When speaking to TheGamer, EA’s cinematic leads and global comms lead Chloe Carter revealed that when meeting fans, the number one thing that they ask is for their haircut to be included.
“Anytime I tell someone I work on The Sims,” Carter opens, “Chances are their first response (if they’re a current player) is a request to make their specific hairstyles in the game, or something to that effect. People want to be able to see themselves in the game.”
The Sims 4 has been pushing to be more inclusive and this can come in the form of something as simple as hairstyles and clothes, but there’s also the wealth of meaningful options such as being able to make your Sim transgender in the character creation menu, as well as including a plethora of skin tones.
However, the developers don’t just want to tick boxes, they want to get it right, and to actually include the people they’re representing and giving a platform to, and that comes across in Carter’s statement. “Black Simmers have kept us honest about things like skin tones and hairstyles, and I’m glad they did. We want to come correct here.
“And yeah, there are business reasons to do that, but speaking personally, and through my interactions with other folks on The Sims team, we really do care about making the game a place where everyone can see and be themselves, and play around with who they might be. Yeah, we’re sometimes bummed when we don’t get it right, but we’d be more bummed about not trying to make it better.”
The skin tone updates were as recent as October and December of last year, and with statements such as these, it’s clear that The Sims 4 isn’t done on its journey to be a place where anyone can feel at home as themselves without feeling persecuted, unwanted, or wrong for just being who they are.
