I say, bring it all on. It would make the game so much more interesting to me personally but then again I don't see disability as sad or disturbing, it's just a part of life.
It is a very tricky subject. Since the sims is played by such a diverse crowd and is very inclusive in general I can understand if some people with disabilities or people that have close friends and relatives with disabilities want them in game, so they feel represented.
Personally I don't want any in my game like I don't want real life diseases (that some people have asked for too). It's a videogame, a very quirky and random one for that matter. Firstly it would feel like a caricature of whatever disability they add and secondly I don't play the game to see serious real life issues.
But that doesn't mean I am against the possibility of them adding the "feature" if done appropriately. What it means is that I would like it to be OPTIONAL. I always say it but I think this is key to everything the team adds. Options is the way to go. If I only had the possibility to give The Sims team feedback once, I would for sure tell them: "please, give us options and toggles on whatever you add so we can make our games more personal and to our taste".
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I wouldn’t call myself disabled, but I have a number of permanent conditions which do reduce my quality of life, the things that I can do and may also shorten my life. For me, I do not want such things in the game. For one thing, I play Sims to escape. For another, I don’t want these issues made light of.
I’ve seen a number of people saying that they want disabilities in the game because it would make the game more interesting/fun or things along those lines. When I imagine how I would feel if my problems which in real life cause me so much pain, fear and unhappiness were made the subject of other people’s fun and entertainment... It honestly makes me angry.
I am going to assume that mental illnesses will be moodlet based aka all fluff - no substance.
The traits we have ingame now do not make any noticable difference to my Sims, they all seem identical. I will be gobsmacked if they manage to pull off mental illnesses this way.
The game/producers are not capable of making it in depth enough to do it justice.
I would much rather EA didn't make a mockery out of it by putting it into a game that makes mourning Sims ecstatic by entering a decorated room.
I'd like to have walkers, wheel chairs, and canes that you can purchase for anyone who can walk and not just elders. Prosthetics could probably be implemented as an accessory or under body details. Bionic limbs and body parts could also be used in futuristic gameplay and not necessarily as a disability. It'd be nice to have aesthetic options so that people can use them and roleplay however they want. I don't want a full-blown disabilities system or mental illness though. I'm not sure how that would even work in a tasteful manner since, as others have stated, not everyone affected by something has the same symptoms and some things aren't even visible.
My disability is invisible.
You can't see how I'm disabled, because I can usually hide it in public, plus, you can't see pain.
I think they could add injury to the game, make better use of the hospital with broken bones, which would require casts, slings, crutches and maybe wheelchairs.
This is a good idea. Expand upon the hospital, give us injuries and illnesses that you actually need to treat.
But... disabilities? Absolutely not. I do not agree with this at all. It would not matter how they implemented it, it would be done wrong. It is not a good idea in my opinion. To me, it would be on an equal par on the controversial scale as adding religion to the game.
If disabilities made it into TS4, the watered-down version I could think of is:
Physical: mobility impairments, i.e. handicapped extremities, induce sims to have slower movement, inability to multitask (e.g. holding 2 items), whims/needs of mobility aids such as wheelchair, crutches, or even artificial extremities.
Sensory: visual, hearing, olfactory, and gustatory impairments. induce sims to have whims/needs of sensory aids and inability to attain positive mood through sensory media (TV, music, food, etc.)
Intellectual: learning disabilities (i.e. slower skill raising, random loss of skills),
Mental: emotional impairments (e.g. unstable mood, stronger and more complex than 'erratic' trait).
Both can be permanent or not.
I am concerned of its representation accuracy and appropriateness, considering that TS4 implements mood/emotion feature, especially for mental ones. Problem that might arise:
Patronizing mood algorithm: Your just new-disabled sims earn +10 Sad moodlet and with happy potions, sadness hotline, etc. their negative mood can be easily overcome. It's already unrealistic even without disability feature in the first place.
Disputable future social interaction menu: We already have Evil and Mean trait and sims are easily capable of doing mean interactions. How would you feel when you will be able to choose 'Mock disability'? I mean, similar interactions such as 'Mock outfit' and 'Imply Mother as Llama' are already normalized. Ok, I'm sure they'll also have positive interaction such as 'Help with ....' or 'Emphatize with ....' but will it outweighs the former one? They better put off the menu.
