For several reasons, not all of which are favourable
One can’t deny the influence of sentimentality on human behaviour. In my opinion, the Sims series is particularly noteworthy if you don’t identify as straight since many of us over a certain age have an appreciation for early computer games that the younger generation is unlikely to have. As a lesbian woman who has played the series from its inception and was thrilled to see a same-sex couple prominently featured in the recent expansion pack, ‘Wedding Stories,’ I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
I’m sorry if that made you roll your eyes, but this post isn’t for you. The Sims series is well-known outside of the LGBTQIA+ community, but it has a particular place in my heart for the gay and inquisitive youth who were able to explore their sexuality via it.
To be clear, heterosexuals can certainly relate to how The Sims has evolved alongside our culture, but that doesn’t rule out their own individual outrage at features that were included in early 2000’s release of the original Sims but have since been removed or made available only via paid DLC packs (Hot tubs, EA? Really?).
That said, the Sims brand has continuously offered excellent representation for the homosexual and bisexual communities that was absent elsewhere. Even while you couldn’t get married as a homosexual man or woman in the original version of The Sims, you could have same-sex relationships and even let them live together as a pair.
Only a handful of RPGs at the time permitted such interactions, with the exception of Fable, where the male protagonist can romance and marry an NPC regardless of their gender, but while a union between him and a female character is treated legitimately, marrying a man is seen as ‘just a couple of blokes being blokes.'”
Keep in mind, young people, that fooling about with The BoysTM is not the same as being homosexual.
Having a voice is important.
Thankfully, in the previous two decades, things have progressed a little, with The Sims 2 providing a ‘Joined Union,’ which was similar to a conventional heterosexual marriage except for the name, and the formal introduction of homosexual marriage in The Sims 3. A few years ago, you could install modifications that would forcefully put homosexual marriage into the game, but this isn’t ideal for individuals who want to only play games with permitted material.
Many of the expansions for The Sims have at least one same-sex couple for you to play with, including Dela Ostrow and Mia Hayes, who appear on an upgraded edition of the The Sims 4 box, as well as other characters in the narrative of The Sims (yes, this game has set lore to follow).
As a matter of fact, Wedding Stories is the first Sims DLC pack to feature a marriage between two women as the primary emphasis of its marketing. A proud exhibition of representation wasn’t thrown to the side; instead, it was put right in front of us.
There is little difference in the content of the pack regardless of whether heterosexual or same-sex couples are planning and holding a wedding, but having sexual diversity openly reflected by a prominent video game series really resonated with me.
After a few glasses of wine, a few tears were shed as I was enjoying a relaxing evening and playing about with the extension. While it was nice that the advertising approach EA chose did not imply that the company was queer-baiting its players in any way, the thought that this was how far the simulation genre had progressed made me grin. Many years have passed since I tried to keep my gay characters hidden from view on the family computer, so it’s comforting to know that people like me are taken into account while creating a game rather being treated as an afterthought.
Great advertising, but the gameplay is a letdown.
As a result, I entered my time with the newest Sims 4 expansion pack, Wedding Stories, with a few reservations. There was already a lot of reaction from long-time fans of the series when it was announced that the game wouldn’t be distributed in Russia owing to the country’s draconian rules on gay material. Even though EA had said the game will be published on February 23rd, the decision to remove the pictures of women getting married from Russia’s cover art was subsequently reversed.
It’s unsurprising that the expansion has been the subject of some controversy. Even while it’s not unplayable, the game has a number of bugs that make the experience more irritating than it should be. Brides kept changing out of their wedding attire and wedding guests disobeyed the dress standards you had imposed, to mention a few of the problems I encountered.
As of March 3, a patch was in the works that should resolve a majority of player complaints, but the game’s release was still a bit of a question mark.
Here are a few of the changes being introduced, courtesy of the official Sims 4 Laundry List:
- Please Take Seats update for receptions and prevent blocking of other player-directed activities
- Walking Down the Aisle adjustments
- Invite Sims from both sides of the wedding, regardless of which Sim is planning the event
- Guests arrive in their proper clothing
- Guest attire stays selected after closing and reopening Wedding Planner
- Improvements to Sims gathering for dessert time
- Improvements to Sims gathering around the cake
- Improved the amount of time needed before Wedding Cakes spoil
- Cake toppers no longer floating
- Cake model looks correct after cutting and serving
- Adjustments to the Passionate Kiss animation
- San Myshuno’s Myshuno Meadows Center Park appearing in the wedding venue list
- Paired dancing improvements
In the present state of the game, I can’t suggest it, but if you have your heart set on it, I’d recommend giving it a few months to have all the bugs worked out.
You can see that The Sims has made a concerted effort to meet the high expectations of its players by including non-Western wedding attire and customs alongside the more traditional white gowns and exchanging of vows. However, since I’m as white as mayonnaise, I can’t say whether these additions are accurate or well received.
To be honest, the fact that it’s an ally makes me thrilled, especially given the hostility that gay people encounter when they are given representation in mainstream culture. There was no doubt in my mind, however, that we’ve made great strides toward making it possible for us to escort a same-sex couple down the aisle without the aid of internet modifications. Source