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Please vote how disabilities, sickness, psychotherapy and faith may affect the game.
HannaZoja
Posts: 93 Member
There are increasing rumours that Maxis is finally planning to include disabilities (euphemism "special needs") into the gameplay. I really like this idea as it enables us to include our RL friends and family into the game.
However, I think that this opportuniy to create a more realistic simulation should not be wasted. All Sims games have lacked in a proper concept of accidents and illness. Fighting, catching fire, doing risky things should have a certain risk of hospitalisation (rabbit hole) for a day and/or a plaster cast that prevents the sim from enganging in physical activity for a couple of days. Extreme consumption of Nectar in combination with bubbles might also result in a trip to the doctor. Frequent Woohoos with stranges might lead male and female sims to consult the doctor for reasons other than pregnancy.
The game is advertised as "play with emotions". However the emotions in the game are unrealistic and shallow. Accidents and illness should lead to the wish to stay in bed for a day or two. No intentions to wohoo, dance or to consume nectar. Work, school, party, travel and physical activity should have an adverse effect on health or be impossible during that time.
Many people have to rely on psychotherapy. This should not be a reason to discriminate against Sims suffering from psychiatric illness. Dear Maxis, a Sim that has been on fire and met the Grip Reaper is entitled to be peculiar! Depressed, overly stressed, grieving and traumatised Sims may want to consult a therapist.
A long term therapy should also be able to change some traits in children, teens and young adults.
Elderly sims have a small risk of dementia.
There are alternatives to therapists: Sims may express faith in the "Almighty Intelligence" (AI), and can use the interactions pray, visit a priest, a shrine or meditate (if the player owns the expansion pack.) Vampires / ghosts may not consult the Priest, unless they want the "curse to be lifted" or " rest in this world and move on".
(If Maxis is naughty the Sim may beg the Nearly-almighty-but-evil-player to be spared the "Acts of Player" like hunger, drowning, electrocution, etc.)
The option "fake sick leave" should be expanded. These sims can of course party and travel - and they could get discovered with adverse results to their job performance, etc
The careers therapist and priest are added. In additions to being petitioned they can also actively contact sims in need. The therapist may engage in research and publicly speak about a healthy lifestyle. He can conduct research. A level 10 Priest may actively lift the curse of Vampirism and lay a Ghost to rest. A level 8 Priest may succeed in convincing a criminal to change his career. The Priest can preach at any public speaking podest and conduct a sermon at a shrine of the "Almighty Intelligence".
Affects "Get to work": All sims feeling sick, depressed, pregnant or injured are allowed to go to the hospital. The therapist can work at the hospital or engage in research at the science facility.
Affects "Get famous": Therapy can have a "Quirk be gone" effect. The priest can scold a famous person with a bad reputation.
Affects supernaturals: - because this gamepack should also contain some FUN as well as a realistic simulation
Male and female sims may ask an Alien therapist for a pregnancy.
Aliens, Vampires and secret agents may consult the therapist, because they are paranoid that everybody knows their secret.
Aliens and Vampires who lack a close friend or a spouse may develop a multiple personality disorder.
Vampirism can be cured by the therapist or priest.
Ghosts may seek counsel due to their inherent depersonalisation disorder. A ghost may ask a Priest or Consultant to rest permanenty. Any sim may petition the Priest or Therapist to let a Ghost rest permanently.
However, I think that this opportuniy to create a more realistic simulation should not be wasted. All Sims games have lacked in a proper concept of accidents and illness. Fighting, catching fire, doing risky things should have a certain risk of hospitalisation (rabbit hole) for a day and/or a plaster cast that prevents the sim from enganging in physical activity for a couple of days. Extreme consumption of Nectar in combination with bubbles might also result in a trip to the doctor. Frequent Woohoos with stranges might lead male and female sims to consult the doctor for reasons other than pregnancy.
The game is advertised as "play with emotions". However the emotions in the game are unrealistic and shallow. Accidents and illness should lead to the wish to stay in bed for a day or two. No intentions to wohoo, dance or to consume nectar. Work, school, party, travel and physical activity should have an adverse effect on health or be impossible during that time.
