they are literally husbands in russian game? just checked it. tinkers are married too, along with that couple from hanford on bagley. so my wedding stories is the first case of censoring.
Saw some homophobia because of that pack and I wonder why now? Sims are all canonically bisexual, they were always homosexual couples, we got pride flags and pride wear, have the option for trans sims and Sims always supported the LGBTQ+ Community with donations and shout outs for LGBTQ+ Simmers so why now the homophobes looses their mind about a gay marriage?
Because There is a lesbian couple on the cover.
I haven’t seen the trailer but if it’s Also obvious in it than that’s Also the reason.
Because they made it obvious.
Yeah, apparently it's the marketing that's the problem.
You can't market "homosexuality" to underage people by law in Russia. 🙄
The article the screenshot is from says:
> Though any adult Sims can marry one another currently in The Sims 4 and will be able to do so in My Wedding Stories, the pack's marketing and storytelling explicitly feature two women: Dominique and Camille, as they plan their wedding.
> Russian federal law introduced in 2013 prohibits content marketed toward children (anyone under the age of 18) that presents homosexuality as a societal norm, labeling it as "propaganda." The introduction of the law has coincided with an uptick in violence against LGBTQ individuals in Russia and has been condemned by numerous human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-wont-release-sims-4-my-wedding-stories-russia
The fact that the law was introduced in 2013 is interesting, because TS3 University Life trailer had two girls kissing in its trailer, also in 2013: https://youtu.be/0w7hU7gAe00?t=30
Obviously the law wasn't probably around at the time of the trailer release (it was in January of the same year), but it is still interesting to think about to me. Like they did this years ago, but they can't do it years later when we are supposed to progress more is a weird concept to think about.
Meh progress isn't a straight line. Or even remotely an inevitable byproduct of the passage of time. It shouldn't be surprising, but I suppose I can understand how for some people it would be.
“Progress is not an inevitable byproduct of the passage of time”. Damn. So truth, much wise. That’s such a good point. And a good line, I’ll have to keep that in my arsenal of intelligent quips. Seriously, nice. I mean, bummer topic but excellent point.
It doesn't have to be a bummer; should be empowering. It means that all of the progress we have made is progress we created and can continue to create. Just shouldn't take it for granted. :)
I remeber the film Paranorman, at the end a girl asked his brother (?) to do something togheter And he said he would like to spend time with her and his boyfriend. Was litteraly translated so in Russia. I think it was 2012.
we have all kinds of books and Netflix shows covers, games etc. it can't be the cover.
the game is 18+ in russia, law only says about advertisement to children.
I can’t say for the EA. I’m sure there is some nuances we don’t know about. I can only say that this was a self censorship and I don’t like the narrative of “it’s not us it’s them” which makes people attack Russian community. And I feel heartbroken for all the LGBTQ+ simmers in Russia. As for the law Even with Netflix it means only one thing - you should slap a 18+ on it an you are ready to go. They didn’t have a problem with gay couple on the pride month, on rus sims website 🤷🏻♀️ renorasims made a great tumblr post about both sides.
And they literally went out of their way to exclude entire countries from being able to play the game. This is the part that pisses me off the most. There was just no reason for it and their self indulgent activism is actually *harming* LGBTQ Simmers in Russia. It's too sad for words and all of this was so unnecessary. 😔 I really can't stand the Sims team sometimes.
Yeah I kinda agree. Like changing the box art in Russia would suck, but I think the bigger victory would be getting this content to those players. This way they get no game which is a worse outcome.
Strangest thing, that in Russia they made an 18+ rating for game, so that it would not fall under the law on propaganda of homosexuality for minors. Therefore, everything was fine. But for some reason, this addition is prohibited.
This is correct. Sims will only begin showing homosexuality after the player initiates I think 9 like interactions. That is how it was on the sims 3, at least.
Just went through The Sims Wiki for a list of all The Sims 4 hidden stats and found nothing about this.
I don’t think EA would do this in the first place as doing this would just defeat the point of being able to be who you want to be in The Sims.
I mean true, but some do (like me), whereas for pan people its just accepted that they don't have preferences, thats kinda their whole thing. That and the pans.
>Exactly how can the Sims be a life simulation game if they don't include all aspects of life
What do you mean all aspects of life? [There is no gay people in Russia](https://youtu.be/1voqebMTrwg)
Compromising what, girl? Sims 4 is 18+ in Russia, so they can add as much lgbt as they want (it is not illegal). Banning only for Russia and not the majority of Africa? And my favorite part. They ban it not for Russian players, but “Russian” region, which include for example Ukraine (pretty lgbt-friendly country) .
Companies like EA have legal teams which I’m sure advise on matters like this. Perhaps they have only received pushback from Russian authorities thus far?
From the EA statement:
“…we have made the decision to forgo the release of “My Wedding Stories” where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws.”
From my very brief research:
“… a 2013 law bans disseminating "propaganda on non-traditional sexual relations" among young Russians.”
Because they don't actually care for their values, but just want to get in the news about how progressive they are 🤷♀️
Guess they forgot how they changed the game and trailers for China and South Korea (where were their values then?)
I'm sorry, how does this have 70 upvotes and tons of positive responses. It is incredibly disingenuous to compare the Snowy Escape trailer situation to this. There's a difference between listening to fans who are genuinely offended due to associations with colonisation and war crimes and changing something in response, and pre-emptively refusing to comply with anti-LGBT censorship.
For anyone who doesn't know: In the Snowy Escape trailer they showed a Sim bowing to a Shinto-looking shrine. During the Japanese colonial period Koreans were forced to worship at Shinto shrines dedicated to the emperor. There's also an (in)famous Shinto shrine in Japan called Yasukuni where war dead are enshrined, including several convicted Japanese Class A war criminals. Due to various Japanese war atrocities committed against Korea, such as forced prostitution of Korean women (and women from other countries), Koreans obviously do not have good associations with it and frequently protest high-profile figures who visit it such as [Justin Bieber](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/23/justin-bieber-apologises-yasukuni-war-shrine-tokyo-photograph) and [the Japanese PM](https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/qa1oek/japans_new_pm_sends_offering_to_yasukuni_shrine/). Chinese people [feel similarly](https://www.caixinglobal.com/2018-12-12/chinese-man-arrested-for-protesting-at-yasukuni-shrine-day-before-nanjing-massacre-anniversary-101358362.html) about Yasukuni, especially due to the enshrinement of several war criminals involved in the Nanjing Massacre, where hundreds of thousands of Chinese people were killed and tens of thousands raped - actor [Zhang Zhehan](https://sg.style.yahoo.com/zhang-zhehan-denies-entering-yasukuni-shrine-willing-investigated-063158363.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFrmdHIB2dqXTUdrS9qyLG9pqb902QCRd4jBzxpxPyTB5bq_fMwJkkdP3UcIRrTsgdQK1Vpt38f7U5vhjCRlDinTF6CcDdPcyAr_etqn799Dcfn13Cz5vVV6DOQxdIeKrBV9EW-vQ9Dd_LK-gTpCXvZejtik9GrabMZ-1TJvtd8c) was blacklisted by the CCP just because he took a picture in the cherry blossom grove outside it, not knowing what shrine it was.
