"TOLKIEN;d-989666" wrote:
I've been playing the Sims 4 a lot recently, exploring aspects of the game I've forgotten such as becoming an astronaut when my recent sim was abducted after using his telescope.
He was returned and on the path to "motherhood" a feature of the Sims 4 get to work, I'd totally forgotten and was totally unwanted in my current game or any game. I literally had to load back 3 save files to reverse this - and I was not happy to do so especially because my sim had a pregnancy forced on them by an unknown person without consent.
I don't care if this only effects male sims, its STILL a NON-CONSENSUAL act of pregnancy that is only possible by being abducted.
Did I just quote a adult mod or something? Nope, its the Sims 4 rated teen!
If somebody told you that they were abducted and forced to become pregnant with a strangers child - you would not be laughing. In the Sims its still a game yes - but its a very annoying and violating experience for my sim to experience no matter HOW THEY IDENTIFY or who/what abducted them. I don't find it funny, I don't find the results funny and in no way was it wanted.
Terming the abductor as "alien" in a game still doesn't remove the fact that this is a non-conseual intimate act that is changing their body and being forced on my sim by other sims I have no ability to stop other than not to use telescopes. Seriously? I have to restrict my sims from doing an activity than anybody of any gender or age should enjoy (star gazing).
Sure I could use mods to disable or get rid of the baby forced on my sim - but lets just sit on what I said for a second. I have to USE MODS to CANCEL a FORCED pregnancy. That in itself is just wrong.
You can argue that I'm being sensative, thats fine but the fact is abducting somebody and forcing pregnancy on them (real or not) is just not funny, its frustrating to deal with in-game and violating in general as a non consentual act. Just look at how many topics have been started on this forum alone going back to 2015 about how to avoid this "feature" or reverse it.
If your sim wants to have an alien baby than they should do it the old fashion way...build a spaceship and go meet some.
EDIT 2: I agree and believe a direct toggle option to disable or enable this feature, should be added to give players more control over it is probably the best option. It allows players who want it in their game to be present and possibly even buffed, but just as importantly an option to turn if off. Giving players the ability to give or remove consent of what content they feel comfortable playing with in their game without censoring it either.
EDIT 1: THIS IS A VALID THREAD dealing with assault, it is not a joke thread. The content mentioned above can be triggering for people who have been victims of assault. Games like the Sims can to be safe spaces for some people, even if its "by aliens" its still a form of assault and its 2021, we can do better for a teen rated game.
Simply laughing it off or making light of assault in media has deeper society consequences because it desensitize the issue until real harm to a person is done.
Often the victims of assault are the last to be heard and the most common.
I find this to be a problem with consent as well. I've answered in other threads only to be told that I'm "over reacting." One person even suggested that the "Pollinator" might have been cute and the Sim responded to that while they were "dazed." That's still a lack of consent!
Frankly, I don't want my Sims to have any pregnancies not of their choosing (meaning that *I*, their "conscience", have not put "try for baby" in their queue.) There are so many things that people like to have in the game that I *don't* want in my game because for me it ruins it. This is one of them. I know that people say that it happens rarely, but it happened to a Sim I was playing this past week. And it's not "funny" to me. And I shouldn't have to use a mod to stop a Sim from having a non-consensual pregnancy.
Like many other things that people like that are "consequences" for them, I wish that they'd make it so that it's an opt in (as in toggled somewhere as a choice) rather than being stuck with it if you don't want it.
