Suggestion - Sims 4 - Sims with Disabilities
I honestly believe Sims 4 is the perfect environment to represent people with disabilities. There are very few major games which do so. Elements that could be put in include: Wheelchair Bound Sim...
Forum Discussion
Can I suggest an idea for an expansion packs?
I used to be a nanny for a child with special needs. We still remain in contact. I was showing her Sims 4 and she took a huge interest in it. One of the questions she asked me about the Sims 4 is..."Is it wheelchair accessible?"
The answer is decidedly, no, it really isn’t.
Here is a list of ideas in which could be used in such an expansion pack.
Ramps (as an alternative to stairs)
Wheelchairs (fitness points go to a sim who uses a manual wheelchair)
Walkers and gait trainers
AAC Devices (Alternative Augmented Communication devices. These come in various forms, tablets that have speaking by tapping on the right words. Or computers that can sit on tables, desks, floors or be mounted to a wheelchair and can be controlled by eye movement (aka Eyegaze)
Sims could have various physical disabilities such as Cerebral palsy which could have various symptoms, unable to walk (without assistance, thus the various walkers, gait trainers and wheelchairs) unable to speak (thus the AAC Devices)
This would be a great opportunity to tie in the Cats and Dogs pack. Pets could be upgraded to service animals with special training. And then they can assist the sim whether they are at work, university, on a date, or on the town.
This could also introduce animals with disabilities and we could have dogs and cats with little wheelchairs for paralyzed back legs.
There could be public buildings set up for sims to have occupational and physical therapy.
Sims with wheelchairs can join in playing basket ball, or riding their wheelchairs in skate parks.
Another condition could be that the sim is blind. I certainly think that this would make things very interesting. I used to play the game Spore and sometimes for my creatures I would not give them eyes and so I would play them that way. It certainly was interesting.
Gameplay for a blind sim would be very different. Everything could be blacked out except for a ring of light around the sim which would show immediate objects or people.
Going into build mode would be just as normal as you design the house and objects and things inside. But in live mode everything is limited until the sim nears it. Perhaps after a certain amount of time being in that area, maybe after a few days in the same area that circle of light or visibility widens as the sim gets more familiar.
Other sims around the blind sim will get more clear the more times they meet or the stronger the friendship becomes, or if they are enemies and really hate each other.
The blind sim could have a service dog that provides more visibility to the sim as well.
The service animals in both scenarios can do much more on command then with the pets. Such as bringing things to the sim, like food, or leading them through the park, city festivals, museums, to the right university building, or sniffing out caves to explore in outdoor retreat.
Anyway that was my idea. Even if none of this comes to fruition I would very much like ramps, at least, to be added to sims 4.
Sorry but this is just not doable. There are no elevators so wheelchairs is out. While ramps could be done it doesn't help much. The gameplay you suggest would be unmanageable. Take the suggestion to make everything mostly blacked out for blind Sim. What would happen when you changed to a seeing Sim? AAC devices. There are no real talking so redundant. while I do sympathize with the disabled much of what you suggest would make for very dull gameplay and most disabled that do play don't do it to be reminded of their disability.
Well, you are wrong on several topics.
1. There are elevators featured (but not necessary used in game play) in University and City Living packs.
2. When raising a child in the sims there are options of teaching how to walk and talk. Could be easily substituted for a tablet or communication device.
3. Ramps are great where in bikes could be used as well. Instead of having to get off of a bike each time there are stairs.
4. And as someone who has lived with children with special special needs, I think it is quite dreadful of you to suggest that all people with disabilities wouldn't be interested in a game that stimulates real life scenarios.
All that being said. If wheelchairs became an option for sims 4, it would not just be usable for sims with special needs, there could be some play for characters healing from an injury rather than just being smashed into the floor by a malfunctioning bed, or electrocuted by an angry gnome. And consider the elderly, they could use it to lessen the need to sleep and rest and still do things they would like to do.
