The Sims and IT Expertise

I support Hayes’ statement that The Sims (1&2) can be a possible entrée point for girls to experience the “productive” aspects of games and develop their IT expertise. In this game series, players get to design avatars, house décor, buildings and etc. with built-in tools, as Hayes mentions. In addition, several players, both male and female, go a step further to use their own programming tools to design their Sims worlds and “cheat” in the game (i.e. getting coins without working). These skilled players often share their techniques with the fellow players through blogs and web pages, so that other players can learn and develop their skills.

Quite a few players of The Sims spend a significant amount of time designing and playing with their Sims. It seems common among players to record their gaming and post the clips of their unique Sims worlds on blogs and YouTube. The sharing of these clips as well as the techniques to cheat and design can provide female players with the opportunity to become interested in and participate in the programming side of gaming.

Seiko