IMHO, adding disabilities to the Sims game at an EA level would be opening Pandora's box.

For one, the term disabilities covers such a broad area: physical, mental, congenital, etc.
Disabilities typically are not classified into black and white areas (except, perhaps, on paper, i.e., forms/billing).
Disabilities can encompass far more than the generalization of Disease A or Condition B that most people associate with it.
Also, disabilities are not cut and dry. There are varying degrees, varying stages. The effects and outcomes are not the same from one person to the next. Ever.
Sadly I know this too well, as I work in healthcare, and I have friends and family members with disabilities.

I can understand that anyone who is disabled would like to create a Sim in his/her RL likeness.
The modding community has made handicapped/disability-minded CC, and a lot of creators take requests for poses, objects, etc.
The modding community-- not EA-- is going to be the best (and likely only) option for anyone pursuing this endeavor.

Celoptra, making polls on simmer forums obviously isn't working. You've asked here for peoples' opinions on disabled sims twice now. I think you mentioned polling the TS3 site before, as well. This is not the audience you want. To show EA that enough people want disabled sims, you need to focus on the people who agree with your goals, not random simmers. Not many people here are going to change their mind, since you're arguing from emotion and they're arguing from logic. The two styles can never win against each other; you can't out-logic an emotion or vice versa.

Instead of looking here, find disabled people and their friends and family who want more representation. Bring THOSE people to the table as an untapped market or a political force. I bet there are plenty of others who'll want to help. Just reach out to them and let them realize that they're not alone.

Yeah, they should. It'd make the game interesting. BTW why is this thread in off topic?

I was wondering the same thing. This thread is clearly "on topic" of the Sims.

There really wasn't a 'general discussion' Sims area for me to put it in. It was only Sims 1 (various EPs), Sims 2 (Various EPs) Sims 3 (EPs) and Sims 4 (and eventually EPs).


I have seen examples of how bad places aren't really working with disablties. The commuter train accessible car. Seen it abused by teens who aren't disabled and yet their is a level and a half which they could use. In Toronto one set of elevators lead down into like a passageway to a arena or a stadium-I can't remember which-and the only accessible door button to the concourse is on the far left of the door and the elevators are a couple of meters away on the far right. Then there is another set of elevators in the concourse. You take one elevator to the Via concourse and you have to have a clew (ball of thread) just to find your way to the other elevator which would get you to one of the commuter train accessible platforms. One bathroom I was in (I normally never use accessible stalls unless I have too) I guess in Stratford, Ontario you had to get off the toilet to get the toilet paper. In another stall the same year the toilet paper holder was in an awkward place for it (ie underneath the rail). Then there's a Bookstore near where I have supper when I'm in Toronto the bookstore only has one accessible door to go in/out. But the door which comes from the cash register area of the bookstore into the foyer is at an angle and then after moving around they have to get to the far left to get out to the street. Then there's the mall where the restaurant I have supper in. The door my mom and I use have the button on the right but the inside ramp is right in the middle of two staircases.

I'm honestly not sure what that last post was about. I thought that this thread was about whether disabilities should be included in the Sims. In real life, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether someone is disabled or not. Not all disabilities are visible.

Personally, i probably wouldn't buy a Disabilities EP, unless I absolutely felt that I had to buy it to support my creations. Even if I had to buy it to support my creations, I would try to find some way to play the game without that EP. I just have no desire for disabilities in the game. I play the game to get away from real-life, not to recreate it.

Of course, the Sims already has disabilities. For example, Zombies are mobility-disabled. Vampires have a light-disability. Plantsims are darkness-challenged.

I never thought of that, mermaids have always have to keep being covered in water thing or else death for them.

never thought of what?

This topic...

What Mootilda stated in the above comment. That the supernatural lifestates are somewhat like disabilities.

One might also consider personalities to provide some "disabilities", especially at the 0 and 10 ends of the scales. In addition, sims have an IQ which might be able to be lowered to provide a disability. In addition, the Sims 3 seems to have some traits which could be considered disabilities.

I've always thought of supernaturals as the sim equivalents of "disability" or "differently abled". However, I understand that some people want to have realistic human disabilities for their sims. Unfortunately, if EA spends its time trying to code realistic human disabilities, they won't have much time left to make a fun game.

FIX YO ASPECT RATIO WOMUHN.

As someone with Muscular dystrophy, im a little annoyed that people think disabilities in video games are so important that the MDA should drop everything and ask a gaming company to include disabilities in game play. Do something more useful, like help make it so people like me dont have to use actual real wheelchairs and other medical equipment. Dont waste all of those organizations time on something so, for lack of a better word, unimportant. Id rather have a cure for my disease than have my self sim using a nebulizer every 4 hours.

This thread is absolutely hilarious.

Disabilities are depressing as heck. EA will try to keep the game simple and jovial.

I kept meaning to write a reply to this thread, but I'm not sure how to phrase my views. It's a touchy subject for me.

Personally, as someone who suffers from an incurable disease (it involves internal organs, but I'm not going to say which one it is to people on the internet, sorry), I would be hugely offended if someone tried to portray my disease in a game. My disease is a private and personal matter to me. It's not fun, it's horrible and has had a hugely negative effect on my life. I would give almost anything to be rid of it.

