Game Changers as Influencers

About three years ago my interest in The Sims diminished, I would go as far to say I was bored of the game. I’d done everything I thought I could, made everyone I knew, replicated my university flat and my childhood home, I’d exhausted the game. I didn’t really know what else was out there for the franchise until I began watching some Simmers on YouTube. 

One of the first I watched was James Turner, known then as The Sims Supply, and he definitely gave me a supply of the Sims I wasn’t expecting! I explored some more – Plumbella, Deligracy, Lilsimsie, to name a few – all of whom I still watch now. Why? Because they gave me the inspiration to carry on playing, new ideas of what to do and challenges to try. In this blog, I am going to explore a little bit about influencers, more specifically Game Changers in this case, and how they affect the franchise and the community. 

Photo credit: James Turner, Lilsimsie, Deligracy and Plumbella (YouTube)

The concept of influencers has always interested me, being a Marketing student and all, so I enjoy learning and understand their effects on products and consumers. Some interesting research I found by Chen et al. (2019) established the benefits of using influencer advertising over brands advertising themselves. Applying this to the franchise, it can be said that having a range of streamers and those who create social media content of the game promotes it better than The Sims do. Thinking back to what I said, it was an influencer that brought me back to the game – I can imagine it doing a similar thing to others. 

Those who are lucky enough to be Game Changers benefit the franchise and EA in ways that aren’t often seen beyond the gaming industry. Game Changers are part of a community partnership with EA – they contribute to the development of the games through feedback of early access. In turn, EA offer Game Changers help with their content production and training on platforms, for example. This is a relationship that benefits both of them and affects the game. Through the use of Game Changers, these Simmers represent our interests and wants for the franchise, a voice for the community – which helps us get the things we want from playing The Sims.

Photo credit: simscommunity.info

If we look at Game Changers as influencers, they have the ability to persuade us to engage in new content and part ways with our money for new packs. However, there has been research into why influencers can do this so well and what consumers respond to best. Zak and Hasprova (2020) discovered that consumers want expert knowledge and then experience of the product. This bodes well for our Game Changers as they have both when it comes to The Sims. I personally trust the opinion of the Game Changers I watch and engage with because I believe they represent my interests very well and are more often than not, they are honest when using the game. 

The ability to watch and explore the content before purchasing it, and having their opinions on it, is great as I don’t feel the need to waste my money on expansion packs that don’t interest me. Let me know your thoughts below. What impact do game changers have on you?