Tidings Triste Tappers!
(Today’s post is sponsored by the letter “T”)
Over the past 12 years, The Simpsons Tapped Out has taken us on an amazing journey. But now that journey is coming to an end.
Or put another way, the game has an imminent death that we just learned about 5 Thursday’s ago. So let’s take time over the coming weeks to process.
Swiss-American psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross introduced the most commonly taught model for understanding the psychological reaction to imminent death in her 1969 book titled On Death and Dying. The book explored the experience of dying through interviews with terminally ill patients and outlined the “Five Stages of Death” (now commonly referred to as the “Five Stages of Grief”): denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (DABDA).
So let’s continue with the NIH definition of Acceptance.
Acceptance describes recognizing the reality of a difficult diagnosis while no longer protesting or struggling against it. Patients may focus on enjoying the time they have left and reflecting on their memories. They may begin to prepare for death practically by planning their funeral or helping to provide financially or emotionally for their loved ones. It is often portrayed as the last of Kubler-Ross’s stages and a sort of goal of the dying or grieving process. While caregivers and providers may find this stage less emotionally taxing, it is important to remember that it is not inherently more healthy than the other stages. As with denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, understanding the stages has less to do with promoting a fixed progression and more to do with anticipating patients’ experiences to allow more empathy and support for whatever they go through.
In terms of Tapped Out, I experienced acceptance later the day of the announcement – though I did cycle between depression and acceptance quite a bit. In the first week between the announcement and the first post on Denial, I cut down to going into the game just 4 times that week (once every other day). And in the four weeks since, I have just gone in 3 times, the last time more than a fortnight ago. I have accepted that the game is ending and have SIGNIFICANTLY cut down the time I spend playing this game.
Most of that time has re-routed to another game, “Pokémon Go”, which my 8-year-old nephew got me into in mid-August. Technically it’s his game, but on my phone. But I do enjoy catching him/us different species of Pokémon as I travel across North America. We’ve caught over 500 different Pokémon in just over 2 months. I know the games been around for years, but I was never into Pokémon, so never bothered trying it. So having another outlet for my time makes accepting the end of Tapped Out a lot easier.
But where I’ve had a harder time getting to acceptance and remain in depression is with this site and this community. While I’ve only logged in to my game 3 times total over the past 4 weeks, I continue to check the comments and posts on average at least 3 times per day. I do miss the game, but already consider it past tense. However, even more I will miss this community. I know as we get closer and closer to the official end of the game, we’ll be getting fewer and fewer comments. And that is depressing. I have still not accepted that aspect of the situation.
How about you? Have you moved on to acceptance? How long did it take you to get to acceptance? Sound off in the comments below. Oh and…
Hope you’ve enjoyed this series of posts on the Five Stages of Grief. And now I leave you with one of my favourite The Simpsons conversations from Season 2, Episode 11 “One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish“:
Dr. Hibbert: “Now, a little death anxiety is normal. You can expect to go through five stages. The first is denial.”
Homer: “No way! Because I’m not dying!”
Dr. Hibbert: “The second is anger.”
Homer: “Why, you little…”
Dr. Hibbert: “After that comes fear.”
Homer, cringing fearfully: “What’s after fear? What’s after fear?”
Dr. Hibbert: “Bargaining.”
Homer: “Doc, you gotta get me out of this! I’ll make it worth your while!”
Dr. Hibbert: “Finally, acceptance.”
Homer: “Well, we all gotta go sometime.”
Dr. Hibbert: “Mr. Simpson, your progress astounds me.”
Hope you enjoyed your therapy sessions.
Thursday October 17 – Bargaining
Thursday October 24 – Depression
Thursday October 31 – Acceptance
Thanks for your posts over the years. I have played the game daily for nine years. Your website has been a great way to connect with the game. Let’s continue to find Maggie everyday for a donut until she’s gone. Now I am going to watch the video when Maggie joins the game.
Are there any suggested methods for us to best capture our towns? The in~app capture feature produces less than desirable results. Any post from the past, or new suggestions we can refer to for us to immortalize and remember our Springfield’s?
I won’t gloat.
You just did.
What does it take graham??, no context to conversation, only one meaning considering the recent events, so I say again what does it take!!!
Sad it’s leaving us but I’ve been “buying” all the premium characters and enjoying the storylines I missed, sometimes three or four of them simultaneously. Grouping and rearranging various buildings into theme areas, and getting ready for one final gigantic photo of the world.
I agree about the community this site has provided. I only play every couple of days now. This site has contributed greatly to making the game fun.
Does anyone know if weird al is part of the final packages? He’s the only character I don’t have 😭. I…. Must…. Have… them…. All..
It really is extremely difficult to accept that EA is just going to shut the game down totally. I can accept no more events and updates but atleast let us keep our towns. And after all these years of playing the game religiously atleast tell us something like why it’s shutting down or plans for a sequel to this game. But instead all we get is a long goodbye and nothing more. I’ll forever be frustrated about this abrupt end and right before the holiday season too so just terrible timing as well 😤
I should be finishing up my last quest lines tomorrow or Sunday and will be nuking my town and calling it quits.
This post made me smile. I have also been visiting less regularly, instead of daily or 2x daily, maybe every other day, just to do a last rearrange, the last tasks of the handful of characters or buildings that I didn’t have from the last 12 years, and some last visits to neighbours (tagging them all!!). Also been taking screenshots & videos along the way, as we know how buggy this lil ole game has always been… so who is to say it will actually last until Jan?!
