The Sims Going Woke, Promoting Inclusion in Games Through ERGs

It seems the great long last simulation about fictional humans the Sims is about take a grim woke culture approach by adding in social justice and politics and liberal idealism in a video game the Sims.

The Sims studios introduced last summer pride month with pride items including a genderless bathroom option for your sims and the LGBT flag. Now the sims studios is pushing ahead with more Inclusion politics.

Are they trying to sell a game or ideology?

Promoting Inclusion in Games Through ERGs

When creating The Sims 4 and the additional content packs, developers began consulting various ERGs within EA to make sure they were understanding and accurately conveying cultural references when designing themed content. For example, in The Sims 4 Island Living Expansion Pack, developers collaborated with the Asian Pacific Islanders Represent (ASPIRE) ERG to ensure they were incorporating South Pacific/Polynesian-inspired components that would seem familiar to players of that background. Through ongoing conversations with the ERG, the team was inspired to design additional traditional clothing and tribal decorations, including a wooden spoon and fork as a household item, that have really resonated with players.

“It’s about the little details, asking our colleagues to provide feedback and insight into familiar items from home,” said Jill Johnson, Producer on The Sims 4. “The ERGs absolutely were a driving force in how we arranged some of the most special items in the expansion pack and provided the ‘gut check’ we often needed to ensure we’re representing something in a way that feels authentic to both the culture and The Sims brand.”

Another example is the celebration of Pride Month within The Sims 4 earlier this year. The development team partnered with It Gets Better Project to launch a number of Pride-inspired features in the game, including a variety of pride flags that represented different groups. The team consulted with the Pride ERG to make sure they knew what each flag meant and were being respectful to the different groups that these flags represented; this continued dialogue actually inspired two important additions to the selection.

a reply to: ChefFox

This would definitely be the franchise to do it. Most gamers wouldn't tolerate this kind of crap, see many of EA's recent releases and the press about them for citation. Sims is in a league of its own though. I'd dare say that sims is targeting toward a more feminine audience. I won't be adding the next sims to my origin roster. Who are the people falling for the leftist crap? Feminine people and morons.

a reply to: ChefFox

NPC's being NPCs.

Art imitating life.

a reply to: ChefFox

If I played the game, I’d quit.
But I don’t so can’t really say much.

I think it’s sick, that games are pandering to the LGBT agenda now.
Someone probably started a petition to put pressure on EA to cater to alternative lifestyles.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they were guilted into it some how.

I’m just kidding.
Good for them I guess.
Now they can play a game with a pride flag waving, same sex relationships and most importantly... genderless washrooms.
What a fantastic world.

I dropped out at Sims 3. EA just destroys whatever they touch and with Sims 3, it took an army of mods to make the game playable.

I didn't mind having the occasional Sim who swung the other way so to speak. It actually happens, and I set my mod to the real life percentages. So it was rare, but I did have them and that's fine. I actually had less trouble with LGBT Sims than with playing protags in RPGs who are that way - less personal when they're Sims, less emotional involvement.

But intentionally crafting a world that resembles something out of all proportion to the reality I want to control? Nah, not getting into it.

When are these people going to get it?

Exclusion is the ONLY way to be...!!

Ammiright y'all??

EA ....

You mean the company that releases beta stage games and charges 10% more than anyone else

originally posted by: Jefferton
When are these people going to get it?

Exclusion is the ONLY way to be...!!

Ammiright y'all??

When you include everything to the exclusion of the majority, you are excluding by default -- excluding normality and interest depending on what we're talking about and how.

And, of course, had they included culturally correct items without consulting the ERGs in question, they open themselves up to charges of cultural appropriation because The Sims isn't an Islander exclusive franchise, so they have to get the culture group stamp of approval or someone might get offended on their behalf.

a reply to: markovian

Last I checked in with YouTube Simmers, you still need an army of mods to make base game + expansions play nice together.

So...there is a game where people pretend to be people?
I'll stomp anyone's ass at Robotron. That's about as far as I got.

Hmm...inclusion, huh? One has to wonder if they are going to implement anything distinctly of a conservative temperament or of right-wing ideology. I'm going to go out on a limb and suppose not.

All this "pride" stuff is little more than veiled bigotry. It's not about tolerance or inclusion it is about acceptance of a dogma or else. It is profoundly exclusive. It is quite literally the same cultist nonsense as the ultra-nationalistic patriotism of the 80s.

Keep in mind that nearly the entirety of the entertainment sector these days in controlled by China as should be obvious by now with the recent incidents involving the Hollywood, NBA, Blizzard, etc.

a reply to: ChefFox

LOL...who cares?! (I mean, apparently some do) - if I understand correctly, they have expansion packs or something of the sort where you can choose various cultures to "Sim?" Ethnicities and the various gay letters...

Are they making the use of the "gay stuff" a mandatory part of the game? If not, then I have a hearty "point and laugh" for any snowflakes triggered by this optional component of a game whose sole premise is to create a simulated world/people with whatever asoects one chooses fo use.