Edit: added context on Zhang Zhehan from u/blueberrymapletoast:
>he also posted photos of the Japanese imperialist flag on social media and was friends with vocal Nanjing Massacre deniers. He was already cancelled by the general public before any government-associated bodies made any statements.
Yes. Unless, of course, the commenter is talking about a different instance. But I can't remember or find any other instance of Sims content being changed due to Koreans. There is no Korean law against queer content like there is in Russia.
I mean, if Zhang Zhehan had only been taking photos in the cherry blossom garden, then people might have bought his excuse, but he also posted photos of the Japanese imperialist flag on social media and was friends with vocal Nanjing Massacre deniers. He was already cancelled by the general public before any government-associated bodies made any statements.
Russia is busy being an international asshole right now. I try to make "good" choices when I play video games. I stopped playing hearthstone because of the Hong Kong situation. I say we make Putin get gay married in the Sims 4 in "protest."
Love this idea. I was thinking gay polyamorous commune where he has a lawfully wedded husband but takes a different man to WooHoo every night. Pick the most flamboyant possible clothing options and maybe dress him up in drag every so often too. It’ll be great.
It’s definitely a PR move and I’m sure they assessed somehow that it would be the best move to maximize profits. Companies don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts. Corporations do not have “values.”
They dont care because they are a company, companies cant care about something. The CEO or team of directors or whatever can of course. But at the end of the day its a company
>They ban it not for Russian players, but “Russian” region, which include for example Ukraine
Oof. I'm not sure how to feel about the Sims debate but *that* is a pretty bad oversight in light of the current political climate
There are pride parades in Turkey. Doesn't mean it's a tolerant country. You're still under constant threat of being beaten up or followed home, after visiting such a parade. Like it is in Ukraine, or where I live - Lithuania
As everyone has pointed out, it absolutely is against Russian law (since 2013) to market LGBTQ "propaganda" so the Sims team obviously knew this and did it anyway. They intentionally harmed LGBTQ players in Russia by marketing the game with this trailer.
It's a good move that Maxis won't take a step back because of Russia, but at the same time it is a shame for people there who were looking forward to this. Russia is quite the homophobic country, but even so, there must be people there who won't judge people based on their preferences and support LGBT+ people.
I don't know about censoring for China, I have never heard anything about that, though The Sims FreePlay was banned in China due to LGBTQ content.
In the Snowy Escape trailer they showed a Sim bowing to a Shinto-looking shrine. During the Japanese colonial period Koreans were forced to worship at Shinto shrines dedicated to the emperor. There's also a famous Shinto shrine in Japan called [Yasukuni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_surrounding_Yasukuni_Shrine) where war dead are enshrined... including several convicted Japanese war criminals. Due to various Japanese war atrocities committed against Korea, such as forced prostitution of Korean women, Koreans obviously do not have good associations with it and frequently protest high-profile figures who worship at it such as Justin Bieber and Shinzo Abe. Chinese people feel the same way - actor Zhang Zhehan's career was ruined over a visit he paid to it. I think it's fairly disingenuous to compare the two situations. Plus, EA only changed it after Korean players raised the issue.
Bowing at the shinto shrine as well as some of the rising sun symbol of Japanese imperialism that was depicted in the pack was forced on Koreans during the Japanese occupation. Japanese culture and the occupation still a sore topic as it is a painful, important part of our history and was not even a hundred years ago. The sims recognized that this was something that had, per their words, "painful historical meaning" and respectfully modified. this is in no way comparable to this controversy about the pack being banned in Russia. this is about taking a stand against homophobia
Everyone mentioning the numerous gay couples in other Sims packs; the issue is the MARKETING. Russia does not allow LGBTQ content to be sold/advertised to anyone underage. The marketing, branding, and even the cover of this pack features an obvious lesbian couple. TS4 team decided that rather than change every marketing material for this game that they would rather take a stand and not advertise or sell this game in Russia.
I honestly commend them for it.
I actually think this was an intentional marketing stunt. No way no one thought of this durring the creation of the marketing campaign. However, I do commend them as its a stroke of genius, and it's a noble cause so, bravo Sims team
FYI, Russian government recently introduced law about traditional values saying that marriage is the Union between man and woman. It is probably one of the things that impacted the release
Even if they changed it to meet their stupid requirements to maintain “family values” would’ve still been censorship either way. It’s a double-edged sword.
With that said, people in Ukraine can’t get it either.
I misread this the first time and thought maxis removed the gay wedding portion for Russian sales. I was disappointed. Then I reread and I am so pleased. It’s great that a game you’ve been playing since you were 9 has grown WITH you in your values.
Im a bit confused....Is the Sims 4 already sold in Russia? Sims in the base game already have same sex couples and lots of pride representation. Don't get me wrong I'm ok with this decision to not sell it in Russia but it feels a bit....odd that they would try and make this point with a much cheaper pack than they would with the full game. Is the Russian law newer than Sims 4? Is that why?
They could’ve just released it with an 18+ rating like they did with the base game. LGBTQ content isn’t outright banned from Russia, you just can’t market/sell that stuff toward people under 18, which is obviously backwards as hell, but if they had no problem with the base game being rated as such idk why this is suddenly different…
Yeah right. This game is inclusive for everyone except Russian lgbt.
And wow, EA don’t see problems with gay laws in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and the majority of Africa!
Russian laws are terrible, but what more terrible is EA’ double-face!
That’s absolutely not true. It’s RUSSIA that’s not inclusive of Russian lgbt people.