Many people have to rely on psychotherapy. This should not be a reason to discriminate against Sims suffering from psychiatric illness. Dear Maxis, a Sim that has been on fire and met the Grip Reaper is entitled to be peculiar! Depressed, overly stressed, grieving and traumatised Sims may want to consult a therapist.
A long term therapy should also be able to change some traits in children, teens and young adults.
Elderly sims have a small risk of dementia.
There are alternatives to therapists: Sims may express faith in the "Almighty Intelligence" (AI), and can use the interactions pray, visit a priest, a shrine or meditate (if the player owns the expansion pack.) Vampires / ghosts may not consult the Priest, unless they want the "curse to be lifted" or " rest in this world and move on".
(If Maxis is naughty the Sim may beg the Nearly-almighty-but-evil-player to be spared the "Acts of Player" like hunger, drowning, electrocution, etc.)
The option "fake sick leave" should be expanded. These sims can of course party and travel - and they could get discovered with adverse results to their job performance, etc
The careers therapist and priest are added. In additions to being petitioned they can also actively contact sims in need. The therapist may engage in research and publicly speak about a healthy lifestyle. He can conduct research. A level 10 Priest may actively lift the curse of Vampirism and lay a Ghost to rest. A level 8 Priest may succeed in convincing a criminal to change his career. The Priest can preach at any public speaking podest and conduct a sermon at a shrine of the "Almighty Intelligence".
Affects "Get to work": All sims feeling sick, depressed, pregnant or injured are allowed to go to the hospital. The therapist can work at the hospital or engage in research at the science facility.
Affects "Get famous": Therapy can have a "Quirk be gone" effect. The priest can scold a famous person with a bad reputation.
Affects supernaturals: - because this gamepack should also contain some FUN as well as a realistic simulation
Male and female sims may ask an Alien therapist for a pregnancy.
Aliens, Vampires and secret agents may consult the therapist, because they are paranoid that everybody knows their secret.
Aliens and Vampires who lack a close friend or a spouse may develop a multiple personality disorder.
Vampirism can be cured by the therapist or priest.
Ghosts may seek counsel due to their inherent depersonalisation disorder. A ghost may ask a Priest or Consultant to rest permanenty. Any sim may petition the Priest or Therapist to let a Ghost rest permanently.
Favourite Game: Sims 3 
Favourite Worlds Sims 3: Hidden Springs, Barnacle Bay, Riverview, Isla Paradiso, Sunlit Tides, Monte Vista, Dragon Valley, Al Simhara, Shang Simla, Roaring Heights, Lunar Lakes
Favourite Worlds Sims 4: Britechester, Windenburg, Sulani - possibly Mt. Komorebi
Favourite Worlds Sims 3: Hidden Springs, Barnacle Bay, Riverview, Isla Paradiso, Sunlit Tides, Monte Vista, Dragon Valley, Al Simhara, Shang Simla, Roaring Heights, Lunar Lakes
Favourite Worlds Sims 4: Britechester, Windenburg, Sulani - possibly Mt. Komorebi
Please vote how disabilities, sickness, psychotherapy and faith may affect the game. 54 votes
The whole lot: Please include disabilities, illnesses, accidents medical treatment, psychotherapy and faith.
12%
7 votes
Disabilities, accidents, sickness and psychotherapy are fine, BUT NO faith in game, please!
14%
8 votes
A priest and physical health problems are ok, BUT NO psychological issues, please!
3%
2 votes
Physical health issues are fine, but I do not want any mental problems in game, nor do I want faith issues.
9%
5 votes
The whole package is needed, but I do not want any fun elements associated with serious issues.
0%
0 votes
A priest would be cool, BUT NO more health issues, please!
3%
2 votes
I want to play with emotions, psychological issues only, please!
3%
2 votes
I want to escape Real Life! Please do not include any additional health or faith issues in Sims4!