Years ago, as a straight man trying out The Sims, which my girlfriend was really into, my goal was always to create as many lesbian relationships as possible.

a reply to: Jefferton

As usual, no.

a reply to: ChefFox

I've not bought a sims game since Sims 3... before EA decided to trash maxis studio with nonsense and a gutted Sims 4 where everything is DLC....

This is EA. The same company who thought a one armed one hooked woman, was the poster child for a WW2 game.

I'd just like to add for the record that I don't have a problem with any of the "inclusive" things they added to the game. Except for the "Pride" flag as I see that as nothing more than a hate symbol representing Social Fascism. I seem to remember things like the confederate flag being removed from stuff such as games like GTA so I think it is hypocritical to be marketing another flag that represents hatred and bigotry at the same time.

Also, this isn't about inclusion or diversity. It is about marketing and selling the myth of such things just like in the 80s everything was pro-America and Hulk Hogan was saying his prayers, eating his vitamins and waving old glory around the ring. Now, tune into the modern day incarnation or the new upstart promotion AEW and they're selling messages like inclusion and diversity in order to get ratings. It is meaninglessly hollow, sociopathic and pervese. Vapid people are buying it hook, line and sinker and worse building their entire worldview around it while in the mean time treating people that still bought into the old marketing motto as subhuman.

It is remarkably pathetic to behold. I guess I finally just got that old to see that no matter how much things supposedly change they really just stay the same.

In general, I would argue that anytime you let any form of artistic expression into your mind and become emotionally invested in it (over time, the amount of time, energy and effort you put into something like a game or a favorite musician or director or move or TV show or video game becomes rather substantial rather easily) you are taking a pretty big gamble.

Art tends to be subversive. Personally, I think the whole video game scene seems incredibly toxic and I would not be a bit surprised if a lot of the chaos that's going on started in gamer culture.

Sims is already ghey

because its in the game doesn't mean you gotta decorate your house with a rainbow flag
and the first bit (about the pacific islanders having accurate details) seems nice...thats just called researching what they are doing to begin with, so not sure what the issue is with that...

so its gay folks having some items and stuff they can add into their home...so what? in the sims, you can own a cat...but omg, you don't like cats!!! they are catering to the cat people! (hint: if you don't like cats...dont get a cat..its optional).

Am I missing something? its a full snowflake meltdown in here because of optional objects you can use for decor...sensitive lot, aren't you.

originally posted by: Jefferton
When are these people going to get it?

Exclusion is the ONLY way to be...!!

Ammiright y'all??

There is always the modding community if you have a need to include deviant lifestyles. It shouldn’t be pandered to in the main game. Also, they could include a expansion for homosexuals and transsexuals and then those that want to have those lifestyles represented in their game could buy and install.

My daughter plays the game, but I don’t. It is a game for girls and soy boys which is likely why they thought they could get away with this garbage being part of the main game.

a reply to: ChefFox

I get the triggered reaction, it is excessive and comical like most minority tailored advertising, products and services to turn profits by giving attention to and catering toward specific groups. This one just happens to be really trendy and popular, considering there's no ethnic requirement to join, only an obsession to be different or an unfortunate past.

I think that only a fraction of LGBT people were born homosexual. And even if they were, the whole concept of trans goes beyond sexual preference into a 21st century science fiction thing IMO. With drugs and operations, you can become the other sex. But really, it's who they identify with and wish they could be.

"My life sucks as a homosexual man. I need to look and act different because I'm not accepted in heterosexual male culture even if I look and act like them (Women love being my friend). Speaking of women, they get all of the attention, sex with men if they want it, money and gifts, men want sex from them so much that they'll do anything. They get preferential treatment from men, especially in public. It's like every guy is being courteous and nice to them, even flirting, everywhere I go."

Every trans I've ever known, I've had a couple of friends and currently have one, have all been oversexed to the extreme and constantly trying to probe straight guys, including me when we first started being "friends" (work or at a bar). Literally obsessed with penis even if they have a "boyriend". That's not normal female behavior, a few are like that out of many and they always had a weird past too. No female I've ever known is naturally like that. There's always rape, molestation, or a revolving door of abusive relationships in there.

To get off that rant and back OT, the Sims is hugely popular with girls and by extension, LGBT. Dont hate me for making such a statement, I guarantee if the Sims customer demographic were broken down, that's what It'd be. I've only known girls to be into Sims games my entire life. By doing this, they get publicity in that community, thus more interest and sales.

They make their already customers continued subscribers or return customers. Why wouldn't they go all in on that? A legal dollar is what's fueling 99% of the craziness you see. We dont all have ethics and morals that stop us from cashing in on anything. Employees would wear clown noses where I work in already lame uniforms if they got a bonus each check for doing so with managers getting a much bigger one if the employees do it. Then they'd make it mandatory and part of the uniform. Yeah, there'd be no bonuses at all but you get the point.