Under or Misrepresentation: Disabilities are complex, broad, and varied, as well as treatments and emotional state of the sims. If the main idea is to represent wider human condition, this is rather conflicting if only a glimpse of simplified disabilities are taken into the game. Let's compare to how TS4 already 'represents' normal illnesses. It's very simple that illnesses 'only' give you Dazed, Uncomfortable, and even Playful moodlets which are easily cured by buying panacea from the computer. Those illnesses are most well-suited by flu, fever, stomachache, and other common ones. Things would be different if the illnesses are more complex, like STDs (you know, for the sake of realism) for instance which in reality, inflict deeper psychological and social distresses; let alone disabilities.
I am going to assume that mental illnesses will be moodlet based aka all fluff - no substance.
The traits we have ingame now do not make any noticable difference to my Sims, they all seem identical. I will be gobsmacked if they manage to pull off mental illnesses this way.
The game/producers are not capable of making it in depth enough to do it justice.
I would much rather EA didn't make a mockery out of it by putting it into a game that makes mourning Sims ecstatic by entering a decorated room.
I am going to assume that mental illnesses will be moodlet based aka all fluff - no substance.
The traits we have ingame now do not make any noticable difference to my Sims, they all seem identical. I will be gobsmacked if they manage to pull off mental illnesses this way.
The game/producers are not capable of making it in depth enough to do it justice.
I would much rather EA didn't make a mockery out of it by putting it into a game that makes mourning Sims ecstatic by entering a decorated room.
I can see it being a joke.
none of the gurus have said anything about mental illness just wheelchairs
My disability is invisible.
You can't see how I'm disabled, because I can usually hide it in public, plus, you can't see pain.
I think they could add injury to the game, make better use of the hospital with broken bones, which would require casts, slings, crutches and maybe wheelchairs.
This is a good idea. Expand upon the hospital, give us injuries and illnesses that you actually need to treat.
But... disabilities? Absolutely not. I do not agree with this at all. It would not matter how they implemented it, it would be done wrong. It is not a good idea in my opinion. To me, it would be on an equal par on the controversial scale as adding religion to the game.
My disability is invisible.
You can't see how I'm disabled, because I can usually hide it in public, plus, you can't see pain.
I think they could add injury to the game, make better use of the hospital with broken bones, which would require casts, slings, crutches and maybe wheelchairs.
This is a good idea. Expand upon the hospital, give us injuries and illnesses that you actually need to treat.
But... disabilities? Absolutely not. I do not agree with this at all. It would not matter how they implemented it, it would be done wrong. It is not a good idea in my opinion. To me, it would be on an equal par on the controversial scale as adding religion to the game.
I agree about hospital stuff we need some treatable illness
but as far as wheelchairs go no I don't think there going to hurt anyone's game for there to be wheelchairs in cas
anymore then it hurt anyone's game to have the gender options in cas
the question we should be asking ourselves is do we want the resources being used for this when there is a lot more that all simmers want
like more traits more places to go better babies better teens being able to go swimming in the ocean cars
I think with careful planning, it might be able to work. For mental disabilities anyway. The problem with disabilities in the sims 4 would be how the traits already feel like they don't affect gameplay. A few sad moodlets here and there wouldn't be an accurate representation of severe depression. A couple of dazed moodlets couldn't even begin to describe how people with schizophrenia feel. If they were to add disabilities, they would have to make it big, game changing, life changing, the way it is in reality. Because a couple of sad moodlets doesn't equate to the soul-crushing, never ending sea of grey that destroys all want, interests, and feelings the way depression does in real life. So I say it's difficult, but possible if enough effort is put into it.
unpopular opinion here, but as someone with multiple mental illnesses, i think that, if done right, disabilities would be an important addition to sims 4. there is already a bad stigma around mental illnesses because there isn't enough education on it, so it the sims 4 team worked hard with doctors to develop an appropriate version of it, kids would learn more about disabilities and see that, though it may cause a bit of difficulty, life is still live-able and even great for those who are affected by disabilities. i think that in the long run, we cannot keep hiding disabilities, especially the stigmatized ones, from players because lack of knowledge is what made these illnesses feared in the first place. continuing to ignore the idea of incorporating all abilities into our media is not helping us progress as a society at all, in fact, it may cause us to fall back on old perceptions. i'm not requesting a full release of complex disabilities at once, but for the sims 4 team to release maybe one or two at a time, at their own pace, and when they have had it approved by professionals as something appropriate.
