The Sims 4 patch allows custom gender options in character creation

Update now lets players be themselves.

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The Sims series has been around for 16 years, but Electronic Arts and developer Maxis have always kept player character creation confined to established gender roles. A new patch for The Sims 4 has removed those limitations.

The update, released today, now lets players customize their characters with any hairstyle voice, walk, or clothes they want. It even will allow players to choose "the physique of the Sim (does the Sim have a masculine or feminine frame), toilet behavior, and whether or not they can become pregnant," although it clarified that children do not have customize option, while teens do. "But while they can set their pregnancy preferences, they will have to wait until they become young adults for the choice to be active."

EA and Maxis have made more than 700 items that were previously available to only male or female characters now available to all, according to a story by the Associated Press. "Female Sims can wear sharp men's suits like Ellen (DeGeneres), and male Sims can wear heels like Prince," The Sims 4 executive producer Rachel Franklin said, adding that Maxis worked with LBGT advocacy group GLAAD on the update.

Lead producer Lyndsay Pearson told GameSpot that Maxis was responding to the diversity in the world. "We also saw this as an awesome opportunity to continue to nurture an inclusive environment for our community. The Sims Team is a diverse group that makes a game for a diverse audience, and we want everyone to be able to create who they want.”

While some may be upset by the change, EA's SimGuruHouts said on reddit that "You can use filters to limit CAS stuff so you only see masculine or feminine assets if you want."

Contributing Editor
From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 2, 2016 10:48 AM

    John Keefer posted a new article, The Sims 4 patch removes gender options in character creation

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 10:49 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 10:52 AM

      tumblr must be thrilled

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 10:53 AM

      I fully support this. It's nice to see developers working with the groups to find the right spot.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 10:54 AM

      but how else will i make my gender neutral vegan family while vaping and masturbating to pictures of broccoli.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 10:55 AM

      [deleted]

    • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      June 2, 2016 10:55 AM

      Really weird headline. Don't you mean "removes gender restrictions"?

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      June 2, 2016 10:56 AM

      Now there's a click bait headline.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 10:59 AM

      Video games have finally reached the level of freedom that a boy who put Ken's clothes on a Barbi doll, or the girl who put a bearded man's face on a woman's minifig Lego body enjoyed.

      Woo.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 11:03 AM

      Isn't this adding options?

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        June 2, 2016 11:11 AM

        no and I will find some way to be outraged. this somehow is a travesty... no... a travshamockery.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 11:10 AM

      Mea culpa on the headline. It is fixed, but can't fix in chatty. Going for more coffee.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 11:26 AM

      I look forward to Robbaz playing this.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 11:42 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 12:26 PM

      What does this headline have to do with the article? You're getting pretty bad at this Keefer.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 12:28 PM

      gonna make it more bananas. awesome.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 12:31 PM

      More options = better. We will disregard the praise for Overwatch limiting map freedom.

      • reply
        June 2, 2016 12:40 PM

        If we do glean what discussion there was in that thread out, I think it gets to Wisp!'s point that the need for options changes over time. The Sims has a large player base and is going to be popular even if they put out a stinker of an interaction at some point. So more options = better because of all those users.

        Simplicity may be better when you are just trying to get people into it though.

        It was actually an interesting discussion when you think about those concepts.

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          June 2, 2016 12:41 PM

          Stinker of an iteration*

        • reply
          June 2, 2016 12:55 PM

          Sims is all about options and customization. That's practically the point of the game

      • reply
        June 2, 2016 1:50 PM

        Would be an interesting sim game if you're given a sim that has fully randomized features and personality traits (traits which are hidden to you) and the goal is to figure out how to make them happy.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 12:38 PM

      Wonder if this gets added to like the characters that the game generates. Like you can have a big burly looking dude get pregnant or something. Sounds kind of terrible if you aren't playing this for the lols.

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      June 2, 2016 12:56 PM

      I want my sims to be born with a penis but gender identify as women.

    • reply
      June 2, 2016 1:21 PM

      [deleted]

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      June 2, 2016 1:39 PM

      That's really cool, I've wondered why more games didn't start doing this long ago.

      • reply
        June 2, 2016 8:18 PM

        Saint's Row 2 was really close except they split the voices across a gender divide, but otherwise everything about the character was available across the board. There was a slider that determined masculinity vs. femininity and I think that was better than what was done in SR3 and 4, especially as the male body's most slender form looked like they still spent about 5 hours a day in the gym. (Also the clothing being layered and tweakable was awesome in SR2).

        • reply
          June 2, 2016 8:28 PM

          Although in SR3/4 you can pick whatever voice regardless of outward physical gender.

          And of course you can swap in-game at pretty much any time... and sometimes it's called out in the game itself.

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      June 2, 2016 1:44 PM

      So can I give my Sim boobs and a dick and a vagina for an asshole

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      June 3, 2016 5:48 AM

      Cool - Not a function I would really use, but it's cool of them to add it in. The fact that it sounds like it's all very optional should please people on both ends of the spectrum.

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