And sure going back and forth from a blind sim to a seeing sim could cause problems, but I think it would be fun game play as I have done that in the past with EA's Spore. And my remedy was that the more familiar a place became, the clearer it would be. So not every time it you played everything would be dark, just unfamiliar places (or if things got moved, which does causes issues for people with seeing disabilities.)
My roommate and night blindness, if an area is a little bit dark she cannot see at all, she happens to love the idea of all of this. With these simple filters I think the game would be very interesting. And it would perhaps work great as a teaching tool for kids on what life is like for people with disabilities.
@ChristianOtaku , I think what @jpkarlsen meant about not having elevators in the game is that the Sims don't actually use them; it is more just suggested. So we don't have real elevators in the game, more like a magical teleportation animation. While that could get around some of the mobility problems for Sims in wheelchairs or on crutches, it would be rather odd to add a very realistic state of life only to have that state be made usable by such an unrealistic mode of transport as the current games "elevators". 🤭 They would have to redo all the elevators in the game if this were to work realistically. 😉
Other problems exist with current venues in the game like libraries, bars, museums, etc. Many of the existing ones have stairs, so Sims that were wheelchair bound wouldn't be able to go to these places. 😢 That would mean that the developers would have to do a ton of work revamping a great deal of existing buildings that come with the game. It is unlikely that they would do this. If EA were to do this, i think it would best be done in a separate game where they could devote the level of detail necessary. 🤔
Also, there are 2 kinds of Sims players: those who want gameplay to closely mimic real life, and those who want fantasy gameplay. (I like both styles, but if I only had to pick one, I would pick fantasy! 🥳 ). This is why the first community voted pack was Laundry Day, and also why the Vampires pack is one of the most popular! So, while some players with disabilities would want to see their condition represented in the game, a lot of other players with disabilities wouldn't want that at all, because they do actually play the game to escape having to dwell upon their reality everyday. This depends entirely on the person involved, their personality, and also their age. I have seen that, in general, more younger players are more concerned about disabilities being represented in the game, while , in general, older players with disabilities do not want this, 🤨 (however, the game is for teen and older). I have an autoimmune disease, and trust me it would make for terrible gameplay!!! 😞😃 The blind aspect you suggested would be more interesting, though! Yes, it could help some people understand a bit better about the challenges blind people have to go through (more than some of the the other disabilities where you really couldn't convey what the experience is like. ) But total blindness would make the game impossible to play. There are some types of blindness that give you tunnel vision, some make everything extremely blurry, and others only give you pieces of the entire picture at any one time. So then, what if EA only does one of these? People with the other types of legal blindness would feel left out! 😞 Also, I grew up with one of my best friends being legally blind (She had some vision but not much). The Sims didn't exist then, but she would not have wanted blindness in the game or any other handicap. She didn't even like movies , books , or TV shows about the blind because it brought up painful feelings. She preferred her entertainment to be an escape. So, while it could help some people with disabilities, others it would drive them away.
Also, we have seen requests from everything from deafness, blindness, wheelchairs, crutches, asthma, autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, MS, MD, epilepsy, vitiligo, diabetes, and more! It is doubtful EA would be able to put all of those in the game, so how do they choose? Someone is going to be left out, and if they address several other conditions but not theirs, they will be even more hurt than if EA didn't include any of these conditions. 😢 I do not work for EA . I'm just a volunteer who loves the game and loves helping others with play the game. But I do know about 3 or so years ago one of the Sim Gurus (developers) was asked about this, and while he was interested in the possibility of perhaps adding disabilities to the game (I believe he stated that he had a relative with a disability) and he was going to do more investigation and talk with other people who had disabilities who played the game to find out if there was a way to do this that wouldn't further hurt anybody with disabilities. I do not know if they are still looking into it or not, but it has ben several years. Not to mention I always have the worry that people might use disabilities in the game to inflict pain on their disabled Sims! 😢🤒 I wouldn't want some mean individual to make some YouTube video of them torturing disabled Sims and then some young disabled person seeing this ! 😢
I do understand your point on the gameplay mentioned being hard to implement (Some ideas I thought were pretty good!) But some would be likely impossible. Though I can't tell you how wrong you are about "Most disabled that do play don't do it to be reminded of their disability." Absolutely wrong. As someone who is disabled himself and wheelchair bound at 3 feet tall and with PLENTY of disabled friends, I can tell you we all have talked at one time or another of wishing more games had inclusion of wheelchairs, prosthetics or other disabilities.
