Ethnicity, Sexuality, Religion, and maybe a Few Other Things «1234567…16...Next Go

DizziestSims

Motivated by a recent post on my storytelling thread here, I wonder how other Simmers approach race, sexuality, and religion in their gameplay.

I wonder if Simmers make conscious decisions about their Sims' society and personal preferences.
I also wonder what Simmers do without really thinking about or articulating it.

I'll make my OP brief and answer the question personally later, because I am more interested in hearing from others.
So a couple of questions (not a comprehensive list) I guess I'll throw out there to reflect on personally or publicly and hopefully encourage engaging, insightful dialogue. And you can tack a "Why?" or "How?" at the end of each question.

Ethnicity

• How do you approach ethnicity in your game?
• Do you avoid playing, marrying, creating, or interacting with Sims of certain ethnicity?
• What personal/cultural ideals do you fell you impose on your Sims?
• Do you create characters of a different ethnicity than your own and give them stereotypical personalities, hairstyles or clothing?
• Do your Sims closely reflect your personal ethnicity and cultural values in gameplay?
• Do you incorporate socio-economics when creating Sims of various ethnicity?

Sexuality

• How do you identify your Sims in regards to sexuality and gender?
• When and how do you choose your Sims sexual preference/identity?
• Do you avoid creating LGBT/SGL Sims or do you incorporate them actively?
• Do most of your Sims or your main Sim reflect your sexual identity?
• How do you feel about playing romantic actions with a Sim of a different gender or sexual preference than you?
• If playing a couple of opposite genders, do you engage certain romantic interactions with one gender?
• In same gender couples, do you place masculine and feminine roles on them?

Religion

• Did you notice the absence of the word "Christmas" from The Sims team and do you have any thoughts on that?
• Do you incorporate religion/spirituality into your gameplay?
• Do you view yourself as a God or eternal being among your Sims?
• How do you view/observe life and death in your gameplay?
• Do you consider your Sims to be of a certain religion?

Fell free to add your own questions and social topics to the mix.

*Edited for grammar and this little note here:
To remain within forum guidelines, I wonder if comments should reflect what we do in-game and not discuss or reflect on real world events or reveal personal information. Thanks ya'll!

plopppo

I create white Sims - I have black Sims in my game, but have never played anything other than a white Sim. However, I did create Bruce Lee once - and played Bruce Lee for a bit.

All my Sims are straight - I hate the game adding non-straight Sims to the town - not that I have anything against non-straight Simmers.

I'm not worried about religion or a lack of it.

EDIT:
I was talking about TS3 really - I don't play TS4 that much.

sparkfairy1

While I appreciate what you are trying to do here OP I think you may have problems given the rules on discussing religion, politics and other controversial issues.

It's interesting as a concept no doubt, I'm just not sure how the mods will view it.

*Not meant as a criticism just an observation*

DizziestSims

I don't remember what I played in TS1, but TS2 I rotated the pre-made families and only created the first version of the Robinsons.
In TS3 I played equally with the Robinsons again and a Chinese family as well.

TS4 I downloaded Sims created by other users, and I must say it was my first time playing white Sims.
It was an interesting experience for me and strange because I felt like I didn't know what to do with them. lol

Jimil

I make a variety of all races. Asian sims seemed so impossible to make in TS3 though.

As a rule, all sims are bis.exual

No religion unfortunately. Though my sims could worship me if they want to.

DizziestSims

sparkfairy1 wrote: »

While I appreciate what you are trying to do here OP I think you may have problems given the rules on discussing religion, politics and other controversial issues.

It's interesting as a concept no doubt, I'm just not sure how the mods will view it.

*Not meant as a criticism just an observation*

Oh, let me check those forum rules again. Wouldn't want to break them. Thanks.

fullspiral

Interesting set of questions......

As to ethnicity, I create all kinds and have no problem with hooking them up in any relationship, but I pretty much play them all the same way. Meaning that I don't stereotype them, I guess.

As to sexuality, I pretty much play the game heterosexually. It's very rare, (and I don't know if I've ever even had a gay couple), for me to change that up.

As to religion, I am not religious( although I consider myself spiritual) , so neither are my sims, and I don't think I'd want to have that in the game.

jvms20

When I play, I usually make a group of sims that are all friends. I usually have five sims per household (and I have three households) and their race varies from asian, to white, and black sims too (strangely I rarely have hispanic sims even though I am hispanic myself.) I don't really identify sims with a race because unlike us, the sims can't tell the difference between the color of their skin. And I like that they can't tell. As for religion, I do not have them have any preferences or even imagine them "praying" before they eat. I'm not a religious person myself so I chose to make my sims the same as me when it comes to that.

Sexuality on the other hand....

In my groups of sims, most are straight due to the fact that I want their genetics when they breed and not have to rely on adopting and getting a totally random set of genetics. Out of the fifteen sims I make, usually four of those fifteen will be gay/lesbian. I like having sims with different preferences and I do not mind the sexuality just like I don't in real life. But the majority of my sims are always straight only because I want their genetics passed onto the next generation.

Sorry I can't answer all the questions but I think my post is already lengthy

plopppo

Wow! I think I prefer her to Bella Goth.

LaAbby

Tbh I just make sims, I don't know their ethnicity, I just make them. Interracial marriages are in my game. As well as sims with the same skin tone area.

I also avoid LGBT in my game, and as for who initiates, well both genders do. Although for the cuddling option I prefer for the sim guys to do it, cause I just don't it makes the sim girl appear taller .. Idk personal preference.

There is no religion in my game, and as for the "christmas" thing, I don't view it as religious, because Santa Claus isn't and neither are reindeers and elves. So I don't see why they try to avoid the "christmas" word.

