so like... i know we’re all roffling our collective ass off at the “FREE CC CREATORS ARE NARCISSISTIC PERVERTS” guy but I wanna use this opportunity to get on a high horse about something y’all TS4 simmers might not have considered:
~historical preservation~
I come from the Sims 2 fandom. Sims 2 is old enough to vote. in internet terms, it’s been around for eons.Â
Back in the early days of Sims 2, we had this same debate. There were plenty of Sims 2 creators who wanted to be paid for their content, who set up their own websites to sell their stuff. Some of those creators were really good at what they did.
fandoms move. people shut down their personal blogs. Â the ts2 forums and gallery-equivalent have been dead for years. and no one wants to pay for CC if they can possibly avoid it.Â
do you know how many of those ts2 pay-for-CC websites still exist? almost none. the only one that’s still running is TSR, and it’s had to try and change its business model a couple times to try to stay relevant.Â
if you want to get your hands on any older Sims 2 paywalled content, these days, the only way to get it... is from paysitesmustbedestroyed.
the more difficult you make it for people to get their hands on your CC, the more likely it is it will be lost when Tumblr or Mediafire or Adfly meet their inevitable demise. and charging money for your CC makes it more difficult for people to get it.
look. if you want to put stuff on your tumblr or your patreon, that’s fine. i can’t judge. I have a patreon too. but unless you a) also upload your stuff to some kind of community-owned archive (like Mod The Sims, Garden of Shadows, or Plumbob Keep), b) make your TOU as inclusive as possible, and c) let people share your stuff-- even your meshes-- indiscriminately...Â
... there’s a good chance your CC will be lost to the mists of time.Â
