Twitter Q&A Today 6/29 with SimGuruGrant

"MadameLee;c-16582561" wrote:

"Elyssandariel;c-16581191" wrote:
I'm not sure how asking about sims with physical disabilities is lobbying? This is a game, it's not legislation going into effect. I don't think talking about a sim having a wheelchair is a big deal in the grand scheme of things. If I needed a wheelchair (and I might someday in the near future!) might be nice to have that option. At the very least, it's more options for storytelling.

And yes, children love when they have games and stories and television shows that reflect what is happening in their own lives. I think everyone does! Good for Grant, saying that he would like them, and for asking people who use them about specifics!

I don't know if simStaffjessica has disappeared or not.. but she's the one who claim the lobbying thing. Since whenever the idea of disabilities in the game has shown up in the Ideas section the thread would just disappear. When this first started in 2014...I asked after 2 months of disability thread "Disappearing" and I got the answer about "lobbying"

I am pretty sure the Sim Staff mods are gone once we got EA's moderators, as I have not seen them since EA's introduced themselves. Best bet is read through the TOS - the newest one, as the EA moderators follow that pretty precisely.

I do not recall any anti - disabilities statements in there from the last time I read it (nor would that make sense to me if there was, for any company to do in this day and age) - but not sure that was the latest version or not.

@Writin_Reg I looked both back in 2014 and in the currently one and neither time does it say anything about disabilities being consider lobbying.. which is why the thread I linked to earlier was my thread from back in 2014 asking why threads about disabilities were disappearing and lobbying was the answer I got..

"MadameLee;c-16582633" wrote:
@Writin_Reg I looked both back in 2014 and in the currently one and neither time does it say anything about disabilities being consider lobbying.. which is why the thread I linked to earlier was my thread from back in 2014 asking why threads about disabilities were disappearing and lobbying was the answer I got..

Then I doubt that will be an issue any more - but to be sure you might drop a PM to EA Mage and get her view on it. Like I said they follow the set TOS pretty much and the forum rules. That way you won't get into any trouble -

Well I would think that they would announce it just like they did the LGBT stuff, that it was for more diversity and to help people be able to represent themselves more accurately. Some people didn't like the categories unlocked and a lot of people did. I think that wheelchairs might just be an update like that.

"Elyssandariel;c-16582680" wrote:
Well I would think that they would announce it just like they did the LGBT stuff, that it was for more diversity and to help people be able to represent themselves more accurately. Some people didn't like the categories unlocked and a lot of people did. I think that wheelchairs might just be an update like that.

problem is that like the LGBT stuff some folks don't want it..

Simmers never agree on what they want, really. Some like supernatural sims, some don't. Some don't like aliens. Some don't like anything modern and use all CC to try to make Victorian worlds. (I have done this in other games. I made Victorian vampires and faeries!) I think there is enough room for everyone, myself.

Maybe, there would be a way to add wheelchairs to cas. Then players who want sims with wheelchairs can create them and players who did not want wheelchairs in their game could chose not to use them.

"Schantal;c-16579454" wrote:

"QueenMercy;c-16576341" wrote:
I definitely get the piercing thing. They’d either be to little to really see, or your sim would probably end up looking like a budget Six Paths of Pain.

Not true, I have cc piercings that look AWESOME. They aren't too small are all and they aren't too cumbersome. Its good for players who take a lot of screenshots or are going for a certain look.,.....

I agree. That answer seemed like a total cop-out. By the same logic why have freckles, or beauty marks, or different eye colors?

"MadameLee;c-16582614" wrote:

"Elyssandariel;c-16582612" wrote:
Thanks MadamLee. Very strange, that a staff person would use that "term." Since Grant discussed it though, I think it would be all right to talk about. But thanks for the info, I appreciate it!

@Elyssandariel I don't know if it came from all the arguments that happened at least for me, during Sims 3. And *might* have happened during Sims 2.

Since there were like 2 sides but there were 2 sides on each side..

There were people who wanted disabilities either because they themselves were disabled or knew someone who was disabled and want to create them.

Then there were the people who were disabled or knew someone who were disabled and didn't want disabilities to get "mocked" or they consider "disabilities not fun" or didn't want to be reminded about their disability.


Then like someone said earlier that Sims is a utopia but everyone's idea of a utopia is different.

One person who I wouldn't name had a daughter who died who was disabled and she always get saying "Disabilities didn't sell" and tried to claim ...that the Becky Wheelchair doll (Barbie's friend) was an example of a doll not selling. My research showed otherwise.. the Wheelchair doll had the issue of not being able to get into Barbie's DreamHouse, or Van basically " Becky was the friend who couldn't go where Barbie want"

Admittedly, I wasn't really following this forum during the Sims3 era as often so wasn't aware the wheelchair debate came up in that sense. However, I remember going back to the Sims1 era, there were simmers who requested wheelchairs or wanted to see some acknowledgement of sims with disabilities. I even had a friend (and fellow simmer) back then who was left confined to a wheelchair at an early age and wanted to make a sim version of herself to reflect that part of her as it was just a part of who she is and she often brought it up at some forums during that era just as I remember some simmers (when we got elevators) hoping to likewise see wheelchairs happen in the Sims2 era or some disappointment in the Sims3 era on various fan forums that only the elderly could use canes (as some had hoped it might mean more attention possibly being paid toward creating sims with various disabilities and younger sims potentially being able to use them, as happens in real life sometimes).

