On social media, The Sims community are very outspoken about what they want from The Sims 4 especially when it comes to making the game more inclusive. Whilst The Sims has come a long way from having 3 skin tones and only heterosexual marriages in The Sims 1, issues remain with inclusion in the game, including the lack of representation of disabilities. Updates have made Create-A-Sim more flexible regarding gender expression in 2016, and over 100 new skin colours have been added. Since then, the game has completely transformed into becoming arguably the most inclusive instalment of the franchise. When The Sims 4 launched in 2014, there were a lot of complaints about key features that were missing, such as pools, toddlers and colour wheels, which led to skin tones and hair colours being less customisable. Issues remain with inclusion in the game, including the lack of representation of disabilities
As a result, Alice asks, ‘For a game that represents life, shouldn’t The Sims represent all aspects of it?’ There has been growing online discourse about whether disabilities should be included in The Sims franchise.
