Queer gamers spoke up and developers listened. The Sims 4 has finally introduced an update with the option for players to select nonbinary pronouns. Through the “Create-A-Sim” function, users can now select they/them pronouns, in addition to he/him and she/her. The update also allows gamers to customize their own pronouns by adding in the many forms of the pronoun, such possessive, objective, and subjective forms.
Electronic Arts, the company behind The Sims, collaborated with the It Gets Better Project and GLAAD to consider how users would interact with the update, which producer John Faciane (aka “SimGuruDuck”) called “a step in the direction of a more inclusive experience for Simmers,” in a post announcing the rollout.
For a life-simulation game that thrives on the promise of possibility, the persistence of limiting gender indicators has been a sticking point for queer users. In April of last year, a petition for the addition of gender neutral pronouns, circulated by a Sims fan under the name of Momo Misfortune, amassed more than 20,000 signatures.
Previous iterations of the game had allowed for more inclusive customization, like same-sex marriage in The Sims 3 in 2009, and an update in 2016 that allowed users to “create Sims with any type of physique, walk style, and tone of voice you choose — regardless of their gender.” But an option for gender neutral pronouns, which is only available in English for now, had lagged behind. Word that gender neutral pronouns were on the way first came late last year.
“While this update isn't the be-all end-all of representation of nonbinary and other gender diverse folks, we strongly feel that it’s important for us to approach better inclusivity over time as we figure out ways to work within the limitations of our code,” Faciane said in the announcement. Appropriate verb conjugation seems to have presented a challenge, and users may notice some grammar that looks off, which EA encourages gamers to flag for correction.
EA also notes that it’s working to address other instances of gendered language, like “policeman” or “policewoman” in the game. “We understand that there is still work to be done to make the game more inclusive of all genders,” Faciane said. “We look forward to continuing to investigate areas where we can further improve this in the game.”
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