Games that feature disabled characters are typically narratively based characters are often treated as flavoring, added diversity to an otherwise homogeneous cast. The Sims is not alone in its lack of representation, but the game’s omission of the community strikes harder than most. Of the characters featured on the list: 27 are white men, 12 are non-human men, 9 are white women, 1 is a man of color, and all 50 are able bodied. Meanwhile, searching “Best Video game characters of all time” leads you to a list of some of the most popular video games ever created. Researching games that feature disabled characters leads you to list after list showcasing the same ten or so examples over and over again, most of which are non-playable secondary characters. The amount of disabled characters, however, has remained stagnant. The representation of minorities in contemporary video games has always been abysmal games that feature characters that are racially diverse or are members of the LGBT community are few and far between, though numbers have been on the rise within the past decade. The Sims has never been more inclusive to its player-base this is why the exclusion of a major population seems so abrasive. One in four adults live with a disability in the United States – 61 million people (CDC, 2018). In a game franchise that is centered around simulated living, the creation of a universe intended to mimic the real world in which players can be and do and create whatever they wish, the utter lack of disabilities seems at best odd and at worst a willful neglect of a community that already sees a lack of representation in modern media. I am practically addicted to the game franchise, so when I say that The Sims has neglected a major aspect of simulation gaming, it is not without a bittersweet taste in my mouth.
I spend hours browsing mod forums to find the perfect outfit that fits my Sim’s personality, and I put way too much thought into interior design. Over the past fifteen years I have bought every released game pack, stuff pack, and expansion pack EA has to offer. When I say that I am a mega fan of The Sims franchise, that is not an exaggeration. Her short-term goal is to complete the entire Mass Effect series by the time she graduates. Her long-term goal is to contribute to the diversification of mainstream media through the inclusion of strongly written characters of minority groups. Danielle Marascalchi is a senior at Emerson College in Boston, studying visual media arts.
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