DizziestSims

To remain within forum guidelines, it wonder if comments should reflect what we do in-game and not discuss or reflect on real world events or reveal personal information. Thanks ya'll and @sparkfairy1 for giving me a heads up!

@Jimil The problem I had with my Chinese Family in TS3 was maintaining their features through generations.
Within the third generation, everyone looked white.

I also thought the rule was every Sim was a blank slate, and their romantic interactions influenced their preference.
I think that was more of a TS3 coding. It looks like TS4 is a little more loosey goosey.

jvms20

plopppo wrote: »

Wow! I think I prefer her to Bella Goth.

Oh thanks! Haha, yeah her name's Irene.

plopppo

Irene? More like a Sophie to me.
I'm sure playing computer games will make me go blind.

>back on topic

sparkfairy1

My pleasure-I've no desire for anyone to get into hot water over what's meant in the best of intentions

For me these things aren't a conscious consideration-I 'get to know' my sims from birth up and get to know their traits and what my view on what their tastes are and go from there. When my sim is of age to date I socialise with other sims their age and see if I notice anyone who fits their tastes that turns up. Most of my sims marry townies or NPCs because I don't tend to manage my entire sim world, rather only the family I wish to play

What it love most about the sims is the freedom to take my sim where I think they would be happiest

DizziestSims

@fullspiral @jvms20 Since I'm a generational player, I feel most of my Sims, especially the founders need to be of the opposite gender to preserve the bloodline. I always throw in fun for everyone once the family gets larger.

@LaAbby I've noticed that the romantic interactions has always placed the more dominance on the Sim that engages it. I often initiate romantic interactions via the male in a cisgender couple. But sometimes it cracks me up when the guys get all giggly when a female Sim initiates it. They key word is sometimes.

LaAbby

robinsonfam wrote: »

@LaAbby I've noticed that the romantic interactions has always placed the more dominance on the Sim that engages it. I often initiate romantic interactions via the male in a cisgender couple. But sometimes it cracks me up when the guys get all giggly when a female Sim initiates it. They key word is sometimes.

You know that is something that has been bugging me a little, I kind of wished they'd look a little different depending which gender initiates ...
But yes, sometimes it's amusing

Jimil

Yes exactly. All sims are free to 'mate' with anyone of legal age no matter what gender they are lol.

I was never a legacy or generational player so I don't know about that. Though I believe you

TheUltimateSimmer

I don't really come to thinking about that stuff when it comes to The Sims series.I have played every one of them
and yes,I have tried making LGBT couples,and it has worked.And,men in The Sims 3 have kissed,and
if you watch PewDiePie's video of The Sims 4,it will show that both men have had kids,but
rather from that,I have never seen a Youtuber make a black person(s),maybe because they do not feel comftorable
with having a different ethnicity in a harmless simulation video game.And,I have no problem with Sim(s) having Woo
Hoo if they are LGBT.If that what you are looking for.

DizziestSims

@TheUltimateSimmer Honestly, I never really thought about it myself. I just played the way I liked and in a way I thought was fun.
I'm really only looking to see if anyone else has thought about some of these things is all.

catloverplayer

Well I do have interracial marriages in my game as many of you have seen my sims Ben and Michelle Stein who I also created in TS2 and TS3.

I play mostly straight couple. Every so often I 'll play same sex couples.

Religion well I m God to my sims since I tell them what to do.

As far as christmas goes my sims take it and in my game the tree is called a christmas tree by my sims not a holiday tree.

TheUltimateSimmer

@robinsonfam‌ Oh...i have actually thought about it,and it doesn't bother me.

MissTexasB

Every sim in my game is straight so that answers most of your questions. I play all of my sims with my moral convictions, ie all of my sims are married before they have sex or babies, they usually marry the first sim they date except for a few exceptions. I've only had one divorce that I can remember in all the years and versions of the sims I've played and the reason for it was because that sim was just mean autonomously. I don't know if he was glitched or what but he seemed to chose mean interactions almost all the time unless I intervened to repair the relationship. I come from a multi racial family so there are many races in my games.

opod67

Honestly, most of the sims I create and play are white, I think this is because I am white. I am sure that if I were another race I would create sims that most resemble myself. I think that is a natural human tendency. As children, we want our dolls to resemble ourselves.

I don't think I have played with a gay sim since I got the sims 4, but I know that I did have a variety of different couples in the sims 3. When I play a legacy, sometimes I like to make the heir gay. I think it mixes it up a bit and I think it is highly unlikely to have many people go through a family and not one of them is gay.

I don't think of religion at all when I play. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have "church" venues where sims can actually go to worship, but then EA would open up a can of worms of what religions they would include and those they wouldn't. I don't view myself as a god to the sims, I just like to see what challenges they face and help them make it out (or not).

plopppo

I don't like seeing same-sex Sims kissing in the game. I remember playing TS3 and Nick Alto started snogging one of the ginger guys in the main central park in Sunset Valley - out of the blue - His wife was there and she kind of looked on - they were at it for ages, Nick Alto and that ginger guy.

I just find it all a bit weird.

I'd find it weird in real-life, but I have never seen two men kissing in real-life (other than TV/movies).

sunnyshay

All of my sims are basically Brazilian atheists or they become parents of one. I have no gay sims, but I've thought of making Don Lothario one and maybe having a lesbian daughter would probably make things interesting.

LovelyMelody

Jimil wrote: »

I make a variety of all races. Asian sims seemed so impossible to make in TS3 though.

As a rule, all sims are bis.exual

No religion unfortunately. Though my sims could worship me if they want to.

Closest to "asian" looking sim I ever had:



And to answer the OP:

I don't really avoid doing anything with my sims when it comes to ethnicity and sexuality but when it comes to religion I only do Christmas because I know what is done on Christmas ... I would have no idea how to celebrate Ramadan or Eide or anything else.