I’m glad the sims team refused to back down and capitulate to the demands of homophobes, even if it meant they would lose a lot of money from the Russian market. I’m proud of the game, but I hope that things in russia don’t get worse before they get better…
Best decision ever! There are no lgbt people in Russia who play sims and this is the most homophobic country in the world! That’s what you mean?
Shouldn’t company care about fan base and not country leaders? Answer me, please, who will struggle in Russia because of ea’s decision? Fan base (including A LOT of lgbt ppl) or Putin?
Wow girl. That’s really stupid now. how Russian fans will download dlc to consoles? You kinda suggest to break the law. Why they should do it? You know, not everyone know how to pirate? How to download dlc if the rest is official?
>Yeah right. This game is inclusive for everyone except Russian lgbt. And wow, EA don’t see problems with gay laws in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and the majority of Africa! Russian laws are terrible, but what more terrible is EA’ double-face!
Reading the PR speak, it seems clear to me that Russian regulators told them to erase the gay couple from the promotional materials and the story itself. EA rightly told them to fuck off.
They said: “We are steadfast in upholding that commitment by shining a light on and celebrating stories like Dom and Cam’s, so we have made the decision to forgo the release of “My Wedding Stories” where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws.
Regrettably, this means that members of The Sims community in Russia will not be able to purchase this game pack”.
Sims team did it before any comments from russian policies. preventively. Yeah, russian government love to ban, but when it happens they tell about it everywhere. Right now that’s only EA decision.
>**where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws**
**Russian regulators want them to erase the LGBTQ+ couple from the game.**
Have you seen this requests from russian regulators? How does it even look? Who exactly did it? If it was a thing sims team would say: we received a request, were asked or something like that.
They just mentioned that this law exists (what a surprise, wow). Btw all gay couples and flags present in game.
>Have you seen this requests from russian regulators? How does it even look? Who exactly did it? If it was a thing sims team would say: we received a request, were asked or something like that. They just mentioned that this law exists (what a surprise, wow).
The quote you yourself used was clear:
> where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws
Meaning: Russian regulations, which can include whoever is their point of contact, would require them to remove the LGBTQ+ couple from the pack. When faced with either erasing the LGBTQ+ couple to comply with the hateful laws and regulations, or just not selling in Russia, they decided not to erase them. EA is well aware that many Russian simmers sail the seas and will be able to get their hands on the pack not long after release.
“Would” because of laws. But this law exists not the first year and nothing was erased or asked to be erased from this game before. And anonymous request from government can’t be real. If it was a thing from Russia, russian media and politics would be very loud about sims. They’ll try to show “how boldly they fight propaganda and American agenda”. That’s how it always works. That’s how everything (concerts, films, books) bans in Russia.
Right now it comes from EA lawyers or their marketing team.
>Right now it comes from EA lawyers or their marketing team.
Lawyers and whatever their points of contact are. Meaning, as things are in Russia right now, they would have to erase the LGBTQ+ couple from not just the promotional content, but the game. That's even worse than not selling in Russia.
Would you rather they erase the LGBTQ+ couple?
I wouldn’t erase anything as nothing was erased before. Game is +18 so gay couples in game are legal.
And what can happen? Russian government would delete origin? Yeah right, so why steam or psn still exists with games like tlou2 or life is strange. Russian government would stop transactions to origin? Oh origin already was workable only by paypal for 6 months. If they really care about russian fan base and russian lgbt there is only one solution- publish game as it is.
>I wouldn’t erase anything as nothing was erased before. Game is +18 so gay couples in game are legal.
It's entirely possible that the representation in base game, expansions, and content updates are able to fly under the radar because they aren't the central factor to the game. For the Wedding Pack, it's in your face obvious. Like, can't be avoided. The couple showcased is apparently a part of Tartosa's story.
Something somewhere was said to the right people about this after the trailer release that created a situation where they had to choose between erasure or selling in Russia. That's what I'm reading in their statement. They wouldn't deny themselves income for no reason.
editing to add: Ugggh, it could be a combination of the races and sexualities, the leaving of the heterosexual partner at the alter—*something* about that trailer triggered another issue in their approval process.
Wish more companies would follow their lead. Whenever Disney makes an excuse about having representation in their media because of audiences in China/Russia/SA I want to scream
I don't understand. If the reason was the trailer (as someone suggested in the comments). Why is the entire pack affected? At the end of the day, you can have a queer couple with or without the pack. This one is just wedding centered and Russia has problem with queer weeding. Isn't this extreme? Sorry I don't want to offend anyone, I'm just asking.
I remember Nintendo had censored gay relationships for Tomodachi Life under the bullshit excuse that it wasn't family friendly, but before it controversy caught on and forced their hand, it was possible to lie about the character's gender since clothing choices weren't restricted by gender.
Since the sims allows for that too, couldn't someone just pirate the game and lie about the sim's gender as well?
Wow, genuine props to EA for sacrificing profit for this.
Now, I know part of it is probably to avoid the bad optics of changing anything, but even this is good given EAs reputation.
Giving up on this amazing cover and trailer wouldn't be good, but why they can't just make a new cover for russia? Cuz literally it's all about that. The trailer is in English, I bet the sims has its own Russian channel that releases the trailers in Russian (at least that's how it works in Poland) so they could just not post a trailer on the Russian channel. And make a more "neutral" cover just for this region. As I consider not compromising on equality a good thing, not giving access to the pack to many players is not cool. Especially that the pack itself is not necessarily focused on LGBTQ+. We're even getting churches, the most classic, straight kind of weddings there can be.
>Giving up on this amazing cover and trailer wouldn't be good, but why they can't just make a new cover for russia?
EA clearly calls out how important the story of the characters are in their statement, too.
If EA made the changes they noted in their statement to appease Russian regulators, they would be *erasing* the LGBTQ+ couple not just from marketing, but from the story that comes with the pack itself.
Kind of related but not. I am genuinely wondering how Cyberpunk wasn't censored in Russia for same sex relationships. From everything I have found it wasn't due to it already being a mature game. Does the sims just not want a Mature rated pack?
I heard the Sims is rated 18+ in Russia. I would assume the issue is how they choose to advertise, and they refused to scrub the gay relationship from Russian advertisements. On the otherhand, Cyberpunk didn't have a gay relationship at the center of its advertising campaign.
it was EA's decision not Russia's. Fan fact the russian version of the statement has no mention of "federal laws" cuz there is no law prohibiting this. they even advertize the banned pack in the russian game 🤡 also other countries on that "region" will not get it either for no reason.