unpopular opinion here, but as someone with multiple mental illnesses, i think that, if done right, disabilities would be an important addition to sims 4. there is already a bad stigma around mental illnesses because there isn't enough education on it, so it the sims 4 team worked hard with doctors to develop an appropriate version of it, kids would learn more about disabilities and see that, though it may cause a bit of difficulty, life is still live-able and even great for those who are affected by disabilities. i think that in the long run, we cannot keep hiding disabilities, especially the stigmatized ones, from players because lack of knowledge is what made these illnesses feared in the first place. continuing to ignore the idea of incorporating all abilities into our media is not helping us progress as a society at all, in fact, it may cause us to fall back on old perceptions. i'm not requesting a full release of complex disabilities at once, but for the sims 4 team to release maybe one or two at a time, at their own pace, and when they have had it approved by professionals as something appropriate.
Just being realistic here, TS4 isn't a learning centre or somebody's parent. If you want to teach children about mental illness make a lecture about it in your highschool or middleschool or ask your teachers to do it or have the school bring a willing health professional into the school to teach the kids. Media isn't anyone's teacher, much less a parent, in fact you should go to school to learn how the media can and is manipulative and get a better grip of your life. Palyers, have lives beyond playing, they are normal people, and no one is hiding anything from them.
As an example, In preparation for our internship our university brought in people with disabilities, and relatives, to speak about their lives and the best ways we could communicate and interact with them. That's how you handle stuff in real life, not by ambushing a gaming franchise.
unpopular opinion here, but as someone with multiple mental illnesses, i think that, if done right, disabilities would be an important addition to sims 4. there is already a bad stigma around mental illnesses because there isn't enough education on it, so it the sims 4 team worked hard with doctors to develop an appropriate version of it, kids would learn more about disabilities and see that, though it may cause a bit of difficulty, life is still live-able and even great for those who are affected by disabilities. i think that in the long run, we cannot keep hiding disabilities, especially the stigmatized ones, from players because lack of knowledge is what made these illnesses feared in the first place. continuing to ignore the idea of incorporating all abilities into our media is not helping us progress as a society at all, in fact, it may cause us to fall back on old perceptions. i'm not requesting a full release of complex disabilities at once, but for the sims 4 team to release maybe one or two at a time, at their own pace, and when they have had it approved by professionals as something appropriate.
unpopular opinion here, but as someone with multiple mental illnesses, i think that, if done right, disabilities would be an important addition to sims 4. there is already a bad stigma around mental illnesses because there isn't enough education on it, so it the sims 4 team worked hard with doctors to develop an appropriate version of it, kids would learn more about disabilities and see that, though it may cause a bit of difficulty, life is still live-able and even great for those who are affected by disabilities. i think that in the long run, we cannot keep hiding disabilities, especially the stigmatized ones, from players because lack of knowledge is what made these illnesses feared in the first place. continuing to ignore the idea of incorporating all abilities into our media is not helping us progress as a society at all, in fact, it may cause us to fall back on old perceptions. i'm not requesting a full release of complex disabilities at once, but for the sims 4 team to release maybe one or two at a time, at their own pace, and when they have had it approved by professionals as something appropriate.
again the only thing simgurugrant was talking about was wheelchairs
I really don't want any mental disabilities-- and I can't imagine EA putting that in, given how sensitive the subject is. I would like some physical disabilities, though. I'd like to have sims who walk with a cane, sims who use a wheelchair, and maybe blind/mute/deaf sims.
Mental disabilities could be handled through traits -- we already have the Erratic trait, bringing back traits like Neurotic or Absent Minded could help simulate mild mental illness. When I play elders I'll usually change out a trait to something opposite to simulate change in personality; an Active Sim will become Lazy, a Neat Sim will become a Slob, etc. I'd love to have more traits as well that would work, like Grumpy (milder form of Mean) is a trait I'd really like for my elders. If they add traits that aren't super-exaggerated, that could work.