No, it shouldn't make the gameplay clunky, but maybe think of it being "An alternative way to play." Just like a real disability is "An alternative way to live."
Obviously... we don't get the choice irl... But in a sense, most games don't give us the choice either. I've actually made a character heavily based on myself that is wheelchair bound and recreated him in a game called "Second Life". I get a lot of questions why I'd make him disabled... Like.. "Don't you wanna forget about that stuff for a while?" My answer is always the same. "He is a part of me. So is the disability. The wheelchair isn't WHO I am. But it is a part of who I am. And I'd rather accept it than to pretend it doesn't exist."
Not to mention... It makes those with disabilities feel more included to have some form of representation in a game they love. Sure, it's not possible to get EVERY disability represented properly... But even starting with wheelchairs, prosthetics, and the like would be a huge step in the right direction. (Look at the avatar system Xbox has rolled out in the last few years doing just that, including wheelchairs and prosthetics as well as a few other things of that nature, props to Microsoft!)
Again, some of the elements mentioned wouldn't make for good gameplay but I think others were fantastic ideas and could for sure be done if not better implemented.- @BLAZECAST Thank you for saying that. I'm also disabled and got really offended by that comment.
As a person with disability, I have to say that it's not true at all that most of us don't want to "be reminded of our disability". First of all because it's not something that we can forget about and even if it was, doesn't mean that we want it. Disability is not something horrible that we suffers off, it's just a normal part of life, a big part if who we are.And I would love to be able to play with sims that recembles me and my friends.
If now it's impossible in the game, well that's exactly why it was suggested to change it. And it shoud! Maybe if we had more representation, people without disabilities could star to accept us instead of thinking that we are a problem and that it would be impossible do things that acomodates us.
If you are not a person with disability, stop talking like you could speak for us. You don't represent us at all. Your comment was very ableist ans only show that behind the "I do sympathize with the disabled" mask you don't care at all about us. I suggest you star listening to what real PWD says.
@jpkarlsen wrote:Sorry but this is just not doable. There are no elevators so wheelchairs is out. While ramps could be done it doesn't help much. The gameplay you suggest would be unmanageable. Take the suggestion to make everything mostly blacked out for blind Sim. What would happen when you changed to a seeing Sim? AAC devices. There are no real talking so redundant. while I do sympathize with the disabled much of what you suggest would make for very dull gameplay and most disabled that do play don't do it to be reminded of their disability.
First off I'm disabled but not in a way that can be seen (permanent heart insufficiency if you wonder) and I personally know a wheelchair bound person (my brother in law (Parkinsons)). And I do know a few others so I do have some experience in what I'm talking about and with my programming background I also understand something about what is easy to program and what isn't.
If you have specific disabilities in mind that you feel can be incorporated in the game please create a new thread for each so it can be discussed and EA would be able to see the suggestion.
@ChristianOtaku Personally, I would love to see a disabilities pack! But... though I in no way imagine I would even know a fraction of the details that would be involved in such a pack, and as @jpkarlsen and @PugLove888 pointed out so well, we do know of so many aspects that would not be feasible or would be so extensive we don't see it happening, I would still love to see a a pack. I'd buy that pack.