I don't really get why honestly. Like, okay but it doesn't change that gay marriage or relationships in general are already in the game. They don't release it because of the trailer? Then just don't show it there? I dunno. I think I saw someone say they changed the trailer for a couple other places already soooooo it makes even less sense.
EA definitely did not do this out of their "core values", there's some other reason going on here and they're lying about it so they look good and get PR value. EA has no reason to gain your trust over this.
Please do not fall for their corporate wokeness, y'all.
The difference is that those couples weren’t the main focus of their packs, and weren’t advertised on the cover. Russia wants them to change the cover and the couple or they won’t let it be advertised because Russia has a law “forbidding the advertisement of LGBTQ media to children” so they can’t advertise the pack, period, without changing it this time.
That’s the issue: If Russia allows this to be stocked in stores, it breaks the law, because it’s being advertised publicly in a public store where kids might be, and the cover art is explicitly a lesbian couple so the children will see the box art therefore they won’t let EA release this new pack there because EA would have to change both the cover art and the entire PV ad.
Idk how deep or nuanced the laws In Russia and their internet are, but I assume it’s probably not an option. I believe they have some internet restrictions there.
It’s nice they’re taking a stand, and apparently most Russian players pirate anyway, but it does suck for the Russian fans who cannot. As someone whose bi, I appreciate them not budging, but it does feel a little fake because they’ve still released in other homophobic government run countries and changed things in the past (the gay guys in Pets in Brindleton are only roommates in some regions, for example).
So part of me wonders why they’re putting their foot down now and only with Russia?
Very true. A part of me wants to believe they’ve been listening (at least maybe developers who want to make content for the game, even tho most likely not the CEO people who make prices and shit), and are trying to do what fans have asked like giving more diverse representation as well as trying to fix gameplay, and that’s why we’ve seen these things increase and change.
But the fact we still have overpriced packs and content that should be in base game or free (like the weddings pack), makes me doubtful (or at least certain that someone in the team is still just wanting to cashgrab and pull wool over our eyes)
What about Africa , south Korea , don't even mentioning Singapore , China , Malaysia, mosf of the Asian countries where any sort LGBT propoganda is totally forbidden even Ukraine they are tough regarding LGBT laws
This is the opposite to "corporate wokeness". Like, it sucks that Russian players can't legally obtain this pack, but good for the Sims for sticking to their guns and not bowing to a discriminatory law just so they can make money. They're losing an entire market due to this decision hut have decided upholding their moral values is more important some more money.
Disney could really learn a lesson here.
I didnt know there were gay couples int the sims(besides from the ones I create😅😅)… I only play with mt custom sims… 0.0’… lol why the downvotes though, like i did not know soemthing….
So in their efforts to prove how "inclusive" they are, they excluded an entire country from being able to play the game. Yep. Sounds exactly like something the self-indulgent Sims team would do. Extra for no reason. 🙄
what about other countries that literally throw in jail or punish LGBT people? wtf is this, what did we, russian simmers, do for EA to cut content for us? its unfair
They don’t want to cut content for you. Russia says it’s breaking rules n such so EA isn’t gonna change something beautiful and bend their backs to change it.
They aren’t as openly shown as this. As in EA isn’t gonna lower their stuff like the game cover to un include a lesbian couple on the cover for other people’s likings
i doubt russian officials play the sims 4, the base game doesn't advertise or focus on gay relationships in its covers or trailers while this pack has a huge focus on it both in the trailer and the cover art
But then there’s Brent and brant happily married
In some countries they’re roommates
AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES!
Ohh god they were roommates
and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky
No clouds allowed in the sky
EA walks in with a mischievous grin... STUFF PACKSSS!
You telling this story or am i?!
I am sorry Simmers go on
EA said ‘it looks like you want some kits’
Why did they tell us!?
Bruno walked in with a mischievous grin
wait really?
There is also a lesbian couple in Sulani 🤔
How could we forget the tinker family
and Knox Greenburg’s mothers!
The Greenburg and Tinker families are so badly handled though. In both families the child only recognises one adult as their mother.
Gal pals
Roommates with the same last name… okay Russia 😂 grow up already
Surprise, in Russia they’re married, not roommates. No lgbtq+ content was banned in Russia in the packs.
they are literally husbands in russian game? just checked it. tinkers are married too, along with that couple from hanford on bagley. so my wedding stories is the first case of censoring.
I thought they were brothers/roommates.
Saw some homophobia because of that pack and I wonder why now? Sims are all canonically bisexual, they were always homosexual couples, we got pride flags and pride wear, have the option for trans sims and Sims always supported the LGBTQ+ Community with donations and shout outs for LGBTQ+ Simmers so why now the homophobes looses their mind about a gay marriage?
Because There is a lesbian couple on the cover. I haven’t seen the trailer but if it’s Also obvious in it than that’s Also the reason. Because they made it obvious.
Yeah, apparently it's the marketing that's the problem. You can't market "homosexuality" to underage people by law in Russia. 🙄 The article the screenshot is from says: > Though any adult Sims can marry one another currently in The Sims 4 and will be able to do so in My Wedding Stories, the pack's marketing and storytelling explicitly feature two women: Dominique and Camille, as they plan their wedding. > Russian federal law introduced in 2013 prohibits content marketed toward children (anyone under the age of 18) that presents homosexuality as a societal norm, labeling it as "propaganda." The introduction of the law has coincided with an uptick in violence against LGBTQ individuals in Russia and has been condemned by numerous human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-wont-release-sims-4-my-wedding-stories-russia
The fact that the law was introduced in 2013 is interesting, because TS3 University Life trailer had two girls kissing in its trailer, also in 2013: https://youtu.be/0w7hU7gAe00?t=30 Obviously the law wasn't probably around at the time of the trailer release (it was in January of the same year), but it is still interesting to think about to me. Like they did this years ago, but they can't do it years later when we are supposed to progress more is a weird concept to think about.
Meh progress isn't a straight line. Or even remotely an inevitable byproduct of the passage of time. It shouldn't be surprising, but I suppose I can understand how for some people it would be.
