How The Sims Changed Gayming Forever
The Sims turns 20 — a game that‘s showed the world it’s more than OK to be a gay.
I was 8 years old when The Sims debuted. That’s over 20 years ago, back when dialup Internet and Windows 98 were in their prime.
It was also the time when I (and much of the world really) didn’t know, understand or accept what being gay was actually all about.
But the inclusion of LGBT Sims from the start, the game mechanics that your characters could be gay and that more importantly, other Sims accepted this — was a huge deal for me growing up.
Discovering Sims could be gay — and this was perfectly normal
I had only just bought the game when I murdered my first Sim. It’s a common story from fans of The Sims, I’m sure. But like any new game, you test the barriers, the limits you can go. What can you, as the omnipotent God, get away with in this household of your creation?
I didn’t do it on purpose then. It was purely down to sheer incompetence. How was I suppose to know deleting the swimming ladder would lead to such an agonizing (and irreversible) death?
Like digital pets, the first Sim family you create act as sacrificial lambs for a crash-course in adulthood and life in general.
There were no shortcuts back in the golden age of the Sims. But when you become akin to the game and learn how to live properly, you’ll eventually wind up creating a new family starring…you.
It’s not vain. Everyone does it at some point. Once you master how to keep your Sim full, clean and happy — the next objective is to build important relationships with the neighbourhood.
Waves, hugs, deep conversations and jokes all work well.Teasing someone, scaring them or talking to them when either are in a bad mood is not ideal. Sounds familiar.
When I created myself as a Sim, I remember talking to the incoming NPC neighbors who come to your house at the start of each house build for a house-warming. Pro tip: they bring inedible cake with them — never eat this.
With a host of new contacts, you begin to build relationships with them every so often when you have free time. One such Sim I befriended was Dave.
Dave was very like me in…virtually every way (The Sims back in 2000 didn’t have too much customizing options) Dave fast became one of the NPCs who’d frequently come by for a visit.
Until one day, new options became available for Dave in particular.
My first boyfriend was a cardiologist
Jokes and conversations soon turned into hugs and…a kiss? But, Dave was a man. How was this possible?
I cannot underestimate how impactful seeing those options were at 8 years old, when at the time I was so far in the closet I couldn’t even see the keyhole.
Many members of the LGBTQI community might say how important deleting your cookies and Internet history was growing up. You know what I’m talking about.
However, with The Sims, it was like a password-protected realm where you could weigh up these elements of life in a really educational way.
Dave and I moved in together, where I soon learned he was loaded with the top tier job of cardiologist. I laughed in delight, virtually marrying into money without even knowing.
We soon had an incredibly luxurious mansion and even hired a maid.
I relished in the robbers feeble attempts to try and prize objects from my rooms, where a billion alarms lay in wait.
There was even more than one swimming pool ladder — just in case I accidentally deleted one.
But then one day, I deleted Dave. Because if Sims taught you anything about life, it’s that when things are perfect — it’s time to try something new.
The legacy of The Sims
It’s now 20 years since The Sims debuted. And with each incarnation comes new and challenging attitudes towards the gaming community and society.
In Sims 4, for example, you can now create non-binary characters. Different genders can wear other clothes. You can choose if a Sim can become pregnant, or how they use the toilet facilities.
It’s so progressive it’s banned or given an 18 age rating by several conservative (and homophobic) countries.
But I was 8 years old at the time. And it’s debut was the first time I saw a character look, live and love…like me.
Although my Sims were akin to the tributes in The Hunger Games — sent to their impending death as I trialed and error’d how life ‘really was’, I took the game seriously.
And it paid me back with a treasure trove of memories.
So for the past 20 years or so of game-making, ladder-pool deleting, sum sum’ing…I’d like to say a special thanks to Maxis for creating Dave, my first boyfriend, who was a cardiologist.