Physical disabilities trouble me a bit more. I know that Grant has mentioned stairs that turn into ramps when a wheelchair approaches, but that would only work for shurt steps like getting up on a patio or front door. What about inside the home? Would the wheelchair user be limited to a single floor, or could we get home elevators? (Small elevators would be handy for retail builds as well.) There could also be routing issues as well with bathrooms and kitchens that would have to be taken into account -- a counter height that works for a standing Sim might not work for one that's in a wheelchair.
My final concern is regarding the community; will we be deluged with screenshots from some of the more deviant Simmers torturing disabled Sims? I know, we can always flag those posts but then we get into the argument of "political correctness" and "they're just characters in a video game".
My personal view is that if a Sims 5 is on the drawing board, disabilities be a part of that base game from the start. That gives a lot more time to fully develop them in a way that doesn't ridicule them, and it can include build mode items for a more realistic experience. Maybe get input from actual disabled players what they'd like to see. But at this point of the game, it might be really hard to fit disabilities into Sims 4 without them becoming a caricature.
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How would your sims live and what would the feature entail?
I guess the main one I'd like to see is disabilities that need wheelchairs or canes if possible. I don't hold out hope that wheelchairs is really possible. It doesn't need to be "in depth". It would help with story telling. I don't think they could do wheelchairs as it might involve animations to transfer one's self to a bed or if living alone without help there would need to be ramps and animations would need to be redone for myraid of things including getting food for oneself and bathing (with transfer). I guess it could be worked out but it would be very hard to pull off. Canes on the other hand not so much so they could even cheat a little with sims not holding onto surfaces for typical manuvers.
How would family and friends be around that sim?
It would be good if they could "help out" but again that involves more animations. If they could do this we could play out recuperation themes, living normally themes or .. well more in depth care that some disabled might always need. Otherwise they would be the same around that sim.
Would the disabilities be mental? physical? Both?
Just physical. I think mental disabilities are so broad and controversial that I'm not sure it could be done well. Not that physical disabilities aren't also.. but we as simmers would I think be more understanding that the animation of these would be more limited to certain types. Like I don't see them ever doing people living on vents or needing tube feeding or suctioning.. I don't see them doing stroke victims where only one side of their body works. There would be a hard limit on what they could do with physical disabilities in my estimation.
Would there be a toggle option?
I guess by that you mean if people could chose to have this in their game or not. I think yes that would be best. I'd rather it be more like the gender possibilities though. So basically if you want this in your game you make it. That way you wouldn't have some sim ending up living alone. Not that people with disabilities can't mind you.. but it could and would be seen differently by different types of players. I don't really go in for the sims necessarily "teaching" me about what life should be like.
I don't necessarily want them pushing acceptance into my stories when I might play sims intentionally that don't accept things and never will.
Should certain disabilities, as in real life, greatly affect how they go along their day to day?
Again no... there is no way they could cover all disability types to satisfaction. I'd think the most that could happen would be to offer more functional types of disabilities.
Should, like in real life, there be machines and objects constructable to make that sim or those sims, able to go further?
If possible wheelchairs... perhaps oxygen tanks and canes. I don't see them being capable of making more than that with animations. Even then I don't expect any of it.
If you want this feature, what would you WANT to see and WHY do you want it?
Although I'm not pushing for it I would welcome it for story telling. I have a Bates Motel save... there is a girl uses a portable oxygen tank in the series. My sim could. I have a Stardew Valley save also and I can't put an elder in a wheelchair in this game. His backstory was being hurt in a accident... I could have that character. Canes.. well they are pretty common for elders out and about or if you could make it so it's more of an accessory I'd use it for some old school vamps.
I could set up a hospital or nursing home and it might seem more realistic.
I don't want to see it to push any agenda or anything like that, but I could also see the want or need for those with disabilities to want to portray themselves or someone they know in the game. I don't like to play my simself or family.. and I'm a nurse, I've seen plenty and been through plenty but have no desire to portray it realistically in game.
If you don’t want this feature, WHY and WHAT about it makes you uncomfortable?
Nothing about it makes me uncomfortable but I'll answer because I'm not driven to have this in my game.
It's limitations.. and reality of what can and can't be done in the game to the satisfaction of all makes me think it would be hard and possibly shouldn't be done. If it is though I'll definitely use it.