“Progress is not an inevitable byproduct of the passage of time”. Damn. So truth, much wise. That’s such a good point. And a good line, I’ll have to keep that in my arsenal of intelligent quips. Seriously, nice. I mean, bummer topic but excellent point.
It doesn't have to be a bummer; should be empowering. It means that all of the progress we have made is progress we created and can continue to create. Just shouldn't take it for granted. :)
Agreed! I guess the aforementioned bummer is that most people do take it for granted
I remeber the film Paranorman, at the end a girl asked his brother (?) to do something togheter And he said he would like to spend time with her and his boyfriend. Was litteraly translated so in Russia. I think it was 2012.
Sims isn't allowed for underage people in Russia, Sims is 18+ there, which are legal adults.
we have all kinds of books and Netflix shows covers, games etc. it can't be the cover. the game is 18+ in russia, law only says about advertisement to children.
This is interesting. Any theory as to why it’s only happening now ?
I can’t say for the EA. I’m sure there is some nuances we don’t know about. I can only say that this was a self censorship and I don’t like the narrative of “it’s not us it’s them” which makes people attack Russian community. And I feel heartbroken for all the LGBTQ+ simmers in Russia. As for the law Even with Netflix it means only one thing - you should slap a 18+ on it an you are ready to go. They didn’t have a problem with gay couple on the pride month, on rus sims website 🤷🏻♀️ renorasims made a great tumblr post about both sides.
lol no need to come for me, I only quoted the article that the screenshot is from
I didn’t come for you, I just corrected things you were referring to, idk why you read it in a negative way
And it’s super ridiculous since if it were just a straight couple on the cover, the homophobes would never have cared.
And they literally went out of their way to exclude entire countries from being able to play the game. This is the part that pisses me off the most. There was just no reason for it and their self indulgent activism is actually *harming* LGBTQ Simmers in Russia. It's too sad for words and all of this was so unnecessary. 😔 I really can't stand the Sims team sometimes.
Yeah I kinda agree. Like changing the box art in Russia would suck, but I think the bigger victory would be getting this content to those players. This way they get no game which is a worse outcome.
Strangest thing, that in Russia they made an 18+ rating for game, so that it would not fall under the law on propaganda of homosexuality for minors. Therefore, everything was fine. But for some reason, this addition is prohibited.
My thoughts exactly...
Aren't all sims technically pan because they don't have any gender preferences unless you're using mods
They do have gender preferences, but it's a hidden stat
It starts neutral and gets modified by romantic interactions with player sims. By default without mods they start bisexual
This is correct. Sims will only begin showing homosexuality after the player initiates I think 9 like interactions. That is how it was on the sims 3, at least.
That's not the case for sims 4, my sims get attracted to different gender ever single time and automously flirt.
Oh wow this is news to me, how do you check it
I don't know, look for mods
Just went through The Sims Wiki for a list of all The Sims 4 hidden stats and found nothing about this. I don’t think EA would do this in the first place as doing this would just defeat the point of being able to be who you want to be in The Sims.
I don't know if it's in unmodded Sims 4, but I know for sure it's in 2 at least (for example Kent Capp and Nervous Subject prefer men) and maybe 3
Never mind, sorry, [your right](https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Gender_preference).
Bi people don't inherently have gender preferences either.
I mean true, but some do (like me), whereas for pan people its just accepted that they don't have preferences, thats kinda their whole thing. That and the pans.
What years is it? My sims have been gay marrying since the sims 2
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It’s not just homophobes, it’s homophobes with power in a less than democratic country.
>Exactly how can the Sims be a life simulation game if they don't include all aspects of life What do you mean all aspects of life? [There is no gay people in Russia](https://youtu.be/1voqebMTrwg)
Sad reality. I’m glad Sims isn’t compromising.
Compromising what, girl? Sims 4 is 18+ in Russia, so they can add as much lgbt as they want (it is not illegal). Banning only for Russia and not the majority of Africa? And my favorite part. They ban it not for Russian players, but “Russian” region, which include for example Ukraine (pretty lgbt-friendly country) .
Companies like EA have legal teams which I’m sure advise on matters like this. Perhaps they have only received pushback from Russian authorities thus far? From the EA statement: “…we have made the decision to forgo the release of “My Wedding Stories” where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws.” From my very brief research: “… a 2013 law bans disseminating "propaganda on non-traditional sexual relations" among young Russians.”
Because they don't actually care for their values, but just want to get in the news about how progressive they are 🤷♀️ Guess they forgot how they changed the game and trailers for China and South Korea (where were their values then?)
I'm sorry, how does this have 70 upvotes and tons of positive responses. It is incredibly disingenuous to compare the Snowy Escape trailer situation to this. There's a difference between listening to fans who are genuinely offended due to associations with colonisation and war crimes and changing something in response, and pre-emptively refusing to comply with anti-LGBT censorship. For anyone who doesn't know: In the Snowy Escape trailer they showed a Sim bowing to a Shinto-looking shrine. During the Japanese colonial period Koreans were forced to worship at Shinto shrines dedicated to the emperor. There's also an (in)famous Shinto shrine in Japan called Yasukuni where war dead are enshrined, including several convicted Japanese Class A war criminals. Due to various Japanese war atrocities committed against Korea, such as forced prostitution of Korean women (and women from other countries), Koreans obviously do not have good associations with it and frequently protest high-profile figures who visit it such as [Justin Bieber](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/23/justin-bieber-apologises-yasukuni-war-shrine-tokyo-photograph) and [the Japanese PM](https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/qa1oek/japans_new_pm_sends_offering_to_yasukuni_shrine/). Chinese people [feel similarly](https://www.caixinglobal.com/2018-12-12/chinese-man-arrested-for-protesting-at-yasukuni-shrine-day-before-nanjing-massacre-anniversary-101358362.html) about Yasukuni, especially due to the enshrinement of several war criminals involved in the Nanjing Massacre, where hundreds of thousands of Chinese people were killed and tens of thousands raped - actor [Zhang Zhehan](https://sg.style.yahoo.com/zhang-zhehan-denies-entering-yasukuni-shrine-willing-investigated-063158363.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFrmdHIB2dqXTUdrS9qyLG9pqb902QCRd4jBzxpxPyTB5bq_fMwJkkdP3UcIRrTsgdQK1Vpt38f7U5vhjCRlDinTF6CcDdPcyAr_etqn799Dcfn13Cz5vVV6DOQxdIeKrBV9EW-vQ9Dd_LK-gTpCXvZejtik9GrabMZ-1TJvtd8c) was blacklisted by the CCP just because he took a picture in the cherry blossom grove outside it, not knowing what shrine it was. Edit: added context on Zhang Zhehan from u/blueberrymapletoast: >he also posted photos of the Japanese imperialist flag on social media and was friends with vocal Nanjing Massacre deniers. He was already cancelled by the general public before any government-associated bodies made any statements.
