The next Sims 4 game update will introduce a Sexual Orientation feature to improve representation of the LGBTQIA+ community. Electronic Arts design lead of the games High School Years Expansion Pack made the announcement. In addition, the game recently introduced pronouns. EA says they “worked extensively with GLAAD and the It Gets Better Project to ensure that we’ve captured the widest possible range of viewpoints on how to approach this feature in a manner that respects and elevates the community.
Originally, Sims had no no inherent attraction to a specific gender and would be interested in “WooHoo” with either gender. WooHoo is described as “the ultimate expression of romantic love between two Sims.”
While the update doesn’t require purchasing the High School Years Expansion Pack, it’s worth a look.
Carving Your Own Path in High School
“Copperdale High is the center of your teen Sims’ world. Inside these halls, Sims participate in everything that makes high school such a formative time in life, from building lifelong friendships, to selecting our favorite extracurricular activities and graduating into adulthood.”
The Sexual Orientation update was hinted recently as “an additional new feature that will add more choice and opportunity for discovery to your Sims’ lives.”
EA’s post describes teen years and high school as “launching points for self-discovery.” In addition, The Sims and Depop are enabling new original in-game fashion items. Furthermore, players can purchase those items for their teen Sims in the game’s local thrift store.
Gender Options
Players will still have to make a binary gender choice. To be clear, this is due to “technical limitations”, according to EA.
“You still have to make a binary gender selection for your Sim at creation, regardless of pronoun settings. We hope that we’ve shown our commitment to improving representation of gender identities with features such as Gender Customization, which allows you to modify physical frame, clothing preferences, pregnancy and toilet use options. We look at the pronouns update as another important step toward better representation of non binary genders, but we also acknowledge that pronouns are not the same thing as gender identities.”
SimGuruJessica, the design lead on The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion Pack
