The Sims Breaking Gender Barriers

By Victoria Robertson on June 8, 2016

The world is changing whether you like it or not, and even video game creators are hopping on board.

Society today is riddled with a lack of political correctness, sometimes to its own detriment. And one of these issues at large in today’s society is the issue of gender: what is “normal” and what is “other,” and you can bet that everyone has their own opinion on what these two words mean.

There’s fierce opposition when it comes to this issue between what’s considered the norm and what maybe hasn’t been the norm, and it’s been the cause of some serious divides in society.

But change is inevitable, and it’s about time to start looking at this difference as “the new normal.”

At least, that’s what the creators of a popular video game known as “The Sims” think.

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For the first time, “The Sims,” a popular video game for over a decade now, will offer a multitude of gender customization options. And in a game that’s meant to be a simulation of life, it only makes sense that the current changes in gender identity are represented correctly.

According to developer Maxis, a free update for this new “gender boundary-less” game will be available for free on Thursday.

The game, “The Sims 4,” will remove gender boundaries and therefore allow its creators to experiment with such characteristics as physique, walk style and voice, without any gender constraints present in previous versions of the game.

In fact, earlier installments of the series restricted the types of clothing, hairstyles and other such previously binary characteristics, identifying them as either “male” or “female” with no option to mix and match.

Now 16 years old, the game will break this barrier completely for the first time ever, allowing a mix and match type system in which the 700 characteristics previously defined as male or female will now be accessible to any gender the creator chooses.

Of course, this may be a free new update, but past versions of the game won’t have this option, which may be a big enough draw to those who own previous versions of the game but want to utilize the new update. To do so, they’ll of course have to purchase “The Sims 4.”

So as positive as this new update is, also keep in mind it’s a potential goldmine for “The Sims” creators.

Regardless, while this certainly shouldn’t be considered a selfless act, it should be one that we take note of, especially since the gaming world doesn’t typically allow for this change in society. What other game can you think of in which you can create transgender characters if you wanted to?

A statement from the studio clarified that its goal was to “make sure players can create characters they can identify with or relate to through powerful tools that give them influence over a Sims’ gender, age, ethnicity, body type and more.”

But regardless of their goal, such a movement in the gaming world is big enough to make waves, and hopefully to spark some similar movements in the near future.

Television has already taken to this change, blatantly with such shows as “Orange is the New Black” and more subtly with shows such as “Modern Family.” The LGBT community is finally being heard, and finally being included as well.

While many will boycott the game (and perhaps the company behind it) for its new update, others will probably purchase it for the first time, and others still will feel no effect whatsoever in response to the new update.

But for EA, a well-known video game company, this is a huge step in the right direction, and it’s making a statement. It’s not necessarily choosing a side, but rather choosing to be inclusive.

The company isn’t forcing you to utilize this new update, but rather giving you the option to decide for yourself. It’s understanding the issues and the current debate around them, and allowing its users to choose for themselves what they believe.

Following suit with Lego (which just broke gender stereotypes with its stay-at-home dad and working mom figurines), “The Sims” is making a subtle step towards inclusion without having to make a direct statement.

It’s a brilliant way to make everyone feel included while simultaneously avoiding making a bold statement of belief.

And as television and games continue to become more inclusive, perhaps people will begin to follow suit. But for now, at the very least, such movements, however small they may feel, are giant leaps in the right direction, and I think it’s only a matter of time before major changes are seen across all entertainment platforms.

While we’re certainly a while from inclusion in society, perhaps we don’t have to be so far from inclusion in alternate reality.

Who knew it would take a game like “The Sims” to make such a bold, yet subtle statement?

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