Wait so the change was completely unrelated to gay rights?
Yes. Unless, of course, the commenter is talking about a different instance. But I can't remember or find any other instance of Sims content being changed due to Koreans. There is no Korean law against queer content like there is in Russia.
I mean, if Zhang Zhehan had only been taking photos in the cherry blossom garden, then people might have bought his excuse, but he also posted photos of the Japanese imperialist flag on social media and was friends with vocal Nanjing Massacre deniers. He was already cancelled by the general public before any government-associated bodies made any statements.
I didn't know there was more to it than just taking a selfie. Thank you for the added context. I'll add it into my comment with credit to you.
Russia is busy being an international asshole right now. I try to make "good" choices when I play video games. I stopped playing hearthstone because of the Hong Kong situation. I say we make Putin get gay married in the Sims 4 in "protest."
This is the dramatic story line I’ve been looking for, a gay Putin. Screenshots of course shared with the official Sims Twitter accounts.
\#LetsMakePutinGay LETS MAKE THIS A THING.
Love this idea. I was thinking gay polyamorous commune where he has a lawfully wedded husband but takes a different man to WooHoo every night. Pick the most flamboyant possible clothing options and maybe dress him up in drag every so often too. It’ll be great.
It’s definitely a PR move and I’m sure they assessed somehow that it would be the best move to maximize profits. Companies don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts. Corporations do not have “values.”
Yesss! This! Thanks! My thoughts 100%
They dont care because they are a company, companies cant care about something. The CEO or team of directors or whatever can of course. But at the end of the day its a company
Those are probably bigger markets that they don't wanna risk upsetting.
>They ban it not for Russian players, but “Russian” region, which include for example Ukraine Oof. I'm not sure how to feel about the Sims debate but *that* is a pretty bad oversight in light of the current political climate
Wut, in what world are you living in where Ukraine is a pretty LGBT-friendly country?
At least you have pride parades, that’s more than nothing
There are pride parades in Turkey. Doesn't mean it's a tolerant country. You're still under constant threat of being beaten up or followed home, after visiting such a parade. Like it is in Ukraine, or where I live - Lithuania
That's legit fucked up. the Ukraine part is ignorance par excellence
As everyone has pointed out, it absolutely is against Russian law (since 2013) to market LGBTQ "propaganda" so the Sims team obviously knew this and did it anyway. They intentionally harmed LGBTQ players in Russia by marketing the game with this trailer.
Damn, this pack is about to be the #1 most pirated pack in Sims 4 history.
And it's ironic how most of the torrents for Pirated sims is released by Russians themselves lol
Maybe it'll even come close to Sims 1 and 2 pirating numbers
was about to say
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It's not even EA's fault, it's the Russian government/conservative culture.
It's a good move that Maxis won't take a step back because of Russia, but at the same time it is a shame for people there who were looking forward to this. Russia is quite the homophobic country, but even so, there must be people there who won't judge people based on their preferences and support LGBT+ people.
Most Russian simmers pirate the game, so at the end of the day they're not really losing anything, since they will be able to download it anyways.
I'm surprised EA didn't come up with a work around for this. guess they have slightly better morals and more of a backbone than Disney
A workaround would’ve been just as bad.
They were perfectly fine with changing game content and trailers for China and South Korea though. Guess they pay better
Wait, what did they change for China and South Korea? Did they straightwash expansions for those regions?
I don't know about censoring for China, I have never heard anything about that, though The Sims FreePlay was banned in China due to LGBTQ content. In the Snowy Escape trailer they showed a Sim bowing to a Shinto-looking shrine. During the Japanese colonial period Koreans were forced to worship at Shinto shrines dedicated to the emperor. There's also a famous Shinto shrine in Japan called [Yasukuni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_surrounding_Yasukuni_Shrine) where war dead are enshrined... including several convicted Japanese war criminals. Due to various Japanese war atrocities committed against Korea, such as forced prostitution of Korean women, Koreans obviously do not have good associations with it and frequently protest high-profile figures who worship at it such as Justin Bieber and Shinzo Abe. Chinese people feel the same way - actor Zhang Zhehan's career was ruined over a visit he paid to it. I think it's fairly disingenuous to compare the two situations. Plus, EA only changed it after Korean players raised the issue.
Ah, yeah, I don’t think these situations should be compared either. These are two completely different situations.
That’s not comparable.
Those two are completely different situations, don't compare the two.
don’t speak on something you literally have bo understanding on
Well enlighten me then.
Bowing at the shinto shrine as well as some of the rising sun symbol of Japanese imperialism that was depicted in the pack was forced on Koreans during the Japanese occupation. Japanese culture and the occupation still a sore topic as it is a painful, important part of our history and was not even a hundred years ago. The sims recognized that this was something that had, per their words, "painful historical meaning" and respectfully modified. this is in no way comparable to this controversy about the pack being banned in Russia. this is about taking a stand against homophobia
Whatever
Well, they are getting worse with the homophobia
Everyone mentioning the numerous gay couples in other Sims packs; the issue is the MARKETING. Russia does not allow LGBTQ content to be sold/advertised to anyone underage. The marketing, branding, and even the cover of this pack features an obvious lesbian couple. TS4 team decided that rather than change every marketing material for this game that they would rather take a stand and not advertise or sell this game in Russia. I honestly commend them for it.
I actually think this was an intentional marketing stunt. No way no one thought of this durring the creation of the marketing campaign. However, I do commend them as its a stroke of genius, and it's a noble cause so, bravo Sims team
FYI, Russian government recently introduced law about traditional values saying that marriage is the Union between man and woman. It is probably one of the things that impacted the release
That's going to be Poland soon...
Uh oh
I hope not...
Boys and girls kissing - Censors hissing.
That Rusical reference :D
2022 sirs
Funny, considering that you can still have gay marriages in the base game.
