“The Sims” Says Goodbye To Gender Restrictions, Introduces Trans Characters

"We recognize that diversity is beautiful and wonderful in the world — it’s our job to reflect that in the game."

From: NewNowNext

 Maxis and EA Games, creators of the wildly popular life simulation video game The Sims, have made a bold statement in favor of unique self-expression and self-identification by removing all “gender barriers” in the game.

Maxis announced in a statement on its website that a new free update for The Sims 4 expands gender customization options and will allow players to choose physiques, walking styles, and tones of voice regardless of their character’s gender.

The new update also unlocks more than 700 items — including clothes, hairstyles, and jewelry — that were previously unavailable to characters based on their gender.

“For the first time, you’ll be able to customize your Sims without the gender boundaries previously set in place,” Maxis said in the statement.

“The Sims is made by a diverse team for a diverse audience, and it’s really important to us that players are able to be creative and express themselves through our games. We want to make sure players can create characters they can identify with or relate to through powerful tools that give them influence over a Sims gender, age, ethnicity, body type and more.”

In an interview with Buzzfeed News, Rachel Franklin, executive producer of The Sims 4, said the company worked closely with GLAAD to ensure the new update would be sensitive to all players.

“The Sims has always been this magical sandbox where you get to create the Sim that you want,” said Franklin. “We recognize that diversity is beautiful and wonderful in the world — it’s our job to reflect that in the game.”

She added: “We are always delighted to see how people use the game and how people play the game. We want them to be able to find a way to express themselves and their creativity and give them all the tools possible to do that — to accurately reflect themselves.”