However, the issue ironically reminds me of what you were saying about the Becky doll from the Barbie franchise (I remember when that happened--and the issue that was brought up about how she essentially couldn't go where Barbie went, as you pointed out (which I even remember seeing some video of back then illustrating that point, especially with the dreamhouse where the wheelchair wouldn't even fit in the elevator)). I keep wondering if it goes back to some of the same reasons why we've never really successfully been able to adjust certain attributes such as height with sims where there's a certain scale in which they design things to function within (again, going back to the Becky-Barbie thing).

Regardless, the whole issue reminds me of something I remember reading a number of years ago in an interview with a member of the team which developed the very first Sims game and their mentioning of the different topics that were discussed to include in that game and which they felt comfortable with addressing and including (at that time) versus which ones should not have been in the game and sometimes how to address them (especially for topics that were considered very controversial back then).

On a side note, I appreciate that one of the Simgurus appears to be addressing or listening to players--and wish I had known about it going on on Twitter much sooner!

"nolurk;c-16583375" wrote:


Admittedly, I wasn't really following this forum during the Sims3 era as often so wasn't aware the wheelchair debate came up in that sense. However, I remember going back to the Sims1 era, there were simmers who requested wheelchairs or wanted to see some acknowledgement of sims with disabilities. I even had a friend (and fellow simmer) back then who was left confined to a wheelchair at an early age and wanted to make a sim version of herself to reflect that part of her as it was just a part of who she is and she often brought it up at some forums during that era just as I remember some simmers (when we got elevators) hoping to likewise see wheelchairs happen in the Sims2 era or some disappointment in the Sims3 era on various fan forums that only the elderly could use canes (as some had hoped it might mean more attention possibly being paid toward creating sims with various disabilities and younger sims potentially being able to use them, as happens in real life sometimes).

However, the issue ironically reminds me of what you were saying about the Becky doll from the Barbie franchise (I remember when that happened--and the issue that was brought up about how she essentially couldn't go where Barbie went, as you pointed out (which I even remember seeing some video of back then illustrating that point, especially with the dreamhouse where the wheelchair wouldn't even fit in the elevator)). I keep wondering if it goes back to some of the same reasons why we've never really successfully been able to adjust certain attributes such as height with sims where there's a certain scale in which they design things to function within (again, going back to the Becky-Barbie thing).

Regardless, the whole issue reminds me of something I remember reading a number of years ago in an interview with a member of the team which developed the very first Sims game and their mentioning of the different topics that were discussed to include in that game and which they felt comfortable with addressing and including (at that time) versus which ones should not have been in the game and sometimes how to address them (especially for topics that were considered very controversial back then).

On a side note, I appreciate that one of the Simgurus appears to be addressing or listening to players--and wish I had known about it going on on Twitter much sooner!

There were 3different versions of Becky (Well 4, the original's hair was too long and got caught in the wheels of the chair). Apparently all 4 versions of the doll flew off the shelves. and also with a Golden Book she was a camp counselor with Barbie. In some CD Rom game where Barbie was a Detective Becky was the tech whiz.

First one was the original was "Share a Smiley Becky which hair was too long. The next one was "Becky I'm a school Photographer" and then a Becky who could do American Sign Language. the last one was a Paralympics



In March of 2013 Mattel was giving bald Barbies (a new friend named "Ella") to hospital gift stores and I think some charties


I know American Girls stores allow you to um..have one of the dolls (as long as they're 18") fitted with an hearing aid and there are some other disabilities (or issues) that you can buy as accessories. There's a Service dog vest complete with Harness, there was an "allergy-free lunch" there's a wheelchair, braces (technically, not a disability), or glasses (which could/could not be a disability). The company has recently started offering dolls w/o hair


In April of 2013 a Mom of a Down Syndrome child has made a lot of money by selling dolls that look like children with Down Syndrome. It started because when her daughter was 9 years old, she (the daughter) couldn't find a doll which looked like her. As of April 2013 they were planning to include leg braces at some point because some Down Syndrome children have leg braces but are hesitant to use them. But might be less hesitant if there's a doll that also has them. There's the option of having a chest scar that some of these children have. As of 2013 she sold 1,000 dolls and had another 1,000 preorder and at that time the dolls were selling at $75.00+shipping

There's a company on Facebook called "Toys Like Me"

"ToyLikeMe® is an arts and play based not-for-profit celebrating diff:ability in toys and calling on the global toy industry to positively represent 150 million kids" Something doll artist can do is put scars or birthmarks (I can't remember what's its called, but one side of your face looks like it's been beaten up or something?) Another toy company specialises in making dolls which have limb difference.

Lego around 2013 introduced a wheelchair user


You can see how much research I put into this back in 2013