The Sims celebrates its 25th anniversary

While The Sims is often seen as a leader when it comes to inclusivity in gaming, some people are uncomfortable with its approach.

Zoe Delahunty-Light, a video producer at website Eurogamer, commends The Sims for making “great strides” with diversity and working with creators to build authentic representation into the game.

But she does point out that much of the work was done first, for free, by modders.

The official Lovestruck add-on, Zoe says, introduces polyamorous relationships to the game and costs £30 ($37).

“So it can feel like it is squeezing as much money as it can out of people who desire representation the most, which is pretty audacious,” she says.

The game has also been criticised over a lack of inclusion for players with disabilities, both in their ability to modify its controls and see themselves on screen.

“The game still lacks the option to change key binds, which is a basic accessibility issue,” says Zoe.

Developer Maxis has previously said it’s discussing the introduction of more accessibility features to the game.

It has added certain features – such as visible hearing aids – to improve the representation of disability in the game.