WHY WE LOVE THE SIMPSONS TAPPED OUT (Guest Post)

This post is by one of our Friends from TopiX, the one and only Em.  She has been a huge supporter of this site and we love this newest post from her!  Every one can use a little happy is their life… especially Addicts!

Happy Happy Happy

I Love this Game!

After all the sadness and disappointments lately, it’s time for a Happy post

AliceSin commented “Hans is my favorite character, simply because he makes me smile and I love his lines. ‘Games are hard’ is my favorite line in the whole game.//…//”  This gave me the idea of trying to explain why I and others love this game so much!

I have watched the Simpsons from the very start and I have always loved it.   I’m not a player of video- or computer games so when The Simpsons Tapped Out was released on a mobile platform I was thrilled just to discover it didn’t work on android. I thought “Oh, well” and went on with my life.  Then I won a MyPad, for being good at crosswordpuzzles, and my life changed.

How can we not love a game that is based on one of our favorite TV shows and lets us visit Springfield multiple times a day?

I downloaded the game and started playing. It was so fun creating my own Springfield and controlling the familiar and beloved characters of the show.  The in-game instructions on how to play were very clear and easy to follow.  How can you not love a game that is so easy to play?

I kept grinning at the screen and laughing out loud at the dialogues and the antics of Homer and the others.  Tappers will understand and recognize this as normal behavior. I’ve even heard a YouTube video maker giggle uncontrollably during an instructional.  How can you not love a game that makes you smile, giggle and laugh?

No one illustrates happiness better than Moe

We all have the same building blocks but our towns differ so much. I love visiting neighbors and browsing their towns!  By dropping in on other towns, you get ideas and inspiration for your own.  The pride I feel when someone compliments my town can not be explained.   How can you not love a game that lets you be so creative?

Speaking of neighbors, the TSTO community on the web is fantastic!  Places we can get info, tips and just talk! (TopiX, TappedOut, Addicts and Tstogame, to mention a few)   I’ve made a lot of new friends and even got new jobs. How can you not love a game that gives you new friends?

EA gives us updates to prolong the game.  It is so thrilling to see an update in the App Store/Google Play! or when the donut starts to swirl and an in-game update is revealed.  How can you not love a game that makes you excited?

TSTO is a freemium game which means it is a free download and free to play.  If you want to, you can pay real money for donuts and get premium items.  This is completely optional.  I have seen some terrific freemium towns so going premium is not necessary for a great town nor for the enjoyment of the game.  How can you not love that the game is free?

Donuts are the premium currency in TSTO but free donuts are available in the game.  Every time you level up you get at least one donut.  When you hit the bonus-level-up, you also get donuts (1,2,3).  Unlocking the Jebediah statue gives you 10 donuts!  You can get donuts in the weekly Mystery Box or even cleaning up trash!  How can you not love a game that surprises you with free premium currency?

I have only been through two social events (Valentine’s Day and Whacking Day).  I enjoyed Valentine’s and will not mention WD at all.  The interactions with my neighbourinos was fun! Getting and giving V-day cards made me smile.  Limited events without the social element is also nice.  Special limited buildings, characters and quest lines.  How can you not love a game that has special events?

I would rather be envious of my neighbors than use a hack or a mod to get past limited items.  It is part of the charm to see when a player started by looking at the limited stuff in their towns and feeling smug when you come across a newer town.  Sometimes EA gives us a free decoration or costume to promote an upcoming episode.  How can you not love a game that has giveaways?

Our creativeness when it comes to designing our towns knows no bounds. The game has given Artists a new medium.  2D pics made of decorations and trash.  I am in awe!  How can you not love a game that can be used for true artistry?

2D pic by Wookiee

Staging screens and taking screenshots and sharing is great!  To put a building on top of Barney sleeping in the gutter, so only his feet stick out, is hilarious!  Fruit Bat-Burns trying to punch out Snake as he’s combing his bitchin’ hair is just as funny to see!  How can you not love a game that makes you the director of mini dramas?

Some of us at TappedOut have created a game-in-the-game, hiding the Bunny topiaries all over our towns and challenging the others to find them.  It has its own back story and we call it the S.U.B.S. game.  How can you not love a game that lets us be so inventive?

The game even penetrates our dreams!  We dream of walking around in our Springfields, visiting neighbors, interacting with the characters, just hanging out and enjoying ourselves. How can you not love a game that gives you happy dreams?

I asked for suggestions to put in this piece and the response was great! A special thanks to Tom, Vogst, Wookiee, JayDiggity and the other eloquent members on TappedOut.   The TSTO community is strong and very supportive.  If one of us is feeling blue or has lost the joy for the game, all we need to feel better can be found in the community.  How can you not love a game that has the Best. Community. Ever?!

This piece has become longer than I expected! That clearly shows how loved this game really is on many, many levels! N ote to EA: We love this game!  Please keep developing it!

Happy Tapping!

Em