Let’s Party!

Party time!

That seems to be the theme for a lot of EA’s content. A quick look at any Sims 4 advertisement will show young adults having a great time, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Sims do like to party — whether it’s in the hot tub, at a local night spot, or in one of the beautiful parks included in the game. It’s all about having a good time.

Of course, there are a lot of players who aren’t thrilled with the party-party-party atmosphere. We need time to relax and unwind in life — and so do our sims — but there’s more to life than having a good time.

The original game from 2000 didn’t include parties, but they were soon added. Parties were first introduced in the Livin’ Large expansion pack which was released a few months after the game came out.

I loved having costume parties! It was great fun to pull out that costume trunk and see what outfits my sims would choose. And, of course, who didn’t love that huge cake with a girl popping out? When the House Party expansion came along in 2001, we could also throw big bashes that — if successful — could be crashed by celebrity Drew Carey. Watch out, though! A bad party could result in a mime appearing. Mimes were awful. Really awful.

Now, with Sims 4 and all the emphasis on party-giving and party-going, I don’t find them quite so much fun. I don’t really enjoy hosting parties or other events because I’m terrible at them.

Of course, there are really two different ways to party in Sims 4. We can host a “prestige event” — complete with a dreadful list of things-we-must-do and a scoring system — or we can just use a little imagination, invite friends over, turn on music, put out food, and have a good time.

I know there are lots of players who hold elaborate events — not just weddings but dinner parties, birthday parties, and other festivities — and some game aspirations require sims to “earn silver” on a number of prestige events. I know, too, that a lot of players don’t care for the party system with its checklists.

A Forum search turned up a few posts and comments on the topic:

Throwing Successful Parties Unlocks Content posted by GreenCats

Parties posted by Kamb64

From The Sims 4 Feedback Thread, there’s this insightful comment from Forum member kimjo313:

And parties, well there is a scripted bore. In order to have a successful party you have a menu of items you have to complete. Socialize 12 times, have 3 sims flirty at the same time, have 3 people dance at the same time. Have 3 people eat food and so on. So much for your sim having fun. Of course I did the whole scripted party thing and completed the social dance and eat part and got a “good party” rating with a message that said maybe I should have more seating next time??? What. I have 2 sofas and a living room chair, 4 dinner chairs and 2 bar stool seats and a chair in the den and at the desk. I had 6 sims plus mine at the party. Where is the seating issue??

In browsing around this morning, I was able to find several guides to weddings in the game, but I didn’t come across any “How to Have a Good Party” guides. Maybe it’s easy for other players. I never have any success with them.

UPDATE: Simmer charlotteprice linked me to this guide from Sims Online:

Social Events – Throwing a Party in Sims 4

Recently one of my sims tried advancing toward his aspiration by throwing yet another party. With the help of his wife, he’s tried hosting several parties in the past. He’s never succeeded yet. It’s destroyed his self-confidence. Why don’t people like him? What’s wrong with him? That’s what he’s wondering now. For his sake, I think I’ll change his aspiration. It was too demoralizing.

Oh, but unplanned parties can be so much fun!

When I recently posed a question in the Forum about celebrating holidays, I was treated to some glorious screen shots of sims having a great time.

Do Your Sims Celebrate Holidays?

The game does offer a lot of fun content. We’ve got the fountain of mirth, food buffet tables, DJ booths, and dance floors. We have games our sims can play, movies for them to watch, and an easy way to organize get-togethers. Having a good time has never been easier. Add in your choice of music and lighting, and we can easily create just the right party mood for the occasion. OK, so we don’t yet have girls jumping out of cakes like we did before, but hey, other than that, parties can be a lot of fun.

I’d love to hear thoughts from other players about the in-game party “system” and the “just have fun” parties. In my opinion, it’s a sign that something’s wrong when so many players prefer doing things their own way rather than use the in-game “scripts”. Of course, I’m a huge fan of sandbox play. Give me the tools and let me and my imagination go from there.

What about YOU? Do you like the prestige events? Do you have tips on how to make them successful? Or would you rather forget the checklists — they are optional — and just do your own party thing?