LGBTQ-Friendly Upgrades to ‘The Sims 4’ Coming Soon

The Sims 4 will release a comprehensive update for LGBTQ gaming with new ways to represent sexual identities of players and their virtual characters. The new update was designed in collaboration with the It Gets Better Project and GLAAD.

Players can choose from two new customization scales allowing them to explore a full range of sexual and romantic identities. The upgrade was released in tandem with the new Sims 4 High School expansion that enables players to choose teenage characters navigating the challenges of a high school environment. The update may help more accurately depict what can be a difficult time for LGBTQ youth through the lens of the virtual gaming world.

“Romance” options allow players to select attractions to men, women, both, and none. These selections guide how your Sim will react to romantic advances by different characters and help determine whether a character is interested in “WooHoo’ing” or fooling around during game play.

The new features allow Sims players to experiment with same- or different-gender attraction, feel physical over romantic attraction—or the opposite, or no sexual attraction at all. The “WooHoo” game options are accessed in the game’s Create-A-Sim customization menu.

The game does not yet allow gamers to play as nonbinary or gender-nonconforming characters, although another recent update allows players to choose their Sims’ pronouns regardless of gender.

EA and Maxis, the entities behind The Sims, have gradually added LGBTQ-friendly features. A gender customization overhaul took place in 2016, and gender-neutral restrooms and Pride elements were added in 2019. The game has also added lesbian, trans, and nonbinary non-playable characters during the last three years. By working with GLAAD and the It Gets Better Project, the game aims to capture a wide range of perspectives in a way that respects and elevates the LGBTQ community.

The Sims 4 is eight years old, and this will not be the end of the updates. A work in progress, updates, as they become, available help create a playing experience that adds LGBTQ traits and stories to the base game. This helps ensure a future in which queer identities become part of the forefront of simulated-life gaming.

No additional purchase is needed to access the new game features. They will be included in the game update scheduled to drop on July 28. If you choose not to use the new settings, the game will default to the player’s previously selected settings.

So… game on!

Photo courtesy of EA Games