I spent much of my time as a teenager locking eyes on the giant desktop in my shared bedroom playing The Sims. New versions came and went, along with about five years of my live, but each moment was one of blissful freedom. What I always loved most was the power I had to build the sort of world I’d want to live in.
And, like many queer people who grew up on the computer game, I loved making same-sex characters sleep together. I was totally hooked by the fact that I could put two girls in one bed and they could “woohoo.” No one would freak out — unless, of course, someone was cheating on someone, in which case the entire world basically caught on fire — and nothing major changed. None of my Sims had to come out to their families, and risk rejection and sudden homelessness like the queer kids I knew in real life. They were still the same people.
So I was beyond thrilled to discover that The Sims is breaking down some of the gender binary by no longer limiting certain characteristics to male or female Sims.
Thanks to a new update released today, no longer are short haircuts for boys, and high-pitched voices for girls. According to the blog post from Maxis, "For the first time, you'll be able to customize your Sims without the gender boundaries previously set in place. This means you can now create Sims with any type of physique, walk style, and tone of voice you choose – regardless of their gender."
The update allows players even more control over their Sims’ narratives. Put those long locks on anyone you choose, and let your Sims strut their stuff however you think they would.
Players are just as pumped as they should be.
Ah. So refreshing to see comments that are supportive.
We're all to happy to say goodbye to being trapped within the limitations of the binary, at least while you’re curled up on your laptop until 5am because you just can’t sign off until your main Sim has one more set of twins and the beach party is over and you earn enough cash to buy that sexy new car...
Here’s to freedom of expression, freeing ourselves (and our beloved Sims) from the gender binary, and being able to blame your Sims obsession on your politics.