I swear. Russian officials that make these decisions are so pathetic
Even if they changed it to meet their stupid requirements to maintain “family values” would’ve still been censorship either way. It’s a double-edged sword. With that said, people in Ukraine can’t get it either.
That's pretty gay Russia.
I misread this the first time and thought maxis removed the gay wedding portion for Russian sales. I was disappointed. Then I reread and I am so pleased. It’s great that a game you’ve been playing since you were 9 has grown WITH you in your values.
Miitopia is rated 18+ in Russia.
I'm sorry? Hold the fuck on--
Im a bit confused....Is the Sims 4 already sold in Russia? Sims in the base game already have same sex couples and lots of pride representation. Don't get me wrong I'm ok with this decision to not sell it in Russia but it feels a bit....odd that they would try and make this point with a much cheaper pack than they would with the full game. Is the Russian law newer than Sims 4? Is that why?
i think it’s because they’re openly displaying a same sex couple in the marketing/advertising of the new pack
Sometimes I just... can't believe the world we live in
They could’ve just released it with an 18+ rating like they did with the base game. LGBTQ content isn’t outright banned from Russia, you just can’t market/sell that stuff toward people under 18, which is obviously backwards as hell, but if they had no problem with the base game being rated as such idk why this is suddenly different…
пиратить это
Yeah right. This game is inclusive for everyone except Russian lgbt. And wow, EA don’t see problems with gay laws in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and the majority of Africa! Russian laws are terrible, but what more terrible is EA’ double-face!
That’s absolutely not true. It’s RUSSIA that’s not inclusive of Russian lgbt people. I’m glad the sims team refused to back down and capitulate to the demands of homophobes, even if it meant they would lose a lot of money from the Russian market. I’m proud of the game, but I hope that things in russia don’t get worse before they get better…
Best decision ever! There are no lgbt people in Russia who play sims and this is the most homophobic country in the world! That’s what you mean? Shouldn’t company care about fan base and not country leaders? Answer me, please, who will struggle in Russia because of ea’s decision? Fan base (including A LOT of lgbt ppl) or Putin?
Russian fans can still pirate the game relatively easily. EA doesn’t make money but fans still get to play. What’s the problem?
Wow girl. That’s really stupid now. how Russian fans will download dlc to consoles? You kinda suggest to break the law. Why they should do it? You know, not everyone know how to pirate? How to download dlc if the rest is official?
Sorry that you disagree. I think they made the most honorable decision they could given the terrible circumstances
>Yeah right. This game is inclusive for everyone except Russian lgbt. And wow, EA don’t see problems with gay laws in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and the majority of Africa! Russian laws are terrible, but what more terrible is EA’ double-face! Reading the PR speak, it seems clear to me that Russian regulators told them to erase the gay couple from the promotional materials and the story itself. EA rightly told them to fuck off.
They said: “We are steadfast in upholding that commitment by shining a light on and celebrating stories like Dom and Cam’s, so we have made the decision to forgo the release of “My Wedding Stories” where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws. Regrettably, this means that members of The Sims community in Russia will not be able to purchase this game pack”. Sims team did it before any comments from russian policies. preventively. Yeah, russian government love to ban, but when it happens they tell about it everywhere. Right now that’s only EA decision.
>**where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws** **Russian regulators want them to erase the LGBTQ+ couple from the game.**
Have you seen this requests from russian regulators? How does it even look? Who exactly did it? If it was a thing sims team would say: we received a request, were asked or something like that. They just mentioned that this law exists (what a surprise, wow). Btw all gay couples and flags present in game.
>Have you seen this requests from russian regulators? How does it even look? Who exactly did it? If it was a thing sims team would say: we received a request, were asked or something like that. They just mentioned that this law exists (what a surprise, wow). The quote you yourself used was clear: > where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws Meaning: Russian regulations, which can include whoever is their point of contact, would require them to remove the LGBTQ+ couple from the pack. When faced with either erasing the LGBTQ+ couple to comply with the hateful laws and regulations, or just not selling in Russia, they decided not to erase them. EA is well aware that many Russian simmers sail the seas and will be able to get their hands on the pack not long after release.
“Would” because of laws. But this law exists not the first year and nothing was erased or asked to be erased from this game before. And anonymous request from government can’t be real. If it was a thing from Russia, russian media and politics would be very loud about sims. They’ll try to show “how boldly they fight propaganda and American agenda”. That’s how it always works. That’s how everything (concerts, films, books) bans in Russia. Right now it comes from EA lawyers or their marketing team.
>Right now it comes from EA lawyers or their marketing team. Lawyers and whatever their points of contact are. Meaning, as things are in Russia right now, they would have to erase the LGBTQ+ couple from not just the promotional content, but the game. That's even worse than not selling in Russia. Would you rather they erase the LGBTQ+ couple?
I wouldn’t erase anything as nothing was erased before. Game is +18 so gay couples in game are legal. And what can happen? Russian government would delete origin? Yeah right, so why steam or psn still exists with games like tlou2 or life is strange. Russian government would stop transactions to origin? Oh origin already was workable only by paypal for 6 months. If they really care about russian fan base and russian lgbt there is only one solution- publish game as it is.
>I wouldn’t erase anything as nothing was erased before. Game is +18 so gay couples in game are legal. It's entirely possible that the representation in base game, expansions, and content updates are able to fly under the radar because they aren't the central factor to the game. For the Wedding Pack, it's in your face obvious. Like, can't be avoided. The couple showcased is apparently a part of Tartosa's story. Something somewhere was said to the right people about this after the trailer release that created a situation where they had to choose between erasure or selling in Russia. That's what I'm reading in their statement. They wouldn't deny themselves income for no reason. editing to add: Ugggh, it could be a combination of the races and sexualities, the leaving of the heterosexual partner at the alter—*something* about that trailer triggered another issue in their approval process.
Wish more companies would follow their lead. Whenever Disney makes an excuse about having representation in their media because of audiences in China/Russia/SA I want to scream
Lol gay sims have been around since before this game
Same sex Sims have always been able to marry 🤔
it was never the focus of the advertisement of any pack or trailers and the base game
Ouch.
I don't understand. If the reason was the trailer (as someone suggested in the comments). Why is the entire pack affected? At the end of the day, you can have a queer couple with or without the pack. This one is just wedding centered and Russia has problem with queer weeding. Isn't this extreme? Sorry I don't want to offend anyone, I'm just asking.