51%
28 votes
2
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I DO want all kind of disabilities in the game, made by sliders or mini-traits perhaps? rather than just a blanket like ASD or depression, seeing it is so individual, but not everyone will want to include it. Maybe allow toggles for all 5 things you suggested, seeing I don't want faith in my game, but all the rest sounds rad!
Though, I don't think they can make it as serious as it should be, while it is a simulation of life, TS4 has a great element of silly, but silly doesn't really apply to serious issues.
Also, although I identify as a Catholic, I don't want any religion in the game period.
And I am religious, but I don't think it's a good idea to put faith in The Sims. Plus, based on how Grant has talked about the possibility, I don't think it's really on the table anyway.
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Temporarily broken limbs are a definite yes for me.
I don't know what I think about disabilities.
If talking strictly about gameplay, I want them. It can flesh out sims, make them more unique while being just as quirky and fun as anything else.
If talking about the more "personal" aspect and how it's linked to real life experience, I still want them. I grew up with mentally ill parents and tho I was suspicious of the crazy trait at first because of how "cliché" it is I actually enjoyed playing my crazy sim. It made me love her and it struck home, in a good way. Also the dev are asking disabled simmer/simmers living with disability for their input I guess it's going to be less cliché if they do it now. I think the better option would either be toggles or a free "disability" pack (I know they don't want to charge for it).
Religions, I want. They were added in the sims medieval (sims were praying the Watcher (us) and there were different Church in competition.) it was a fun feature and I don't think anyone was mad about it. I guess the devs are scared they might offend someone, but we already got Menorah so I don't see why priests would be too controversial. I don't get why it has to be "something annoying to deal with". What do you find annoying about faith irl exactly?
On the other hand-no no no, please no. I fear they'll just show mental illness as the sterotypical crazy person. You know what I mean. I get mocked enough about that in real life, don't need to game to pretty much mocking me every time I play.
If faith does get added, they need just make up religions unless they want to add everyone religion and belief in existence. And if they do add faith they'll need an 'Atheist' option. I'm an Atheist in reality I don't really care in games but if there option is to opt out of it I will.
I would love to see a game that mimics life/reality entirely. Especially the controversial, offensive, dark, and heavy topics and concepts, but The Sims is a Rated T for Teen game. The overall theme of the game just wouldn't match. We're talking about a franchise that implements fantasy and calls alcohol juice. Implementing psychological turmoils, illness, and deficiencies as well as religion and physical disabilities wouldn't feel right in the currently happy utopian world of The Sims. Where players often go as a means of escapism.
So perhaps EA, Maxis, and The Sims Team can create a different/separate life simulation game that tackles these topics and more! It will be exactly like The Sims, but with these topics and concepts implemented along with Politics, Substance Abuse, General Abuse, Natural Disasters, Murder, War, and you get the point.
Alcohol is called alcohol or booze, drugs aren't bubbles nor herbs, poor sims are actually poor, and Murphy's Law looms over your sim like it's the sky itself.
So yeah. Not sure if implementing all of this will be a great idea considering the game's current state, but I do support it and think we should have a sibling franchise to the original franchise.
As an atheist living in a nation where the majority is Christian, I find it annoying that I have to deal with people who believe I'm going to a place of infinite torture and misery just for not believing in their sky daddy. Some even yell it at you like shouting "You're going to Hell!" will suddenly influence me in believing they're right.
I find it annoying that groups like or similar to the Westboro Baptist Church are trying to influence our government to restrict the rights of certain individuals just because they believe these certain groups and individuals don't even deserve to live because their deity said so.
I find it annoying to wake up to my door bell ringing in the morning to find a Jehovah's Witness trying to feed me some story about how their god is the right one and that I should convert to their faith.
Faith/Religion isn't just people getting together to believe in a supernatural entity/force. A lot of controversies, fights, and wars were broken out/brought up due to religion as a whole.
You may consider my comment as just my opinion, but I'm sticking to it. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone. Or at least not a lot of people.
Okay, dude. You have your opinions, but you don't need be a plum about it. If you don't believe in religion that is perfectly fine, but insulting others for their beliefs is just not cool. Be respectful to those who have other beliefs other than your own.
