For years, players of The Sims have been able to create LGBTQ Sims, with the possibility to romance any other Sim. However, until now a same-sex couple hasn’t appeared on the boxart of a Sims game.
That is now set to change with the release of the new Sims boxart which features in-game couple Dela and Mia.
In the game, Dela has an “inherent sense of optimism and a deep entrepreneurial spirit” having recently launched her own fashion line. Her girlfriend, Mia is “both a bit of an introvert, and a bit of a rebel” and is said to be the “glue that bonds her social circles together.”
This same-sex couple on the boxart isn’t the only piece of LGBTQ-inclusivity that The Sims 4 has, as the game has also introduced its first gender non-binary Sim.
Although the option to create a gender non-binary Sim has been available since 2016, no in-game Sim had previously used this feature. But in the recently-released Island Living expansion there is now a pre-made gender non-binary Sim.
The character’s name is Lia Hauata, and in-game settings show them with a masculine physical frame, with feminine clothing options. The settings also reveal that Lia can become pregnant.
LGBTQ characters and narratives are becoming more mainstream in the video game industry, with GLAAD introducing a new media award for video games that promote LGBTQ inclusivity.
The first video game to win the award was The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset. The game won for its quest, Manor of Masques, which sees the player reunite a trans woman with her estranged sister. The questline also deals with the hardships of coming out and familial acceptance.
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