Finally, The Sims 4 Has Added Straight People
The Sims has always stood out as a beacon of inclusivity. Allowing players to use the god-sim to create characters of their own design has always led to players finally getting to see themselves in-game no matter where they're from or what they look like. Plus, with the option to romance any character in the game (death incarnate included), fans have always been able to be whoever they want to be.
A new update is promising fans some more options to change their characters' sexuality and romantic attractions - but it has had a strange effect.
The Sims 4 Adds Asexual And Aromantic Options
Click to enlargeA new free update for The Sims 4 has introduced a new update to coincide with the High School Years expansion pack coming later this month, and it's giving players a lot more control over their Sim's romantic and sexual interests.
It introduces new limitations that you can impose on your characters from the create-a-sim menu, where you can assert a player's attractions for their gameplay, which has been heralded as a great addition that gives players the opportunity to make their Sims aromantic and asexual. It's a nice touch from EA, but it doesn't yet adhere to the new gender structure that The Sims is set to use to introduce non-binary Sims.
The new options are developed in the binary of both men and women, and lead designer Jessica Croft has explained in a blog post that this is down to technical limitations, and it has been designed so that it can be tweaked later on.
But, some fans have pointed out that this has had an interesting effect on the game.
The Sims 4's New Update Introduces Straight People
Many fans have pointed out that functionally, all Sims have been pansexual since the game started, and players can choose not to engage in romantic or sexual relationships if they don't want to - so in many ways, all that this update has done is introduce an option to definitely make your Sim straight. Which is… questionable.
It looks like the new update has backfired a little, but it's still a nice effort from EA. Even if a Sim that doesn't have the chance to crack on with someone of the same gender is… jarring.