Exciting news! A promising update is on the horizon for The Sims 4, which is focused on promoting inclusivity. Here’s a roundup of everything we know about it so far!
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Diversity and Representation in The Sims
Through these previous years, the Sims Team has taken a long and arduous path to incorporate diversity and representation in its games. We have seen promising development so far, yet there is still so much to accomplish in terms of further bringing inclusivity to our gameplay. However, one cool thing about our favorite gaming giant, is that they keep on trying to improve in these aspects.
Inclusivity as a Key Value
As a matter of fact, one of the key values of Maxis, as detailed by its Executive Producer Phillip Ring at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), is “to create an inclusive gaming experience…to ensure The Sims accurately reflects the diverse stories of our players.” One of the next steps that the team took to achieve this was to work on collaborations with talented creators. Below, we can find out all the nitty-gritty of this partnership which resulted in the Play in Color campaign!
More on SNOOTYSIMS: The Sims franchise has seen a lot of changes over the decades, slowly forging a path to better inclusivity and a more diverse game experience. Read about it here!
The Colorful Simmers Who Play The Game
According to a Maxis survey in 2022, which was answered by over 18,000 players, 38% of Simmers belong to people of color, and 43% are members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Thus, the whole player base of The Sims is indeed comprised of a set of colorful and diverse individuals, each with a distinct story to tell. People at Maxis worked hard to build their creative team who will be able to accurately reflect this wonderful medley of bodies and personalities into our gameplay.
The Play in Color Campaign
To move forward with their efforts of bringing further inclusivity in the game, the Sims Team has made strides as of late, incorporating the Vitiligo update, medical devices, and the better expanse of skin tones, scars, and birthmarks, to name a few, in the game. Now though, they have partnered with the beauty brand Dark & Lovely and gaming content creator/advocate Danielle “Ebonix” Udogaranya to produce new in-game features for The Sims 4. This collaboration is captured through the Play in Color, a mini-documentary from Fourth Frame Studios which runs for a total of 6 minutes and 59 seconds. Watch it here below:
What’s Included in The Campaign
In the past, The Sims collaborated with Ebonix to produce new skin tones and nail options for our Sims. Currently though, in the Play in Color campaign, the Sims team has worked with the hair professionals of Dark & Lovely to launch 24 color combinations of two existing hairstyles in The Sims 4. These colors are a part of Dark & Lovely’s new Immersive Bolds collection. Apart from this, The Sims 4 will also be introducing a new locs hairstyle made in another collaboration with Dark & Lovely.
When Would These New Features Be Released?
We can’t wait for the launch of the new hairstyles and hair colors for our Sims, which will help us represent more styles and personalities of our Sims for the game. Here are the schedules for the release of the said new in-game features:
- April 2024 – The launch of 24 color combinations for two existing hairstyles in the game, using the colors from the Immersive Bolds collection from Dark & Lovely.
- July 2024 – The release of a new locs hairstyle developed with Dark & Lovely.
Dark & Lovely X Ebonic Mod Collab
Another element of the Play in Color campaign is the collab between Dark & Lovely and Ebonix. The creative collaboration resulted in the release of 6 new hairstyles that are available in 12 Dark & Lovely colors, including the super popular Reality Red, Virtual Violet, and Poppin’ Pink. Teen to Elder Sims can use the hairstyle, and these new babies are also compatible with hats. Head over to this site to download.
To place the hairstyles in the game, follow these official instructions from Ebonix’s website:
- Click on the DOWNLOAD button found on the download page.
- Navigate to your Mods folder: C:\Users\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods
- Save the file into your Mods folder.
- Launch The Sims 4
- Enter Create-a-Sim
- Play in colour!
Alternatively, we can also watch this video for the download guide.
Representation in The Sims Team Itself
One of The Sims 4 developers who is also part of the Play in Color campaign is Assistant Producer Kaelah Smallwood. Before being able to join the Sims Team, Kaelah was first a player and mod creator in her own right. She was able to create mods for the game that addressed the lack of representation, which made fellow people of color in the community feel more included. Now, Kaelah feels more accomplished that the game is making great progress in incorporating diversity and representation in the game. In her words, “At every step of the process, we’re thinking about ways to make the game more inclusive and diverse, because everyone should be able to see themselves in their Sims.” Well, we cannot help but agree!
Key Takeaway: Further Steps To Inclusivity
The Sims Team has made a massive leap to involve more diverse sets of bodies, colors, personalities, and styles in The Sims 4, through the initial and continuing collaborations they’ve made with key people who understand the nuances and realities of representation. After launching the Play in Color campaign, there is still a long way to go to make the entire game fully inclusive, but it’s great to know that the team is trying to take little steps to achieve this. Hopefully, we see more of these developments soon so we can infuse more intricate details and weave personal stories into the lives of our Sims. As the Senior Creative Director for The Sims 4 Anna Huerta said, “Diversity is not a feature, it’s a pillar of the game.” Indeed! Happy simming, our dear Simmers!