The Sims is a series known for the mind numbing amount customization options players can choose from. While these choices enhance player experience, fans have longed for the ability to designate sexual and romantic attractions between Sims. On July 15, 2022 The Sim’s announced its newest update, the introduction to the Sexual Orientation features that role out alongside the upcoming high-school expansion pack. This is a permanent free update for every player, regardless if you have the high-school expansion pack, and it cannot be turned off.
A Sim’s sexual orientation will be dictated by a series of attraction parameters. In the character creator screen players can check any combination of attraction parameters to reflect a sim’s romantic orientation. These parameters control whether or not a Sim’s sexual orientation can shift through game-play shown through two different story content pertaining to this update.
The first story is for sims who figured out who they are and what they are attracted to with. This is reflected by a Sim who is not exploring romantically. Sims set to “No” for exploring, will not shift orientation through gameplay and firmly reject advances from genders they aren’t interested in. The second story is for Sims who are still figuring out what their attractions are. Sims with exploring set to “Yes”, will still have an initial Sexual Orientation setting, but it can change through game-play. With each new romantic interaction, Sim can possibly end up at a different place from where they started out.
Unfortunately, with this new update comes some caveats. Technical limitations have prevented the addition of more genders. Since nonbinary Sims don’t yet exist in The Sim’s 4, binary gender selection is still needed in the character creation screen, regardless of pronoun settings. The developers are going on to promise their “commitment to improving representation of gender identities”, offering new features such as Gender Customization which allows modifications to physical frame, clothing preferences, pregnancy and toilet use options. The developers continued, stating that the pronouns update is a step toward better representation of non binary genders.
“As a team, we hold creativity, discovery, inclusivity and play as core values and strive every day to celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion for our people and community. With that in mind, we’re delighted to bring the Sexual Orientation feature to all Simmers. Between this update and the recent pronouns update, we’re taking several strides forward into being a game that respects and celebrates the nuance and color of everyday life.”
The additions of these inclusive elements have been a want for many LGBTQA+ fans in the Sim’s community. While the newest update is far from perfect, its great to see the developers stand by their decision to include it. For more detailed information, visit the FAQ on the official website.