The Sims 4 Pronoun Update Is A Win For The LGBTQ+ Community
It's hard to believe it's been 22 years since we first stepped into the neighbourhood and built our own suburban paradise with The Sims. A lot has changed since then, and now, a long-awaited The Sims 4 pronoun update is bringing the series into the 21st Century.
As The Sims has continued to grow across four mainline entries and more expansions than we care to count, complaints about diversity have continued to rumble beneath the surface. Maxis has promised to do better in representing different communities. Even though most of us play The Sims to build a house, get two Sims to fall in love, and then drown one in the pool just so Death can visit, it's important to feel represented.
What Is The Sims 4 Pronoun Update?
We were already told The Sims 4 pronoun update would add customisable pronouns. At the start of the year, Producer John Faciane explained a three-point plan that would give greater representation to transgender or non-binary players. As well as putting a focus on freedom of expression, Faciane promised to emphasise that The Sims should be a welcoming space no matter how you identify.
Before the update, your Create-A-Sim identification was based on a binary gender system of he/him or she/her. Clothing and appearance customisation could imply transgender or non-binary identification, but until now, The Sims 4 was locked to two gender options. Working with GLAAD and the 'It Gets Better' Project, The Sims 4 lets you pick from a spectrum of pronouns from the moment you put in a Sim's name.
On the official Sims Twitter, the account explained: "It's our first version that focuses on customizable pronouns in English, but our intent is to update & expand this feature over time across languages." This fits with Localisation Lead Veronica Morales' previous comment about how difficult it is to translate customisable pronouns into the 18 different languages the game is available in.
What Have Fans Said About The Sims 4 Pronoun Update?
Ignoring the usual "why is this news?" grumbles, the comments praised Maxis for finally moving with the times for The Sims 4 pronoun update. One supporter wrote, "This is HUGE. representation matters so much, and I'm getting emotional thinking about how much I know this means to so many of you," while another added, "This is making me very emotional and I hope all young trans kids who see this update feel validated and a little less lonely."
There were also heart-warming scenes from player Momo Misfortune, who started the campaign for customisable pronouns last year. We previously reported how a petition quickly gathered over 20,000 signatures and caught the attention of Maxis. Of course, this is just a small step. Buried in all the support, there were still those who called Maxis to task for a lack of skin tones and disabled Sims in-game. Still, at least the long-running franchise has proved it's not adverse to change.