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
I’ve seen topics like this previously covered on this forum (which, by the way, required a bit of time to realize I had to open this in an incognito browser before it was functional) but were met with ableism and hesitancy. Functionality for canes and wheelchairs, among other mobility aids, would be great! As someone who requires a mobility aid and is autistic, it would be awesome to see them implemented in a game and other things. In a game that prides itself on “being able to create yourself realistically”, it sure fails in many significant ways.
“But that would be too much work :-(.”
No, not any more than any of the other DLC. The idea that werewolves, ghosts, aliens, robots, mermaids, vampires, and literal plant people are less work than adding realism to a game that claims to have representation for everyone is astounding! It could be extra work, but it isn’t a huge issue if the modders can do it. There are currently no functional mobility aids in TS4 for people who are not elders (stares dramatically into the camera).
Therapy pets would be a great addition, and the people claiming “Emotional pets are practically unheard of outside the U.S. I can certainly see the value of having a pet that you can pet when you are nervous or anxious as it is very calming; however we don't have to call them emotional pets as it is completely natural for pets to be like that.” is, forgive me, stupid. ESAs are much different from service animals and are usually just for people to bring their pets on a plane without paying extra. Service animals are also mobility aids that can drastically help people’s physical and mental health. And the claim that they’re only in the U.S. is absurd.
On the topic of therapy, this would also be a great addition to the game. Therapy appointments are genuine in real life, believe it or not.
“I don’t think is funny if you get a massage *Sim 1 have become depressed and need a therapy meeting* Therapy doesn’t work always with mental problem.” This statement is correct because therapy doesn’t always work, but therapy is not a panacea. It’s used to process emotions and figure out ways to better yourself, among other things! And putting the pop-up in that manner would be ridiculous, but that’s not how therapy works. If a sim has over-emotional traits like being hot-headed or gloomy, there could be an option to seek therapy to better cope with those emotions.
“While I understand that there are players who want to make their sims selves as close to themselves as possible, I disagree with adding disabilities to The Sims.
There’s nothing ‘fun’ about disabilities.
Disabilities can be severe for some people, and I do not think that level of real life seriousness should be brought into The Sims 4 or 5+.
Some people with disabilities do not want to be reminded of them in a game they're playing to escape the real world for a little while.
I have serious doubts that adding disabilities to the game can be done respectfully enough.
I don't think disabilities should be added to the game because players are bored and want something new and different to play.”
Trust me; I know disabilities aren’t fun. But does that mean we should exclude representation from people who want it? E.A. does have a history of disrespecting things, but if they try, I think it could be a great addition. BTW, I didn’t choose my disability because I was bored one day.
And no one is saying every medical issue needs to be put into a game, but a DLC with some things would be excellent!
(P.S. for the people saying more animations would be needed, yeah. In most DLC, that’s the case. Not a big deal.)
- @79122344556123 I would also like to see this but then again I would back the team if they didn't as the sheer number of interactions they are (remember they would have to go back to every object and every pack to change them especially if we are talking wheelchair/limping) but I would like to see therapy in the game.
@79122344556123 I'm disabled myself so I take your point. I have things around my house that make it more accessible for me if I'm having problems with grip or with standing for too long. I do have an emergency walking stick just incase I need it. Those things would be easy to add to the game. Wheelchairs worry me because my bikes are very buggy in my game and I'd hate to see that with wheelchairs too.
I have chronic pain and honestly a Sim like me would be unplayable because of the moodlets. So it's about balancing the two things. If they could figure out how to add some disability aids and the personality traits and do it well, then it could possibly happen.
The dilemma though, is that without the negative effects of disability included in the representation then it won't be realistic and they could be accused of trivialising it. So a Sim with a disability who doesn't look like they are impacted would be unrealistic for some conditions. Yes, a lot of disabilities are not a barrier to a great life. I mean I'm thinking of an incredible Paralympian with MS. But, some are extremely debilitating and painful and not everyone can do what a Paralympian can do. We'd be talking no sleep, medication, a lot of pain and needing to rest just for a few examples. So it could be really difficult to add those to a Sim. A Sim like me would look absolutely fine, but walk hunched like an elder so would be easier to create, but adding the life impact/effects to go with it, that's going to be difficult to do well. They wouldn't want to be accused of glossing over that side of it.
So in theory it seems like it's so obvious that it should be included. But to do it right is going to be really tricky indeed.
