As a franchise,The Simshas pretty much always striven to be as inclusive as possible.The Sims 4is its most inclusive title yet, having tons of options for players to customize their Sims and how they identify themselves. In a post-launch patch,The Sims 4updated its Create-a-Sim to be more gender-inclusive, so fashion and other bodily functions were no longer tied to gender. This update made it much easier for players to play with life, especially in regards to gender identity and gender presentation. Despite all the goodThe Sims 4has done in terms of CAS, there’s still a few areas it could improve in.
Recently, the developer hasgone back through the base gameand all packs to change certain moodlets from “Uncomfortable” to “Scared” to match the newest stuff pack,Paranormal. Doing this has improved gameplay and made it more realistic for Sims to get scared during a thunderstorm rather than just being uncomfortable. Due to the fact the developer went back through to recode those items, many players feel the same should be done for certain aspects of the game that are unnecessarily gendered.
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Custom Pronouns
Many fans and players ofThe Sims 4have been asking for a way to customize pronouns for individual Sims. As it existsin-game now, automated messageswill show up using “she” or “he” pronouns when referring to different members of each household. While this may seem fine on the surface, it can cause a bit of a dilemma for players. If someone is playing with a Sim who is transgender, the game will default to using the pronouns that match a Sim’s biological sex, which is a major issue.
Pronouns are a crucial part of people’s identities, so it’s unfortunate thatThe Sims 4can indirectly misgender Sims because of the pronoun system in place. If there were a way for players to specifywhat pronouns their Sim usesand then have those pronouns appear in automated messages, it would ease a lot of the disappointment some players face.The Simsis a life simulation game, but it’s upsetting that those who are transgender and nonbinary aren’t able to accurately simulate their lives with the correct pronouns.
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Updated In-Game Messages
A custom pronoun system sounds fantastic in theory, but it may not be possible within the frameworkThe Sims 4has set up at the moment. It would be an excellent addition inThe Sims 5, but that still leaves players wondering how their Sim’s gender identity willbe respected inThe Sims 4. Not every automated message that pops up uses gendered pronouns, but messages from older packs do. This could easily be remedied, though.
Later packs seem to have eliminated the use of gendered pronouns, instead using the gender-neutral “they” in place of “she” or “he.” Much like the developer went back through to change some “Uncomfortable” moodlets to “Scared,” the same process could occur for updating in-game messages. Doing so would respect the gender identity of every Sim in-game and get rid of any possibility of misgendering any Sim.
In real life, being misgendered can be a devastating experience.The Simsis meant to be a simulation gamewhere everyone can represent themselves, but that can’t be done if pronouns aren’t respected or represented. It may not seem like a big deal to add custom pronouns or update the in-game automated messages to be gender-inclusive, but it would make a world of difference for allSims 4players — especially those who are trans, nonbinary, or fall anywhere else on the gender spectrum.
The Sims 4is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