Okay. I don't really see how what you've quoted was an insult or being a plum. Honestly, I could of said worse, but okay. My apologies for offending you. I'm glad you're okay with my lack of belief and I personally am okay with people who do believe in/associate themselves with a religion. It is just those who indoctrinate/force their beliefs on others that I'm not so fond of.
Again. Just my opinion. Purely subjective, but I find it a bit difficult to be "respectful" when the other side usually doesn't do the same. Of course; Not all individuals of Faith are like that. There are people who tolerate others regardless of their beliefs and lack there of. So I'm not saying all religious people nor all Christians act the same way, but as you can tell by my previous comment, in some cases, being requested/demanded to respect a certain group is similar to receiving a pile of Cow Plant dirt then being expected to eat it. You know what I mean?
I will take note and try to be careful next time though.
As far as Religion goes, it was done quite well in Sims Medieval but I always keep my faith - or otherwise to myself. Just think of the Forum arguments descending into my religion against your religion fights. Ugh.
Religion I think is very personal thing. Given the potential to offend I don’t see EA going down that road. Not yet.
Just no to most of them, especially with an optional DLC. I agree with the glasses and canes though. Maxis seems to imagine my sims want glasses only when they go to bed.
Why should broken bones or poison ivy be more important than depression or something like psoriasis or other dermatitis? (Poison ivy is not known to other areas in the world either).
As for religion, I would rather have my UK's Father Christmas back as in early Sims games rather than Father Winter as in Sims 4, if we are going to cover other religions and customs.
As you can see, bringing these into the game would be fraught with difficulties for Maxis/EA and bound to upset practically every Simmer in some way.
I could see them adding in more flawed traits, like maybe one that makes you learn logic faster but everything else slower, or maybe one that makes you super obsessed with something, and other such things that you can combine with other traits to achieve what you want, but not flat out disabilities or anything that directly correlates to real life.
Regarding the other things, I'm a hard no to STDs as well, but I actually do think it would be interesting if dangerous activities could result in injuries. We already have that to an extremely minor degree with the basketball court in City Living, where Sims can sprain their ankles for botching a "Dream Big" shot, so expanding that to something like a broken arm or leg could be entertaining - though I see where from a programming perspective how incapacitating limbs can bungle preset item interactions and animations.
I am also an atheist, like @Sim_Man17 , and religions are also a very dangerous territory to tread. However, I have to agree with @Tikomoi in that I found the Jacobian and Peteran religions in Medieval EXTREMELY entertaining. What's more, these two faiths didn't actively evangelize player Sims unless you were in active control and converting them with your priests, so as long as the player themselves is the only one in control of who gets converted, I'm ok with that.
In terms of what faiths to use, like @Wildkitti mentioned, making them up is the best route - though there IS a better one. They could allow them to be made up by the players themselves, similar to how clubs are done in Get Together. That way, you can set what the tenants of the religion are, how the followers can worship or otherwise partake in the religion, where they gather for services, what they shun, etc. etc. I can see this working really well for players in the game, and can even entail things like funeral services and age up celebrations. Though, I guess in that sense, it'd only be a minor expansion on clubs.
Fake religions in a medieval game are one thing. Putting it in a game that's supposed to reflect our world as it is now could be a problem.
Nah, I'm not offended. I just think you could have used better terms instead of "Sky Daddy." It comes off as kind of rude and insulting to what Christians believe in, as they are the religious group you clearly pointed out. Also, I 100% agree with you. Nobody should force their religion or beliefs on you. We are all entitled to what we choose to believe in. Anyways, you have a good day. Happy simming.
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Knowing how goofy and optimistic The Sims is, implementing something like disabilities would be a huge mistake due to how EA and Maxis would handle/display those types of topics as well as how sensitive our society can really get.
I can imagine it now. Say EA and Maxis really do attempt to pull this off.
Psychological Deficiencies and Illnesses would probably be nothing more than a goofy and/or cute set of quirks or a sugarcoated set of drawbacks.
