Last year, ‘Sims’ content creator Momo Misfortune started a petition to EA Games to include pronoun options in game. The petition has received more than 20,000 signatures and in early 2022, developers announced they were working on this new feature for players.
The update, free for players right now, has essentially dropped out of the blue, available for players with the English version of the game. International versions of ‘The Sims 4’ are set to receive this feature soon too.
This new feature in the game is small but important – next to your sim’s name in Create-A-Sim, you now have the option to select their pronouns from a list. Options are he/him, she/her, they/them or Custom Pronouns. The Custom Pronouns option takes players to a screen where they are able to type in their own pronouns outside of those available. People who use neopronouns such as ze/zir or xe/xyr will find particular use for this.
Pronoun inclusion doesn’t end there, however. It expands into gameplay too – players who have selected pronouns for their Sims will see this take effect in everyday actions. For example, if a dialogue box appears telling the player their sim with ze/zir pronouns is enjoying baking, it will say “(Name) seems to be having a good time! Should ze gain the Likes Baking Preference?”. In text referring to levelling up a sim’s skill, it will say something like “To increase (Name)’s painting skill, have zir use the Easel”.
FIRST LOOK at the Custom Pronouns Menu! pic.twitter.com/DYR0E1mLU6
— Sims Community (@TheSimCommunity) May 24, 2022
It’s small things like this which make a huge difference. Players who were once not able to see themselves accurately represented in game, now have more options for customisation. ‘The Sims’ is constantly referred to by much of its LGBTQIA+ player-base as ‘an escape’. It’s only fair, then, that through this escape, all players are able to see themselves represented, especially if their circumstances put them in a position where they feel as though they’re not able to fully express themselves in real life.
Thank you, ‘Sims’ team.