But what made me smile the most was your introduction into the world of pocket monsters! I am an old school ‘collector’ in the games I play, and my son got me into Pokémon Go when it first launched as he was a long time Pokémon player. I knew nothing about it.. but liked the idea of collecting Pokémon as I walked, and then gradually I became hooked. Through my kids I discovered a local community (back when there were no remote raids)! and then gradually also discovered a whole new online world on Discord. I hadn’t actually made a connection between PoGo and TSTO before, but now you mention it, I can see the similarities, in a strange way!
Enjoy Pokémon Go Safi, and if you want to trade gifts & potentially get a Nature scatterbug, my friend code is 2601 1028 1813 !!
Invite sent. My nephews name is Zain.
Accepted. Don’t forget to save the postcards ( can always delete them later) to get the scatterbug encounter!
Love the banner, we’re is patric?
I’m actually ready to nuke my town now. I don’t see any point in logging in anymore. There’s nothing to do, and all I’m doing is torturing myself by looking at my town. So here it goes. I’m going to blow it up and delete the game. Bye all. Good luck.
Noooooooo all those years and memories, don’t do it, just because, it’s yours ever building every decorating, it will still exist in a cloud, in an IT world, in a pixilated world!!!
I accepted the end right away. I’m not happy it’s ending, but I’m not crying about it either. The game had a good run. I will be the first the admit that the game became rather repetitive and boring in the last five-plus years. Lather, rinse, repeat. I know a lot of people loved the character dialogue, but for the last five years or so I’ve been fast forwarding through the game. In fact- it became a game of: “how fast can I tap through this today?”
I know a lot of people are upset about losing their towns. A lot of people put a lot of time and creative energy into their town design. But think of it this way: an artist doesn’t dwell on one thing forever. They create something and move onto the next thing. I suggest we all do that. Move on.
If the great artist decided to paint over what we call masters now and irreplaceable works then there would be no art, we creared something? History will tell!!!
Well after 11 years with the game I finally decided to just delete the app, since I’ve bought everything I could ever possibly want and made my Springfield as beautiful as I care to make it. I could have kept the game until its true demise certainly, but it felt pointless to keep going back to it if nothing new is coming. Now I have no way to redownload so I’m completely cut off! Free from the freemium chains once again. Don’t totally know how I feel yet, but I’ve begun to realize just how much time this game has sucked from me since I began playing again early last year after a 5 year break. Super happy that I’ve had this game to fall back on when I’ve needed a distraction. I’m excited to see what else is in store for my life though. Thanks TSTO Addicts for all the tips over the years. You’ve been my go to site always.
ive accepted. i have lost all interest after finally building my zoo. i have nothing left to build. sad I have not logged in since sunday
Tbc, tsto 2
There is no acceptance here. That all we do is accept things. As fans we should to save our beloved game. People rise up and preition EA to give us our game. Or email blast Disney to buy the game from EA and house under the house of mouse. Every seem to forget when mankind comes together we can amazing things. Yes I know there not of us. There more of world wide, so many of we have from a fan site, keep going for almost 12 years now. If we perition EA I am almost sure we can change the course of thing to come. Fan have save movies, TV show from be canceled. I call on you, I am but one person. Let’s sus stad as a fan force of nature and scream we are done accepting..
EA know how strong we are. Instead of just pulling the plug on the game they gave months to play. In that time we should show our love for the Simpsons Tapped Out and fight for it. Now who is with me. I am made as hell I am gonna take any more.
It’s a commercial world, money is everything, would cost too much for the billionaires to take a loss, wee guys like us don’t matter ding ding cash cash.
There’s been a petition around practically from the moment they announced the game was ending. Check earlier posts, in the comments section for lots of comments with links to it and one article that also linked to it. However, I’m pretty sure it’s an exercise in futility…12 years is a long time to keep a mobile game running and I think there may have been licensing issues that prevented them from continuing. As sad as I am to see the game go (and I’m very sad), I think the ship has sailed.
When I first started playing, I would play every day without fail After about five years of playing, I stopped and took a break then I came back to playing then stopped again and have now come back to play until it ends.
Because of my in between breaks, I have accepted it but at the same time it will be a strange feeling, just because of the memories and time and dedication put in, like everyone else too.
I am not sure what the real reason to disconnect this game? I have bought/own almost everything under the Finger, but, alas, it all goes BOOM! Sad, really!
I’m still having withdrawals and go into to the game at least 3x a day. So sad!!
Just checked play store and it’s gone 😔
I’ve completed all the quests for the returning content via Taps. That was a nice way to more or less wrap up the game.
Spending a small amount of time daily and getting more gold pavement just to finish out a look I was slowing putting together before they announced the game was going away.
Once that’s done, I’ll screenshot some stuff and be done.
It’s sad, but I accept that there’s not much more I am willing to spend time on in the game.
I keep collecting Shattered Dreams Tokens in my daily challenges, but is (or will there be) a way to redeem them?
In the currency bit in store – trade old tokens for a dozen donuts
Are you going to delete the game or will it automatically delete its self? I go on everyday to see if there are any mini games or events (Halloween), will there be a Christmas in Springfield this year??? asking for a friend
We’re doing nothing – it’s all up to EA
Today is the last day you can download the app then the servers go off in January is all they told us.
There won’t be any new events or content according to them.
No choice but to accept the inevitable and move on with hope that EA are working on a new tsto 2, hope also that they keep our details and give us credit when they release the new game.
I am still playing and designing but not changed much in my original area but mostly in the new land.
Fingers x for a simpsons part 2
What gets me is the notices to visit the towns is still active.