They probably would even implement some kind of potion or goofy, but warm to the heart magic that cures your Sims from these illnesses and disabilities. Probably as an attempt to be like "Look! See? We even added the option to have your virtual self be cured from your situation(s)." Even though that might get players with these issues a bit more angry and/or depressed.
Wish there really was a cure for what I have.
Like depression.
There are some people out there that will just say "Just take a stroll through a forest." or "Talk it out." or "Think happy thoughts." like those with depression haven't considered that before.
Now I like to believe that there aren't people who compare video games to real life matters and issues, but hey. You never know. We had people eating laundry detergent before.
So it is possible that there is going to be that fringe group of people who will say "See? If your virtual self can do it, why can't you?" or "See? These things aren't a big deal." as if they believe the video game developers required a PhD in every field of the sciences to make a game that resembles a fraction of Life.
So knowing the current theme/state of the game, adding these really won't bode well. I really don't see heavy nor murky matters being handled very well in something like The Sims.
Plus, @TheGreatGorlon made a good point.
You will also have to consider how these features will fit in with the preset content.
The programmers will have to figure out how to implement these animations and interactions onto currently existing content.
If they can slap on these features without clipping issues, bugs, and glitches.
I'm still keeping my vote the way it is though. Since I personally believe that if you're going to make a game that is suppose to mimic reality, don't be afraid to take risks and dive into those murky waters of controversy and I don't know how to change my vote.
Like I've stated before, I believe EA and Maxis should create a sibling franchise to The Sims. Basically a Rated M for Mature version of The Sims. Just like How The Sims Medieval isn't exactly The Sims, but is at the same time. Well. Like that, but with everything that the main franchise has to offer added with mature, heavy, deep, and controversial topics, concepts, and content.
That way, everyone wins.
I guess.
Because if you have a disability in real life, video games may be used as a form of escape. A game shouldn’t trigger you. It’s meant to be fun and relaxing. Also as been said, the game is far, far too light hearted and cartoony and amusing to portray them accurately, not to mention I personally find it insulting seeing my illness used in game. Its never going to go away, it’s life limiting but it’s portrayed by ignorant people as a something like a fad and they recover super quickly. Using disabilities as a form of entertainment just seems wrong to me. Plenty of people will feel differently and that’s fine. I just think the motives behind disabilities being added is more a statement of “Look how inclusive we are” than anything else.
Well. By placing this topic under that perspective, I can see and agree to an extent, but I believe we shouldn't confuse Psychological Illnesses and Cognitive Deficiencies for a Sim's Personality Traits.
After all, an individual doesn't have to possess a mild form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to be neat. Plus, there are other conditions that might cause someone to be Absent-Minded. Plus, there is the argument of defining an individual solely on their deficiencies and/or illnesses. Not a lot of people will put say... Schizophrenia as a defining attribute to who they are as an individual. Plus, like you've stated, these Personality Traits that are linked to certain symptoms of mental illnesses and deficiencies are watered down. So going "all out" would probably be similar to applying too much heat to a sealed glass bottle containing gas, but...
Knowing how things were in the past, applying mental conditions could work.
Remember when Erratic was previously Insane and Very Sad was previously Depressed?
Plus, looking at the illnesses in Get To Work, you had made up diseases like The Llama Flu and The Itchy Plumbob.
So perhaps the Team will implement these features, but they will simply mask or water down these features to fit exactly into The Sims universe.
Like ADD will be named Short Focus Syndrome and so on.
Basically implementing a child friendly version to the concept/idea of mental conditions in The Sims without downright stating what they are.
So instead of it being Mental Illnesses and disabilities, they would call it Personality Quirks.
I wouldn't be surprised if they are actually going for that.
Though like I've stated in my previous comment, watering down/sugarcoating the matter would more likely offend most simmers.
Yes; You can mask it, but once you get into the meat and potatoes of the matter, it's just a piece of polished and sugarcoated controversy.
This has been discussed so many times already, there are definitely threads open and active to be found. I'd ask you to keep thi discussion to the existing threads if you'd like to continue talking about it and limit spamming this topic. Please use the search function to find an active thread. Thanks.