Sims/Elders in wheelchairs and other Sims who can care for them would not only be realistic but also an interesting addition to the gameplay. People fought for toddlers with all their energy - why should care/nursing/building a bareer free house among adults be less valuable for storytelling? Especially elders need a giant overhaul in this game. Since the dreadful death phone calls they are mostly nothing but an eternal mourning menace.
Why is everyone so down on having disabilities in the game? I mean if they make them as realistic as they can then it won't be made as joke in the game like they didn't plan it out. I personally think it should be in the game because the game is a platform based on creativity and everyone whether you are transgender or gay or straight or if you have a disability that you were born with should be able to tell whatever story they want to in the sims. That is what is unique about the game and makes it fun.
I'd rather have a functional hospital feature, so our sims can go to the ER to get checked out when they are sick. I also wouldn't mind injuries such as broken bones, or something. That way they can hobble around on crutches until they're all healed.
I'd even settle for toothaches and a NPC dentist who pulls their teeth or does repair work when needed.
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Personally I would enjoy the addition of physical disabilities into the game. I am physically disabled from birth and I have been asking for this for years (since at least Sims 2). If this was done correctly, it could possibly work. If they started off with adding physical disabilities to the game, I would be happy. They could add wheelchairs (which I use), crutches, walkers, canes, etc in the game. We already have dogs in the game so why couldn't they be trained to be service/guide/hearing dogs for Sims in wheelchairs, who are blind or deaf? I would buy BOTH pets themed packs in a heartbeat if this was added.
As far as actually adding the disabilities into the game, there could be different ways of doing so. Firstly, pregnant female Sims could go into the hospital to give birth to a baby only to find out the baby has a disability (this is how my mom actually found out I was born with Spina Bifida). It would also add a difference to drowning in the game. Instead of the Sim automatically dying, they could be saved from drowning but there could be a chance of a possible brain injury from near-drowning. Some of the illnesses already in the game could cause loss of limbs or some other problems Sims had to live with. There could be surgery in the game to help stabilize a Sim with a spinal cord injury from a dive gone wrong who would need to use a wheelchair.
I would like to see this because it would show others that disability could happen to anyone and it's not something to be afraid of/sad about. It would help further the acceptance of people with disabilities into society. I realize not everyone would want this in their game so I would be ok with it being an option you can turn off in-game or a pack people would buy if interested. I know I would buy it.
Personally, I would be open to the addition of physical disabilities being added as it would allow me to create even more diverse sims and allow more freedom in direction when writing my sim stories.
If it's something like the canes in TS3 Generations then I'm totally fine with it. However I can think about a hundred and thirty things I would like to see added over this. I can just see the YouTube videos of people killing off Sims with disabilities and people getting 🐸🐸🐸🐸 about it. I just think it's way more drama than it's worth....and not the good kind that we all like in our games, real life drama.
No, Thank you, I don't want sims to have disabilities. The Sims 4 is a pretty fun, quirky, time killing PC game to play. Players shouldn't be forced to have such a realistic feature brought into the game. We cannot even get spiral staircases, cuddling in bed or high-rises we can actually create on our own but now we'll have bi-polar sims in wheelchairs. Geez.
With the way things are in the United States now, I wouldn't even be surprised if EA were labeled prejudiced by not having disabled sims.
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My vote is "No". I play the Sims to escape "real life" and do not care to have disabilities added to this video game. There are other elements that the Simming Community has been asking for since the inception of Sims 4. It would be nice to see some if not all of these long awaited elements come to fruition.
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Personally I don't want any in my game like I don't want real life diseases (that some people have asked for too). It's a videogame, a very quirky and random one for that matter. Firstly it would feel like a caricature of whatever disability they add and secondly I don't play the game to see serious real life issues.
But that doesn't mean I am against the possibility of them adding the "feature" if done appropriately. What it means is that I would like it to be OPTIONAL. I always say it but I think this is key to everything the team adds. Options is the way to go. If I only had the possibility to give The Sims team feedback once, I would for sure tell them: "please, give us options and toggles on whatever you add so we can make our games more personal and to our taste".
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I’ve seen a number of people saying that they want disabilities in the game because it would make the game more interesting/fun or things along those lines. When I imagine how I would feel if my problems which in real life cause me so much pain, fear and unhappiness were made the subject of other people’s fun and entertainment... It honestly makes me angry.
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- I am going to assume that mental illnesses will be moodlet based aka all fluff - no substance.
