The Alpha vs. Maxis Match Debate Solves Nothing (The Sims)
The alpha vs. Maxis Match debate in the Sims community has shown itself to be unproductive at best and divisive at worst. I’m not sure if ‘debate’ is the right word; ‘discourse’ might be more accurate, considering that most of the Sims community would rather be snide about it than actually productive. I’ve been part of numerous video gaming communities for more than a decade – in contrast, I’ve only been part of the Sims community for about two years now – but the Sims community is the only one where such debates often lead to people being hastily, and often falsely, accused of legitimately terrible things. That says a lot about the Sims community, especially on Twitter, but not much good if I’m afraid.
Alpha vs. Maxis Match: what they mean
This post is primarily intended for Sims players who already know of the differences between alpha and Maxis Match CC, but I’ll explain them in this section for those who don’t know.
Maxis Match generally refers to CC that resembles the art style of The Sims (typically The Sims 4, where the game’s art style is simplistic, cartoonish, and is distinguished by Sims’ solid-form/clay hair). Maxis Match CC is generally less demanding performance-wise and better blends in with the game’s art style.
Alpha generally refers to CC that is intended to be more realistic. Alpha CC is generally more demanding performance-wise and contrasts more starkly with the game’s (or The Sims 4’s, at least) art style. Such CC may look more strange with lower graphics settings.
The term Maxis mix may be used to describe CC or combinations thereof that use elements from both Maxis Match and alpha CC.
My thoughts
As a Sims 4 player who primarily uses Maxis Match custom content, I don’t care what type of custom content other Sims 4 players use. You shouldn’t, either. I’ve lived most of my life up to this point subscribed to a live-and-let-live policy: who cares as long as it’s not hurting anyone? As such, I firmly believe that people should be able to play and show off their Sims games – as long as they’re not so flagrantly depicting illegal and immoral acts – without overgrown children making snide and petty remarks about them.
I have my reservations about Maxis Match and alpha CC – and you’re free to have yours, too – but making outlandish, sweeping assumptions about who uses what, no matter which side you’re on, will not help your case. You are not the better person, nor is your side the better one, for persistently complaining about, straw-manning, or otherwise demonizing those who have different preferences than you do. Again, who cares what type of CC you use as long as you’re not hurting anyone?
P.S.
I wrote much of this before the “beige aesthetic” discourse which started in the Sims Tumblr community but eventually made its way into Sims communities on other platforms. I’ll probably write about what I’ve seen about rich people’s fashion and how it’s become increasingly drab and colorless over the years, but I make no promises. I write about what I want.
I sense that I might get called a hypocrite for that, but guess what: everyone’s allowed to not like things others do. Live and let live means to not intervene when someone does something you don’t like that’s otherwise harmless; it does not mean to unconditionally accept everything others do.