In a new update, The Sims 4's character customization is getting a new feature that marks a big step for inclusivity in games. On May 24, EA released a new update that adds a new feature to The Sims 4's Create A Sim menu, allowing players to customize their Sims' pronouns. The update is being called Version One of this pronoun menu, but this version already seems pretty in-depth.
The Sims 4, and The Sims series in general, is well-known for its customization features. Since its release in 2014, The Sims 4 has gotten a ton of from both EA and the game's community, including paid DLC packs and community-developed mods, like a Sims 4 mod that adds renting Blockbuster movies. While much of The Sims' new customization content releases as paid DLC, the new Create A Sim features are coming as a free update.
The Sims 4's new update adds a fantastic component to character customization and marks what should be a new standard for the industry moving forward. Not only does the new update allow players to choose between set choices, but there is also the option for players to enter their own options, making it a very inclusive update. The inclusivity of this update was not accomplished by EA alone, and the devs of The Sims 4 still have some future improvements they want to make on this system.
The Sims 4's New Update Sets A New Standard For Inclusivity In Character Customization
In this new update, the development team didn't work alone. After implementing gender-neutral pronouns in Sims 4 earlier this year, the team reached out to folks at the It Gets Better Project and GLAAD to learn more about how pronouns are used and applied to different situations, taking particular note of how they are used in the experiences of transgender and nonbinary people. Using that information, the team came to the current form, with presets of he/him, she/her, and they/them pronouns, or a menu to set different pronouns for subjective, objective, reflexive, and possessive dependent and independent pronouns.
Despite the progress, this feature is still getting future updates and improvements. The in-depth pronoun customization feature is currently only in English. The development team celebrates other cultures, such as when it added a Pabllo Vittar Carnaval Streetwear Kit to Sims 4 to celebrate the Brazilian festival. For future updates, The Sims 4's dev team is interested in bringing the feature to other languages, as well as catching areas where the pronoun conversion may not be working correctly yet.
With its new update, The Sims 4 takes a big step toward a more inclusive character customization system. The customizable pronouns in The Sims 4 sur what any other AAA game has utilized so far. Hopefully, other AAA games move towards a system like The Sims 4's new update to make video games a more inclusive medium for trans and nonbinary folks.