Sim of All Trades, Master of None: Thoughts on the Practice Makes Perfect Trait
CHALLENGERS, AMERICA'S GOT TALENT, 2024 OLYMPICS
I punched the couch cushion as the credits rolled on screen. “That’s how it ends? What does that mean?” I shouted at my friend.
We had just finished watching Challengers, the 2024 movie directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Zendaya. I was late to the conversation—most of my friends watched the movie in theaters over a month ago and got dangerously close to spoiling the plot twists. I skimmed their group texts and got the gist it was a sexy movie.
It is. But more than that, without any spoilers, the three main characters in Challengers all want to be great tennis players and their timelines are extremely intertwined. It’s not just a “tennis” movie with sexual tension; it’s a movie about what one is willing to sacrifice for greatness. The characters push themselves, and especially their emotions, to the limits. Can practice make perfect?
But what drives the movie is the characters, the personalities, the overall tension.
The furrow of a brow. The gasp of a crowd. The twitch of an eye. The raw emotion.
So with this experience fresh on my mind, I had high hopes for the new (and free) Sim trait: Practice Makes Perfect.
What I got was a soulless monster.
A trait is ⅓ of a Sim (since they have 3 traits you select for an adult Sim). And since The Sims 4 made a push for more dynamic “emotions” in the gameplay, a player expects traits to play a large role in their Sims’ interactions and lifestyles.
What I think was forgotten in the overall development of the Practice Makes Perfect trait was creativity—both in the design and how the Sims react with creative aspirations/activities.
The Sims team seems to have chosen seduction over quality, hoping the novelty of a free trait would overpower criticism.
The Sims 4 is trying to flirt with its players by launching a “Season of Love” campaign. So far, this has included two stuff kits (Cozy Bistro and French Rivera Retreat) and will include two more free “stylish updates” and a “flirtatious expansion pack” in the near future.
On top of that, the game is love bombing players with free rewards for logging onto the game often during the “Happy At Home” Login Event. The rewards include in-game objects such as a trash can, bland hairstyle, pillow, vending machine, and a new Sim trait: Practice Makes Perfect.
The new trait was the most enticing perk on the list for me; several of the other items already exist in the game through various expansion packs. So I logged in for three weeks. I claimed the dartboard, the necklace, the mini fridge, the pillow, and finally, the trait.
I had a lot of romantic ideas about what the trait could accomplish for my Sims.
I am also an avid watcher of America’s Got Talent. I’m addicted to reality and game shows; something about that American Dream imbedded in the talent, the “overnight success” fallacy. Work hard behind the scenes, and one day, you shine. The randomness. The luck.
Each performer gets a montage. A backstory. B-roll of trials and triumphs during practice. Sweat. Tears. Sentimental music. How badly do they want it? When it comes to that final live performance, can practice make perfect?
As a writer, I am constantly fed the mantra of “write every day.” Practice makes perfect.
“You can’t just write when you feel like it…”
And yet, I do. Very often. I write exactly when those emotions align, when I feel passionate about what I’m saying, when I can’t sleep at 3 a.m.
I understand the importance of deadlines, and the reality of writers to work within timeframes, which obviously means no dilly-dallying around until you “feel like it.” But, equally, there are incredible things I write in the spur of a moment. A fleeting emotion.
For, as an artist, I hope my work often invokes emotions in others.
So, here especially, is where I find the new Sim trait to be broken.
Several trait-related moodlets keep the Sim in a Focused state almost all the time. My Sim was lit on fire and stayed Focused, even with half of her Needs Bar in the deep red and her life flashing before her eyes.
The moodlets are triggered whenever the Sim is engaging in an activity with a Skill level. Which is a good chunk of the in-game interactions: every time the Sim cooks dinner, they level up their cooking skill; every time the Sim introduces themselves to other Sims, they level up their charisma skill; when the Sim watches certain TV channels, it can level up various skills.
Especially if you have a creative Sim—one who likes to paint, or write, or record blogs at the media station, or play instruments.
Several extra game features are moodlet-dependent. To bake heart-shaped “Flirty cookies,” the Sim needs to be in a Flirty mood. To write a “sad book,” the Sim needs to be sad. To paint a “Playful Painting,” the Sim needs to be in a playful mood. To take an “Angry Poop,” the Sim needs to obviously be angry.