I agree with your point about occult Sims. It does bother me that I can create a mermaid but I can't create my 2 closest friends who are disabled too. But I get that it's going to be so complex to implement well.
@simsplayer818 definitely agree with your points- the inclusion of disabilities in TS4/5 is a lot easier said than done. I myself also have chronic pain, which is certainly no walk in the park. I don't know you personally, obviously, so I can't comment on if a sim based off of yourself would truly be unplayable, but I think that some kind of add-on with a few of the things I mentioned would be a huge step up. The complications with different moodlets and interactions could get very complicated and would certainly take a bit of time to untangle, but, personally, I think it's worth it if EA is delivering on its promise to simmers- the ability to create a sim just like you. If we did get some kind of addition with functional mobility aids, it could be improved on by modders. There are already mods out there that revolve around a sim's health. This isn't a great solution, as some people don't/can't use mods, but it's a compromise. There are a lot of issues with the addition of a disabilities that I can't solve in a forum online, it's just suggestions that I would really like to see included. I'd even like to think it could even make people more sympathetic towards those with disabilities, but it's probably wishful thinking.
Thank you for your input! It's made me think a bit more deeply about the subject :-)
Oh, I want to see the reaction of the people if EA would release a disability pack which cost money. EA has already a bad reputation but after this move... yeah this would not end good. Make money from people which already are vulnerable... no, this would end very bad for EA and the sims team.
For a free patch is it too much work and you can’t release a DLC with focus on this for money, not without loose a ton of people. I would never again buy an EA product if they would release such a DLC FOR MONEY.
- @daikoyu I completely agree, EA are smart enough to not do that as a dlc. The same would happen if they locked infants to a dlc
@daikoyu No, I certainly agree. I'm not a fan of EA, especially because of their business practices, but it's the only way I could think of it actually being implemented. I've also seen points that some simmers wouldn't want something like that added to the game in general, and the possibility that disabled people use the sims to escape from real-world problems. A DLC could solve that problem, maybe?
Regarding the point that it would be too much work for a free patch- would it though? Yes, it would require lots of work, I don't disagree, but for a free patch? EA would only be committing to their promise of inclusion. The hesitancy surrounding this topic is frustrating and it makes me think that people aren't so sure that disabled people are even worth the work. Able-bodied people get an entire game where they can do just about anything they want, but what if you aren't able-bodied? I hope you can understand why I wish something like this was included.
It's such a subjective issue isn't it and an emotive one too. There are so many different disabilities. I became disabled after a bad flu virus followed by a medical mistake. It took a while to literally find my balance with it. I have my gaming when I have to sit still for a few hours on an afternoon and again in the evening. But my two closest friends are just coming to terms with theirs, and one has found the impact on her life and family really devastating. She has several types of seizures and paralysis so to represent her condition in a Sim would just be too much I think. Then that adds the other issue of care, many disabled people have assistance. I'm lucky to manage without it but do have great support from awesome friends. I also have everything delivered. So there's that side to consider too. I guess the butler career could be a starting point for that maybe, in terms of help in the home. Maids too maybe.
On the earlier point about therapy pets, we have those too in the UK. It used to be mostly guide dogs but it's expanded over the years. 🦮 Sometimes we train our own, I used to have an amazing Labrador who kind of adapted with me as I was figuring it out. He learned to pick things up for me and be a general support. Some of my friends have anxiety cats. (I have a little cat right now myself...but we are not currently speaking and he knows why! 😼)
I watched an amazing news story about greyhounds trained as anxiety pets. There was one example of an incredible dog who sensed panic in her owner and led her to a safe area then wrapped herself around her to calm her down! I'm not kidding, tears lol. 🐕🦺 They could add something more to the pets in the game already to do that. So when the Wants and Fears are overwhelming the Sim, the pet can calm them down.
People have suggested a therapy role in the game and that could also be simple to add. They could even start there.
But disability is such a wide ranging issue and they also need to fix the medical career because that is part of disability. It's buggy to the point it freaks me out! If you hate hospitals it's not going to help. 😨 Plus I'm on console so I can't fix it with mods.
I always think it's good that we're debating these things, especially for something as complicated as this one. I've been really glad with the progressive tone the game is taking, I want to see as much diversity as possible and I think they clearly want to add it. So I'm sure it's in their minds somewhere but maybe for the next phase since it's in the planning stages.
We may just get Sims with disability aids and no clear description of why and that may be the simplest thing to achieve. We might have to be happy with that and not go into too much depth with it because it's simply too big to cover even a fraction of the conditions out there.