If there was a way to move past the 'include everyone' aspect and hope, wouldn't it be great if we could get a compromise in a pack? For instance, If there was a base game & pack change to all worlds where all public/community buildings had a (yes, not fully realistic, but that's okay) rabbit-hole elevator to each floor other sims can visit. And all public buildings had a rabbit-hole entry door on bathrooms where the sim could enter and their bladder need would be met.
Then in the pack could maybe just include accommodations for wheelchairs? For instance, the pack would include several wheelchair-accessible houses that could be placed in the worlds, a wheelchair-accessible restaurant if they own Dine Out, and a companion/service dog if they own the Cats & Dogs pack?
The pack could include enable the sim in the chair to enter through normal doors in community lots. It could also include the ability to hire a live-in nurse/aid, several work-from-home or career options that are workable, and special items to add to a home you make for them that make features wheelchair friendly items.
Just a thought.
@ChristianOtaku As @Bluebellflora pointed out you give great feedback and as much as I would like to see more inclusion options in The Basegame I doubt if all disabilities would have a place in The Sims.
The disability and illnesses inclusion is an ongoing debat in this forum and I would like to also point you at another thread in which it is discussed: https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-Feedback/Inclusion-Ideas-for-Sims-4/m-p/8777390/highlight/true#M23724
If there would be an Extension Pack as @SheriGR suggested I am not sure if i would buy it. It would definitely depend on a lot of factors. Wheelchairs may be yes, but other disabilities, I am not so sure I would like to play with these type of Sims.
I fully agree with the remarks that @jpkarlsen and @PugLove888 made about the rabbit holes and difficulties developers would have to incorporate such an accessibility into the game. So i wont repeat that line.
I like to play The Sims to escape from reality. So I like the fantasy lines like PugLove888 does. I can also understand fully why inclusion of all situations would help the younger players in their needs to really 'Play with Life'.
On the other hand I would also like to point out that the Sims is by no means a game about real life as we experience it. It is still a game and therefor 100% fantasy. Take for instance the interactions between 'normal' Sims and the Grim Reaper, Mermaids, Magicians, Aliens and Vampires. So all in all I doubt if such a gameplay would be feasible.
I assume this thread was aimed at the Feedback aspect of this section, perhaps in the hopes that The Sims Team would notice; but since you did get a couple of answer anyway from players, I just wanted to say that I would like such features myself in the game, whether they'd be added or not. I am guessing prosthetics in CAS wouldn't be that resource demanding for instance.
It is a bit confusing that this section of the forum are both for 'General Discussion' and 'Feedback'; since it creates some borderline threads, with initial feedback - to the developers - but with players from the forum posting and discussing. I am actually not sure if AHQ CM's have thought about what conflicts stir because of that. I'm hoping they would separate these two categories into their own sections. Then again, the reason they haven't could be of course that it isn't wrong by players to discuss the ideas of feedback.
This particular thread caused some commotion in crinrict's Gaming World, with a heated discussion, that you sadly did not get to take part of. I'm unsure if you wanted the thread to become a discussion, or to be discussed yourself.
I guess I just wanted to say that it was a good initiative, but perhaps this forum isn't organized and handled in a way for it to be recognized. I have many times seen The Sims Team, the developers responsible for different DLC packs for The Sims 4; post in discussion threads at The Sims Official Forum. So perhaps that would be a better place for you to be heard, and perhaps for more players to dare to chime in. Perhaps I will as well. 🙂
Is there possibillity of getting Disabillities such as missing limbs, wheelchairs, being blind etc. in the sims, it is in real life and i would love it in the sims too, just as an option, please id love to see this kind of thing in sims, ive been waiting since sims 3 for it, and i hope it one day comes to sims 4, it would make the game more realistic.
@JJFM60163 We had a discussion about this idea in a different thread & @PugLove888 and @SheriGR and I even did some player testing. Here's a link to that thread if you'd like to read more. We're just regular Sims players we do not work for EA. I like this idea and I would definitely be willing to pay for these features in a Stuff pack, etc.