But the creative emotion is completely sapped by the Practice Makes Perfect trait.
The Sims quickly switch to Focused shortly after. They become obsessed with leveling up the skill, but not being able to produce art.
The Sims stay Focused after any skill interaction. This removes the player’s ability to do emotion-based interactions, as the Sim stays in one mood. Focused.
Maybe this is great for leveling up the Logic or Fitness skill, but when it comes to creative skills—painting, writing, crafting, cooking—the loss of the emotional aura interactions severely impacts the gameplay and the Sim’s ability to engage in emotion-related interactions.
Personally, I can’t relate. I’m hardly ever only “focused” when working on creative projects.
And for good reason.
This constant Focused state is boring.
For reference, the current list of emotions in the Sims 4 includes Angry, Asleep, Bored, Confident, Dazed, Embarrassed, Energized, Fine, Flirty, Focused, Happy, Inspired, Playful, Sad, Scared, Tense, and Uncomfortable, with a few extreme variations (Hysterical, Enraged, Terrified, etc.).
And the Sim is only Focused. Can practice make perfect?
In The Sims, yes. Because the Sim will only focus on leveling up the skill.
The official trait description is “Sims with this trait learn skills faster, even if they are a bit slower at first.”
The slowness at the beginning is not what leads to perfection, although it somewhat simulates the traditional model of success that you won’t be successful right away. And honestly, the constant focus doesn’t lead to perfection, either. Without the emotional range, the idea of aiming for perfection is pointless. Is there a deeper motivation?
This trait lacks the follow through of someone who ever lived by “practice makes perfect” in a creative field.
Because, much like Challengers, dedication can take you so far—but the emotions are what will make or break you.
The Paris 2024 Olympics are approaching. Competitors are being finalized. Backstories are being blasted. The athletes are practicing.
And soon, millions will watch recaps on their TVs, every slip up, every final point, every glorious gold medal and devastating loss.
Millions will judge from their living rooms.
And the uproar will come not from a perfect move, but from the emotional fallout. How the athlete reacts. How the audience reacts to that reaction. Without that fanfare, the sports get more boring.
Take for example the recent viral reaction to Australian swimmer Cate Campbell, who last year said on camera that “…it is just so much sweeter beating America” as she complained about Americans playing the Star Spangled Banner and cowbells.
The 2023 interview resurfaced and the internet hasn’t held back—especially since Campbell didn’t qualify for this year’s Olympics. TikTok videos and other social media memes poke fun at her disdain for America and comment that the cowbells will continue to haunt her.
In the end, an athlete can practice endlessly, reaching for perfection, for wins. But they are known to a broader audience for these viral moments that extend beyond practice.
According to a recent Slate article, the Challengers Blu-Ray release sparked a lament for DVD bonus content. In the age of streaming, physical DVDs are a dying industry. But fans and collectors of DVDs are interested in the physical ephemera and the DVD-specific bonus content not available on streaming services.
The Challengers DVD had no bonus content. No gag reels, commentaries, behind-the-scenes. Of course, there’s some of this information available online, on social media. But there is no extra content provided in the DVD.
The Sims have mirrored this trajectory.
With the release of The Sims 4, the game went entirely digital. This feature had been introduced in The Sims 3, with CDs still being produced but the option of digital downloads growing.
The Sims 4 is digital download only (for the computer). The game no longer takes up a physical presence in retail stores. No more posters or game guides to collect.
However, we clearly see The Sims 4 team trying to incentivize more players with these free base-game add-ons.
Of course, practice doesn’t actually make perfect. Maybe perfect doesn’t exist. None of the definitions include the word “perfect”; rather, they all mention variations of improvement from regular practice.
Well, I guess they tried. But I am bored.
I miss having a physical CD when playing. At the end I’m looking to eject the disk—but two problems; no disk drive on my laptop and no physical disk. 🤣 I kind of like it and don’t like it. Kind of nice knowing it’s in one place. But, I miss not updating the game constantly and all of these other add ons.
I’m also a writer too—so, I feel the writing thing completely.