Forum Discussion

Rising Newcomer

Re: Suggestion - Sims 4 - Sims with Disabilities

Hello EA / The Sims Team,

I would like to respectfully ask you to consider making The Sims 4 a game for everyone by adding better disability representation and accessibility features.

I am currently building a support Center in my game called “You Belong Here,” where everyone is meant to feel welcome. Some of my viewers live with disabilities, and I wanted to represent them properly in this story.

After searching for a long time, I found very few options. I found wheelchair mods, but some work more like bicycles, while others are mostly decorative. There still does not seem to be a proper system for functional wheelchairs, mobility aids, accessible movement, ramps, or everyday disability-related gameplay.

I also found that other players have raised similar concerns before, but there still appears to be very little representation in this area.

People with disabilities also play The Sims 4 and deserve to create Sims who reflect their real lives. Everyone should be able to see themselves represented in the game.

I hope you will consider adding features such as functional wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, ramps, accessible bathrooms, mobility-related animations, and other inclusive options in the future.

The Sims has always been a game about creating people and telling their stories. It should be a game for everyone.

I would love for more players to be able to look at their Sim and truly say:

“That Sim can be me too.”

Could The Sims Team please let the community know whether better disability representation and functional mobility aids are something you are currently considering for the future? I would also appreciate any guidance on the best place for players to submit and support this kind of feedback so these voices can be heard.

Even a response acknowledging that this request has been heard would mean a lot to players who have been asking for better representation.

Thank you for listening and for considering this feedback.

1 Reply

simsplayer818
Hero
1 day ago
Kirsimarike you are in the correct place to give feedback for Sims 4. This is the official forum to add your ideas and this particular suggestion is already a pretty common request. But the answer isn't straightforward.
As a disabled player myself I understand the sensitivity around adding this to the game. Seeing ourselves represented isn't just about seeing a character that looks like us (which in my case would be easier as they'd need various limb supports and a slight lean when they walk, occasionally they'd need a stick). That could all be added to the game like the hearing aids and glucose monitors which serve no purpose and are purely cosmetic. There are already gloves that looked like my hand supports. But it still wouldn't be an accurate representation because that Sim wouldn't have their lifestyle affected in the same way that our lives are affected. So, where's the pain relief, where's the medical support, where's the effect on mobility and most important how is that person's struggle with their condition going to be accurately and realistically represented? I don't really want to see a Sim that looks like me but has no impact on their life because that for me runs the risk of trivialising disability and I face that in real life as it is. Currently our community is facing massive challenges and unfair perceptions like never before. So making us into playable characters must be treated very delicately indeed.
As for where many of those difficulties lie, for example if they add additional pain moodlets and struggles, how difficult is it going to be to play that Sim? Because in reality a disabled person (depending on our condition) can often do a lot more than people realise but we also often have to stop, rest and accept any limits we may have. Every one of us is different. Do I want to play a Sim like me who has to have everything adapted for them and has to keep stopping to rest? For me that's a no. Sims is an escape where my Sim can go diving, skiing, jogging and horse riding and do the things I can't do.
So it's something I've gone back and forth on over the years but the important thing is that it's handled properly and I know that's at the heart of what they want to do. I think the Sims 4 inclusive content makes the game and this forum both welcoming places and I see that matters a lot to the team. Representation has to be accurate and that's what poses the biggest problem. I don't want disability to be a cosmetic change because we can never make it smaller than it is in real life.
The team has said over the years it's something they'd like to consider but doing it respectfully is really difficult and they want to be very mindful of that. They see that people are asking, but the challenges can't be underestimated. The fact it's not part of the game doesn't mean we're not seen or catered for deliberately, it's because it's no simple task to properly represent us.