Sexual Orientation in The Sims 4!

The latest update will add orientation settings to the character creation editor

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

🔹 Sexual Orientation in The Sims 4

Hi all! This is SimGuruJessica, Lead Designer for The Sims 4 High School Expansion Pack. Today I'm going to talk about the sexual orientation settings coming to the base game with the next update.

🔹 Past, present and future

The Sims team values ​​creativity, self-discovery, inclusion, and experimentation above all else, and we strive to ensure that our game reflects the idea of ​​representation, equality, and openness. That's why we're thrilled to introduce the sexual orientation mechanic to all The Sims fans. Pronoun customization has recently been introduced to the game, and these two updates were important steps towards bringing all the endless variety of real life to the game.

Let me emphasize that we have only just outlined the direction of further development. We still have a long way to go and while I can't go into detail about our plans, rest assured that we will continue to work on improving the representation of LGBTQIA+.

When such things are discussed, the question of the team's involvement in real issues often arises, and this is a very correct question. I'll open the door a little behind the scenes and tell you how we approached this important topic. There are many LGBTQIA+ representatives in our team, and I myself am one of them. However, each of us can only talk about his personal, that is, limited, experience. So we turned to GLAAD and the It Gets Better project for help, and they helped us gather the widest possible palette of opinions on how to reflect the issue of sexual orientation in the game in its entirety and complexity.

🔹 Principles of work

The Sexual Orientation settings will allow you to select several characteristics for your Sims that determine their preferences in choosing partners. Below you can see how we implemented the orientation settings in the character creation editor.

🔹 In a romantic sense, this character is attracted to:

This is where you specify who your Sims find attractive. When Sims who do not match this gender offer your Sims romantic interactions, they are rejected.

To determine a Sim's romantic orientation, simply select any combination of the items you want (you can select all or none). Later, we will be able to add to the list of items, including gender identities that are not represented in the game at the moment.

Of course, you will pay attention to the gender binary of the current options. The fact is that so far in The Sims 4 there is no non-binary mechanics. Pronoun customization has greatly improved the representation of non-binary, but certainly pronouns are not the same as gender identity. We are well aware that we have much to strive for. More on this in the questions and answers.

🔹 My character is experimenting with orientation:

This setting controls whether Sims' sexual orientation can change during gameplay. We added it to reflect two different situations in the game.

• The first one is a clear, unambiguous understanding of your preferences. These Sims don't experiment with orientation. If you choose the appropriate setting, your Sims' orientation will not be able to change during the course of the game: they will firmly reject anyone whose gender does not suit their preferences.

• The second situation is an unfinished process of self-determination. For Sims who experiment with orientation, the initial sexual orientation settings selected in the previous step may change over time. Experienced romantic interactions can lead them to a whole new understanding of themselves.

🔹 Woohoo Character Preferences:

This setting determines who your Sim can woo with. For Sims you intend to be asexual, you can leave all options unchecked. For Sims you intend to be aromatic, you can select the Woohoo Preference but leave the Romantic Attractiveness setting blank. More on this in the questions and answers.

You will be able to embody even more ambiguous situations in the game: for example, some Sims may be attracted to different genders, but in terms of physical intimacy, they are only interested in one.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

◼ Do I need to purchase the High School add-on to customize my sexuality?
◽ No! With the release of the High School expansion, sexual orientation settings will become available to absolutely all players.

◼ Why are there only two gender options?
This is a natural question, given that we've only recently added pronoun settings to the game.
◽ I would like to answer it very directly. The reason is technical limitations. As stated above, there is currently no non-binary mechanic in The Sims™ 4. When creating a character, you always have to choose between two genders, no matter which pronouns you use. Hopefully, the addition of things like gender settings to choose a body type, clothing preferences, the ability to get pregnant or impregnate other Sims, and the way you use the toilet show enough to show how serious we are about improving the representation of different genders. We consider pronoun customization to be an important step towards non-binary representation, but of course, pronouns are not the same as gender identity.
The Sims 4 is now 8 years old and is based on systems designed around a binary understanding of gender. Over the years, we've added a number of important new features to the game, such as gender settings, pronoun selection, and sexual orientation. However, there is still a long way to go. Providing support for non-binary is one of the stages of this path.

◼ How to woo sims who are not interested in romance?
◽ A very important question, because WooHoo usually follows romantic interactions. To better reflect aromanticism and diversity in the game, we've given all young, adult, and old Sims the opportunity to invite close friends to become WooHoo partners.
If they agree, you can woo-hoo without being in a romantic relationship. The key word is if. As with other such interactions, there are mismatches followed by awkward conversations.
I would like to note once again that sexual orientation is a very complex and delicate topic. Right now, we have only introduced the first version of the new system to the players, and we will certainly think about how to improve it so that you can implement even more diverse stories in the game.

◼ Is it possible to manually change the sexual orientation of Sims during the game?
◽ Yes. Select "Change Character" by the mirror or wardrobe, and you will be taken to the Create a Sim editor, where you can change your sexual orientation settings.

◼ Where are the sexual orientation settings located?
◽ In the character creation editor, under the gender selection box (you need to click on the ellipsis).

◼ What happens if I don't change my sexual orientation settings?
◽ If you do not change the sexual orientation settings, Sims will build their personal life in the same way as they did before the release of the new feature.
In fact, before for all Sims, these settings were in effect. They didn't have specific preferences for the gender of their romantic partners, their preferences could change during the game, and they could woo anyone with anyone. This set of settings remains standard for new Sims.

◼ Can this feature be disabled?
◽ No. We do give players the ability to disable some mechanics, but LGBTQIA+ is a given. They cannot be removed or returned at will.

◼ In conclusion
We are very excited that all of our players will have access to this feature. We look forward to your feedback on social media - let's move towards a more inclusive future together!