Ok, I'm halfway through so I'll have to edit, but I need to get this out before my brain resets:
The overwhelming inclusion of pride items, especially those associated with the American LGBTQ+ community, ruins the immersion of the game taking place in Sim Nation, a fictional country DESPITE being very similar to the United States.
Disclaimer going forward: I am not a perfect historian, and I am willing to learn. Please do not get angry if I say something inaccurate.
The inclusion of so much Pride merchandise gives me the impression that Sim Nation experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation at one point, since (if I'm not mistaken), that's where the LGBTQ+ pride movement has arisen from - overcoming discrimination. And it makes me feel a bit conflicted since I am fully subscribed to the idea that my sims ARE NOT American, but instead experienced a suitably quirky and slightly utopic history. It's a little immersion-breaking, but I am fine with them being included since they likely do the opposite for some players out there. I just hope that Maxis and the game changers (the most vocal of whom imo are American and British/Aussie/NZanders) realize that the Sims don't live in the same country or even world that we do.
Otherwise, I kind of wished that we (as a community) and Maxis came together and actually planned a few large updates to overhaul representation: one update that included all necessary representative changes. I agree that the constant spoon-feeding and back-patting of these updates is just a teeny bit virtue signal-esque.
And we still have no rep for disabilities or skin conditions.