EDIT: OK lol I see the threads have now been merged.
My name is [REMOVED], and I was born with Cerebral Palsy; I'm 26, now almost 27 and I was young when the first Sims came out. Even though I understand that many people with disabilities use the Sims to escape real life, it would be inclusive for EA to put disabled sims in an expansion pack so that people have the choice if they wanted it or not. EA wouldn't have to change any of the other games because that would mimic a realistic situation, as I'm sure the game is trying to do. If the people with the expansion pack want to make all buildings accessible, they can do it in gameplay. I believe the suggestion wasn't asking EA to remake the entire Sims but add an expansion pack to include more people.
Edit by PoptartJuniper: Removed Personal Information. Please do not Use your Full Name on the Forums.
They can add stair lifts to the rails of stairs. It would be pretty easy.
We have every colour, race & gender options for creating our Sims but ..
I think a few more options should be included.
A lot of us like to make Sims based on family members & friends. If we have a friend in a wheelchair, there's no options to create them?
If we know an old person or relative with a walking stick or a zimmer frame, we can't, you know what I mean?
Or what about those who've lost limbs like an arm or a leg etc
I also feel like adjustable height needs to be added. My Sim & my boyfriends Sim are the same size in the game when in reality he's a foot taller than me lol be nice to adjust that.
What about the Dwarfism Community? Can they be included too with an added height option & build smaller homes?
Or the blind/deaf community?
Dogs in the game could be trained to become guide dogs.
This is all I've thought of so far. But some of these options I feel like would be great to consider.
Have been a fan & player since The Sims first came out!
@RubyTina91 I know this thread will not contain all of the ideas you just stated, but I thought you may enjoy it. It's an ongoing discussion about disabilities, and there's some good information and discussion on it: https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-Feedback/Is-the-Sims-4-Wheelchair-Accessible/td-p/9404612/page/4
Sounds like a great idea, I too would like it for the sake of my boyfriend! I'm 5'5 and my boyfriend is 6'5, lol! I'm definitely for sure going to check out the other discussion SherIGR posted though!
I would love the Sims 4 to be more Ada friendly. I was able to make my own ADA bathroom stalls using the Chrome bar from GTW. I was able to make cosmetic ramps using the roof tool. I would love a superhero pack to represent differently abled Simmers as myself who have been using a wheelchair for twenty years since I started Simming.
- @ChristianOtaku I found this thread because I was watching youtuber lilsimsie and she was like "creating Olive Garden" blah blah blah "stairs" and my mind went straight to how that isn't inclusive (which is crazy because I've never thought about that before). This led me to searching for inclusive options and I found...
https://englishsimmercc.tumblr.com/post/618565346481324032/most-used-mods-for-disabilities-in-the-sims-4
I think it's a great idea and I love that it offers so many options. I haven't tried it yet, but I've downloaded it. Happy Simming!!! Are there sim characters or sims objects such as wheelchairs or crutches? I feel at this time in 2022 since we can make our sims look how ever we want there should be an option for that. I say this since sims is going into the neurodiversity route they could also go into the physical diversity route
Wheelchairs are not possible as it would be impossible to get above ground level.
The Sims Team confirmed on a stream while ago they are making a research for mobility aids and how they could be implemented in game. SimGuruGrant also said in 2018 they are actively making research on disabilities, wheelchairs, deafness, etc. I have no idea if this will ever come to game, but lets hope so.
I see no real limitations for wheelchair except budget. There's no in-game thing that would somehow make impossible the limitation. Obviously, there are valid concerns like stairs, but that can be solved by having wheelchair that can go itself up and down stairs. Terrain also does not feel like something that would limit their function as it is question of animations.
- @PatrickClSim3Low With the implementation of elevators in City Living, it's entirely possible to make these elevators more useful for different lots which would help resolve the stairs issue