I play the sims for fun, my self-sim has my fantasy of a happy life, she has a perfect marriage, her beloved pets, dream career etc. Why would I want to be miserable while playing a game, like I am in real life? Yes some of my sims split up with people, die, lose jobs etc, but that seems more fair somehow, as those are things you expect everyone has to deal with in their lives.

I don't know if I'm making any sense, hopefully some people understand though, judging by the poll I think some of us feel the same.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I haven't replied to this thread because I already posted in an identical one some time ago to say a big resounding "NOOOOOOO!!!!" to the idea of disabilities in the Sims games. But you said it so well that I had to come along and agree.

After having had a very active life, I've been disabled for the past few years with an illness that makes me housebound, needing wheelchair support if I do have to go out (for hospital appointments), and feeling miserable because I want my normal health back again. I play games to ESCAPE my depressing reality, not re-create it. My Sims games are strictly for laughs. My sim-self is based on the 'real', pre-illness, me, going places, working out on exercise equipment, swimming. I certainly wouldn't want her stuck at home and needing someone to push her in a wheelchair in order to go out.

I absolutely wouldn't want EA to put disabilities in the game. I would feel patronised by that, especially the idiotic way you just know EA would implement it.

Read the post above mine on whom you were quoting . Read the posts Celo.

I definitely agree with everyone who has said if disabilities were implemented in the game would be offensive to people. The Sims use a lot of humor in it and I feel like if they tried to add humor to a disability it would probably come off as making fun of people with a disability. And if they tried to handle the disabilities seriously, I think it would make the game come across as too serious or stressful/depressing and not many people would want to play it.

The Sims is about using your imagination and if you want your sims to have disabilities, download custom content to simulate that your sim has a disability.

I'm not really sure why I responded to this since I pretty much reiterated what numerous people have already said, but whatever. :\

Well, for one each response like this pretty much just adds another nail to the coffin that is the OP hypothesis "So many people want this, this should happen..." That doesn't mean it actually shouldn't, but it does seem like a pretty clear withdrawal of public support - and everyone putting forth a reason for why it shouldn't happen is a declaration of possibly missteps someone who decided to make something like this on their own better pay close attention to, else they find themselves at the wrong end of a mob.

Mmm, agreed. Harry Potter really opened our minds and made us all a bit more tolerant towards werewolves.

Also, I really want to party it up with HystericalParoxysm's grandma. She sounds liek she has helpful advice told with colourful metaphors. Anyway...

No, I don't really want it. And no, I don't think EA wants it. Why? Many reasons.


I suppose I am, so let's get started.

1. The technical issues.
Every single item in the game will have to be modified. Every piece of furniture will have to have some new piece of coding to allow the person in the wheelchair to use it or the person with only one leg or the blind person. There's a lot of disabilities and each one will require new programming for some unique interaction if you want it to work properly. And this is EA we're talking about. In the 0.0001% chance they were to do this, a lot more content would be sacrificed. And then there's the glitches.

2. The shit storm that would inevitably occur because...everything.
Because it is our God given right to sue over everything in life, EA would be surrounded by a loooot of contreversy. Sort of like with religion, to not upset anyone you'd have to include everything. Every minor disability, injury, illness and condition. And not just physical, mental as well. People would be offended if something isn't included, or worse, if it's poorly represented. And in this technological age of whining, if someone isn't happy they'll make sure they're heard. That would cause a lot of controversy and potentially bad press. EA has enough of that.

3. Marketing.
It's insanely difficult to sell this to the public. Disabilities, ramps and a complete re-programming of basically everything in the game doesn't have the "wow" factor having a farm or watching it snow or Katy Perry dressed as various foods has. And of course we have to consider how it would be added in. Can sims randomly have it happen to them? Can they be born like that? It's realistic, of course. It's tragic, no question. But I think the vast majority of players would mod the random occurrences out.

Look, I don't trust EA to give a proper education or awareness raising on it, but I also don't think that's their responsibility. And I know it sucks that even after so many generations of the game we still have such significant limitations to these things and little advancement foreseeable in the future but in my opinion this is one thing I understand them not going into. The technical issues alone would raise costs in programming and then they'd have to consider whether they'd make their money back. And again, the potential for controversy which in turn affects profit. It all comes down to the $$$.

If there's going to be a simmy game with disabilities and SSI then make it it's own separate indie game to test the waters away from The Sims. The Sims has already established the fanbase and whimsical world of relative freedom from real world troubles. Throw in this odd, potential-to-be-mishandled element of disabilities, it could skew and rock the game too hard and the series might be seen to have steered off course. Imagine if the next Hitman game revealed that Agent 47 had always wanted to realize his dream of being a phone love operator, and the game involved private conversations with religious and political people of interest, which he would then assassinate. And they just couldn't get it feel right, because how can they? Traditionfail! That's what EA wants to avoid, fans already love the way the series has been going so far.

So yeah. See how a sim-like game with disabilities goes on Kickstarter first and go from there. Might as well add dna tests and child support and garnishing checks.