tomb Raider, mysterydip, Kaeon, Might and Magic, NES, Where's Waldo, Ratchet & Clank, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, UbiSoft, Witcher III, World of Warcraft, Morrowind, Arkham (series), Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia.

Next time:
More of The Sims!

Links:
Jonah Lobe's Quiet: Level One 

Twitch: timlongojr, Twitter/Threads/Insta: @devgameclub
Discord
DevGameClub@gmail.com


Dev Game Club is a conversation between two working game developers who have been there. Each week, hosts Brett Douville and Tim Longo pick a classic video game from the past-often a title that shaped design thinking or introduced a new technical standard-and break it down from their professional perspective. Their discussions go beyond nostalgia, examining how these older titles functioned, why certain creative decisions were made, and what lasting impact they left on the industry. You’ll hear specific analysis of game mechanics, narrative structure, and technical achievements, all filtered through decades of hands-on development experience. The goal isn’t just to reminisce but to extract tangible lessons that are still relevant for creators and deeply interesting for passionate players today. They invite you to play the game in question alongside them, then settle in for a detailed, insider’s post-mortem. This podcast offers a unique blend of critical appreciation and practical insight, treating video game history as a living textbook. It’s for anyone who loves games and wants to understand the craft behind them on a deeper level. New episodes release regularly, diving into a different influential game from the archives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dev Game Club
Podcast Episodes
Discord Game Club Ep 9 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:34:45
It's the doldrums of summer this week, so we are reaching into the Discord Game Club interview archive. This time around, BioStats and Kaeon interview Calamity Nolan, a member of the Discord and usual interviewer who is…
DGC Ep 440: Papers, Please (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:11
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on indie games, by looking at Papers, Please. We talk a bit about Lucas Pope, its creator, and then turn to the game's mechanics and themes. Dev Game Club…
DGC Ep 439: The Stanley Parable Bonus Interview with William Pugh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:52
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on indie games with an interview with William Pugh of Crows Crows Crows, one of the principal developers of The Stanley Parable. Dev Game Club looks at cla…
DGC Ep 438: Gone Home Bonus Interview with Karla Zimonja [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:58
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we revisit our series on Gone Home and walking simulators with an interview with Karla Zimonja. We talk about Karla's early career before transitioning to talking about Minerva's…
DGC Ep 437: Spelunky (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:25
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we complete our series on 2D indie platformer-ish things with our final episode on Spelunky. Tim talks a little bit about Derek Yu's book, the rigor and how the game just plays d…
DGC Ep 436: Spelunky (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:06
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on Spelunky, part of a larger series on independent games. Tim uses the B word about the game, and we talk about the rigor with which one approaches the ga…
DGC Ep 435: Spelunky (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:30
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our major series on various indie games, now looking at some 2D action games with Spelunky. We talk very briefly about its director and then Tim marvels over a dynami…
DGC Ep 434: Cave Story (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:47
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we finish our series on 2004 indie classic Cave Story. We talk a lot about difficulty, a bit about story, and also just what a miracle a game like this is from one person. Dev Ga…
DGC Ep 433: Cave Story (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:20
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we start a new game in our series on independent games with 2004's Cave Story. We briefly set the game in its time, talk a little about its developer, and then talk about the gam…
DGC Ep 432: The Stanley Parable/Walking Simulators (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:18
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we complete our series within a series on walking simulators, this time with The Stanley Parable. We talk about the multiple paths, the humor, the zany meta of it all, and then t…