- The traits we have ingame now do not make any noticable difference to my Sims, they all seem identical. I will be gobsmacked if they manage to pull off mental illnesses this way.
- The game/producers are not capable of making it in depth enough to do it justice.
- I would much rather EA didn't make a mockery out of it by putting it into a game that makes mourning Sims ecstatic by entering a decorated room.
I can see it being a joke.This is a good idea. Expand upon the hospital, give us injuries and illnesses that you actually need to treat.
But... disabilities? Absolutely not. I do not agree with this at all. It would not matter how they implemented it, it would be done wrong. It is not a good idea in my opinion. To me, it would be on an equal par on the controversial scale as adding religion to the game.
If disabilities made it into TS4, the watered-down version I could think of is:
- Physical: mobility impairments, i.e. handicapped extremities, induce sims to have slower movement, inability to multitask (e.g. holding 2 items), whims/needs of mobility aids such as wheelchair, crutches, or even artificial extremities.
- Sensory: visual, hearing, olfactory, and gustatory impairments. induce sims to have whims/needs of sensory aids and inability to attain positive mood through sensory media (TV, music, food, etc.)
- Intellectual: learning disabilities (i.e. slower skill raising, random loss of skills),
- Mental: emotional impairments (e.g. unstable mood, stronger and more complex than 'erratic' trait).
Both can be permanent or not.I am concerned of its representation accuracy and appropriateness, considering that TS4 implements mood/emotion feature, especially for mental ones. Problem that might arise:
none of the gurus have said anything about mental illness just wheelchairs
I agree about hospital stuff we need some treatable illness
but as far as wheelchairs go no I don't think there going to hurt anyone's game for there to be wheelchairs in cas
anymore then it hurt anyone's game to have the gender options in cas
the question we should be asking ourselves is do we want the resources being used for this when there is a lot more that all simmers want
like more traits more places to go better babies better teens being able to go swimming in the ocean cars
Just being realistic here, TS4 isn't a learning centre or somebody's parent. If you want to teach children about mental illness make a lecture about it in your highschool or middleschool or ask your teachers to do it or have the school bring a willing health professional into the school to teach the kids. Media isn't anyone's teacher, much less a parent, in fact you should go to school to learn how the media can and is manipulative and get a better grip of your life. Palyers, have lives beyond playing, they are normal people, and no one is hiding anything from them.
As an example, In preparation for our internship our university brought in people with disabilities, and relatives, to speak about their lives and the best ways we could communicate and interact with them. That's how you handle stuff in real life, not by ambushing a gaming franchise.
again the only thing simgurugrant was talking about was wheelchairs
Mental disabilities could be handled through traits -- we already have the Erratic trait, bringing back traits like Neurotic or Absent Minded could help simulate mild mental illness. When I play elders I'll usually change out a trait to something opposite to simulate change in personality; an Active Sim will become Lazy, a Neat Sim will become a Slob, etc. I'd love to have more traits as well that would work, like Grumpy (milder form of Mean) is a trait I'd really like for my elders. If they add traits that aren't super-exaggerated, that could work.
Physical disabilities trouble me a bit more. I know that Grant has mentioned stairs that turn into ramps when a wheelchair approaches, but that would only work for shurt steps like getting up on a patio or front door. What about inside the home? Would the wheelchair user be limited to a single floor, or could we get home elevators? (Small elevators would be handy for retail builds as well.) There could also be routing issues as well with bathrooms and kitchens that would have to be taken into account -- a counter height that works for a standing Sim might not work for one that's in a wheelchair.
My final concern is regarding the community; will we be deluged with screenshots from some of the more deviant Simmers torturing disabled Sims? I know, we can always flag those posts but then we get into the argument of "political correctness" and "they're just characters in a video game".
My personal view is that if a Sims 5 is on the drawing board, disabilities be a part of that base game from the start. That gives a lot more time to fully develop them in a way that doesn't ridicule them, and it can include build mode items for a more realistic experience. Maybe get input from actual disabled players what they'd like to see. But at this point of the game, it might be really hard to fit disabilities into Sims 4 without them becoming a caricature.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
I guess the main one I'd like to see is disabilities that need wheelchairs or canes if possible. I don't hold out hope that wheelchairs is really possible. It doesn't need to be "in depth". It would help with story telling. I don't think they could do wheelchairs as it might involve animations to transfer one's self to a bed or if living alone without help there would need to be ramps and animations would need to be redone for myraid of things including getting food for oneself and bathing (with transfer). I guess it could be worked out but it would be very hard to pull off. Canes on the other hand not so much so they could even cheat a little with sims not holding onto surfaces for typical manuvers.
