Life simulation franchise The Sims was first launched all the way back in early 2000. Right from day one, The Sims games have aimed to reflect real life as closely as possible. As society has become more tolerant, the franchise has been at the forefront of crafting more inclusive games, pushing the boundaries and aiming to normalize diversity.
While some may feel there is still a way to go, including The Sims team themselves, you cannot deny that the franchise has continually made huge leaps forward in its quest to be truly inclusive. Senior Producer Michael Duke says, "We are not there yet, but every year we get a bit closer, we get a little more accessible, we add more diversity."
The Sims Early Games: Simple But Effective
When the franchise launched it allowed players to live out the lives they wished to pursue. This included the ability to be in a same-sex relationship. The game also ensured that careers and actions were not assigned to specific genders.
All Sims have always been inherently bisexual, allowing players to choose exactly who they wish to pursue as friends and as partners. Sexuality could be chosen by the player, not the game, allowing LGBTQ+ people to start finally seeing their truth in gaming.
Diverse characters were few and far between at this point, so every speck of diversity was bucking the trend and straying from the norm of games at this time. Taking a risk to ensure all gamers felt represented is something that would go on to become core to the franchise.
While the first two Sims games showcased same-sex relationships, a range of skin tones and a few other nods to diversity it was The Sims 3 that had the first major public show of diversity. They allowed marriage to be available to all couples, regardless of gender pairings. This was celebrated with the inclusion of pre-made same-sex couple Dylan and Audrey Shear.
The Sims 4: Ramps Up Diversity
By the time The Sims 4 launched in 2014, things had changed. Thanks to the media and the internet, LGBTQ+ rights were on more people's minds and diversity was beginning to be more widely celebrated. Technology had also made significant advances, allowing the team to add new ways to reflect diversity to the game that wouldn't have been possible before.
The Sims 4 launched with a range of skin tones, body sizes, and the much-desired ability to have same-sex marriages in-game. While these were considered basics, the franchise was about to bring more diversity than ever before and it would mark the beginning of an ever-changing title.
The Big Gender Update
In 2016 the Create-a-Sim tool was completely overhauled. This removed any and all gender restrictions, allowing players to customize physique, tone of voice, walk style, ability to get pregnant and more, regardless of the gender of sim chosen. All hair, makeup, and clothing options were also unrestricted, allowing full choice of all available items.
This meant that for the first time in-game transgender or non-binary Sims could be made, although we didn't see a pre-made Sim using these options until earlier this year with Lia Huata, a non-binary Sim from Island Living. She was quickly followed by Morgyn Ember, a pre-made trans man spellcaster who plays a prominent role in the Realm of Magic trailer.
The advances in gender representation have been huge and players are now just hoping that the team will add the ability to choose they/them pronouns, which would be used for notifications and messages from other Sims.
Cultural Creativity
Alongside gender representation, the team has also drawn huge amounts of inspiration from a range of cultural backgrounds. Some of these have been more prominent than others but all are evident in-game.
While the holiday calendar introduced in Seasons has always reflected Easter and Christmas, updates added items to celebrate Diwali and Day of the Dead. There are also some wider traditions such as fasting or attending church services, which can be used to reflect other important religious holidays for different denominations.
Alongside this, updates have been made to the base game, with Caribbean, Polynesian and Muslim inspired clothing added alongside whole packs inspired by different cultures, such as Island Living. These additions tie in with other aspects of the game to allow greater diversity that reflects our multicultural society.
Flying The Flag For LGBTQ+
While the gender update and core dating options are great for LGBTQ+ players the franchise doesn't stop there.
The Sims 4 now features several diverse characters in the pre-made Sim line up. Brent and Brant Heckling became the first pre-made gay couple when their wedding made the Cats & Dogs expansion trailer. Island Living also introduced pre-made lesbian couple Tane Ngata and Leila Illles, who are married but each retains their own name. There is also a lesbian couple on the base game box art, in the form of Dela Ostrow and Mia Hayes.
Alongside Sims, the game has a large number of pride-themed items. There are numerous pride flags, alongside a range of clothing items brought through a collaboration with the It Gets Better Project. We even have gender-neutral bathrooms!
Moving Forward
As the game continues to grow diversity is still at the front line of all the team are doing. The recent Discover University trailer includes a diverse range of students and features Sims of differing sizes, races and appearances.
Through the Play With Life Campaign, the team has also explored how the game is often used to explore gender identity and sexual orientation. With this in mind, diversity remains key and we look forward to seeing more of it.
Michael Duke says, "I want our game to allow any person in this world to feel like they can recreate themselves, and tell their story in The Sims. It will absolutely continue to be a focus for us... I have seen first hand how valuable diversity can be to building a product for the world and not just ourselves. As we continue to diversify our team, we keep getting new ideas and opportunities to better represent more of our players in our game."