How would family and friends be around that sim?
It would be good if they could "help out" but again that involves more animations. If they could do this we could play out recuperation themes, living normally themes or .. well more in depth care that some disabled might always need. Otherwise they would be the same around that sim.
Would the disabilities be mental? physical? Both?
Just physical. I think mental disabilities are so broad and controversial that I'm not sure it could be done well. Not that physical disabilities aren't also.. but we as simmers would I think be more understanding that the animation of these would be more limited to certain types. Like I don't see them ever doing people living on vents or needing tube feeding or suctioning.. I don't see them doing stroke victims where only one side of their body works. There would be a hard limit on what they could do with physical disabilities in my estimation.
Would there be a toggle option?
I guess by that you mean if people could chose to have this in their game or not. I think yes that would be best. I'd rather it be more like the gender possibilities though. So basically if you want this in your game you make it. That way you wouldn't have some sim ending up living alone. Not that people with disabilities can't mind you.. but it could and would be seen differently by different types of players. I don't really go in for the sims necessarily "teaching" me about what life should be like.
I don't necessarily want them pushing acceptance into my stories when I might play sims intentionally that don't accept things and never will.
Should certain disabilities, as in real life, greatly affect how they go along their day to day?
Again no... there is no way they could cover all disability types to satisfaction. I'd think the most that could happen would be to offer more functional types of disabilities.
Should, like in real life, there be machines and objects constructable to make that sim or those sims, able to go further?
If possible wheelchairs... perhaps oxygen tanks and canes. I don't see them being capable of making more than that with animations. Even then I don't expect any of it.
If you want this feature, what would you WANT to see and WHY do you want it?
Although I'm not pushing for it I would welcome it for story telling. I have a Bates Motel save... there is a girl uses a portable oxygen tank in the series. My sim could. I have a Stardew Valley save also and I can't put an elder in a wheelchair in this game. His backstory was being hurt in a accident... I could have that character. Canes.. well they are pretty common for elders out and about or if you could make it so it's more of an accessory I'd use it for some old school vamps.
I could set up a hospital or nursing home and it might seem more realistic.
I don't want to see it to push any agenda or anything like that, but I could also see the want or need for those with disabilities to want to portray themselves or someone they know in the game. I don't like to play my simself or family.. and I'm a nurse, I've seen plenty and been through plenty but have no desire to portray it realistically in game.
If you don’t want this feature, WHY and WHAT about it makes you uncomfortable?
Nothing about it makes me uncomfortable but I'll answer because I'm not driven to have this in my game.
It's limitations.. and reality of what can and can't be done in the game to the satisfaction of all makes me think it would be hard and possibly shouldn't be done. If it is though I'll definitely use it.
I'd even settle for toothaches and a NPC dentist who pulls their teeth or does repair work when needed.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WbRQP-PXDpA
As far as actually adding the disabilities into the game, there could be different ways of doing so. Firstly, pregnant female Sims could go into the hospital to give birth to a baby only to find out the baby has a disability (this is how my mom actually found out I was born with Spina Bifida). It would also add a difference to drowning in the game. Instead of the Sim automatically dying, they could be saved from drowning but there could be a chance of a possible brain injury from near-drowning. Some of the illnesses already in the game could cause loss of limbs or some other problems Sims had to live with. There could be surgery in the game to help stabilize a Sim with a spinal cord injury from a dive gone wrong who would need to use a wheelchair.
I would like to see this because it would show others that disability could happen to anyone and it's not something to be afraid of/sad about. It would help further the acceptance of people with disabilities into society. I realize not everyone would want this in their game so I would be ok with it being an option you can turn off in-game or a pack people would buy if interested. I know I would buy it.
With the way things are in the United States now, I wouldn't even be surprised if EA were labeled prejudiced by not having disabled sims.
Please Bring Back Toddlers, Realistic Teenagers and Create a World.
Make the Sims (4) Great Again<3
INFJ -A/-T