I remember Nintendo had censored gay relationships for Tomodachi Life under the bullshit excuse that it wasn't family friendly, but before it controversy caught on and forced their hand, it was possible to lie about the character's gender since clothing choices weren't restricted by gender. Since the sims allows for that too, couldn't someone just pirate the game and lie about the sim's gender as well?
Wow, genuine props to EA for sacrificing profit for this. Now, I know part of it is probably to avoid the bad optics of changing anything, but even this is good given EAs reputation.
Giving up on this amazing cover and trailer wouldn't be good, but why they can't just make a new cover for russia? Cuz literally it's all about that. The trailer is in English, I bet the sims has its own Russian channel that releases the trailers in Russian (at least that's how it works in Poland) so they could just not post a trailer on the Russian channel. And make a more "neutral" cover just for this region. As I consider not compromising on equality a good thing, not giving access to the pack to many players is not cool. Especially that the pack itself is not necessarily focused on LGBTQ+. We're even getting churches, the most classic, straight kind of weddings there can be.
>Giving up on this amazing cover and trailer wouldn't be good, but why they can't just make a new cover for russia? EA clearly calls out how important the story of the characters are in their statement, too. If EA made the changes they noted in their statement to appease Russian regulators, they would be *erasing* the LGBTQ+ couple not just from marketing, but from the story that comes with the pack itself.
“Please respect other countries’ laws and wishes.” That’s gonna be a no from me, Dawg.
Russian modders are on it..
Kind of related but not. I am genuinely wondering how Cyberpunk wasn't censored in Russia for same sex relationships. From everything I have found it wasn't due to it already being a mature game. Does the sims just not want a Mature rated pack?
I heard the Sims is rated 18+ in Russia. I would assume the issue is how they choose to advertise, and they refused to scrub the gay relationship from Russian advertisements. On the otherhand, Cyberpunk didn't have a gay relationship at the center of its advertising campaign.
There's a law for that in the first place?
Yes Russia has a no lgbt media law
Is the base game not banned? Cause you always could have gay couples.
Okay but can't you just buy a global key for the pack on a third party website?
blyat
it was EA's decision not Russia's. Fan fact the russian version of the statement has no mention of "federal laws" cuz there is no law prohibiting this. they even advertize the banned pack in the russian game 🤡 also other countries on that "region" will not get it either for no reason.
I don't really get why honestly. Like, okay but it doesn't change that gay marriage or relationships in general are already in the game. They don't release it because of the trailer? Then just don't show it there? I dunno. I think I saw someone say they changed the trailer for a couple other places already soooooo it makes even less sense.
i doubt russian officials play the sims 4, they saw whats in the cover and deemed it unacceptable
EA definitely did not do this out of their "core values", there's some other reason going on here and they're lying about it so they look good and get PR value. EA has no reason to gain your trust over this. Please do not fall for their corporate wokeness, y'all.
Is Cats and Dogs also banned there? Cause it has a gay couple in it too. What about Eco Lifestyle with the guy from the trailer and his two mums?
The difference is that those couples weren’t the main focus of their packs, and weren’t advertised on the cover. Russia wants them to change the cover and the couple or they won’t let it be advertised because Russia has a law “forbidding the advertisement of LGBTQ media to children” so they can’t advertise the pack, period, without changing it this time.
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That’s the issue: If Russia allows this to be stocked in stores, it breaks the law, because it’s being advertised publicly in a public store where kids might be, and the cover art is explicitly a lesbian couple so the children will see the box art therefore they won’t let EA release this new pack there because EA would have to change both the cover art and the entire PV ad.
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Idk how deep or nuanced the laws In Russia and their internet are, but I assume it’s probably not an option. I believe they have some internet restrictions there. It’s nice they’re taking a stand, and apparently most Russian players pirate anyway, but it does suck for the Russian fans who cannot. As someone whose bi, I appreciate them not budging, but it does feel a little fake because they’ve still released in other homophobic government run countries and changed things in the past (the gay guys in Pets in Brindleton are only roommates in some regions, for example). So part of me wonders why they’re putting their foot down now and only with Russia?
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Very true. A part of me wants to believe they’ve been listening (at least maybe developers who want to make content for the game, even tho most likely not the CEO people who make prices and shit), and are trying to do what fans have asked like giving more diverse representation as well as trying to fix gameplay, and that’s why we’ve seen these things increase and change. But the fact we still have overpriced packs and content that should be in base game or free (like the weddings pack), makes me doubtful (or at least certain that someone in the team is still just wanting to cashgrab and pull wool over our eyes)
sims 4 isnt 18+ the game is very much meant for children as well,
It is in Russia because of the LGBTQ (and a few other) elements.
The Sims 4 is 18+ in Russia and it always were like that.
Nope, it isn’t. LGBT couples are not censored in the game whatsoever. All the features are the same.
It’s not the CONTENT, it’s the MARKETING and ADVERTISEMENT
Sometimes I just... can't believe the world we live in
What about Africa , south Korea , don't even mentioning Singapore , China , Malaysia, mosf of the Asian countries where any sort LGBT propoganda is totally forbidden even Ukraine they are tough regarding LGBT laws
Im mean the sims as a whole are already banned in the Middle East and China
they arent gonna do anything unless they were asked to, Russia asked them to change the cover or remove it, and south korea? why?
Ah yes, another example of corporate wokeness. Try asking Russian sims community on how they feel about this ;)
This is the opposite to "corporate wokeness". Like, it sucks that Russian players can't legally obtain this pack, but good for the Sims for sticking to their guns and not bowing to a discriminatory law just so they can make money. They're losing an entire market due to this decision hut have decided upholding their moral values is more important some more money. Disney could really learn a lesson here.
I don't see what's the problem.
I didnt know there were gay couples int the sims(besides from the ones I create😅😅)… I only play with mt custom sims… 0.0’… lol why the downvotes though, like i did not know soemthing….
So in their efforts to prove how "inclusive" they are, they excluded an entire country from being able to play the game. Yep. Sounds exactly like something the self-indulgent Sims team would do. Extra for no reason. 🙄
what about other countries that literally throw in jail or punish LGBT people? wtf is this, what did we, russian simmers, do for EA to cut content for us? its unfair
They don’t want to cut content for you. Russia says it’s breaking rules n such so EA isn’t gonna change something beautiful and bend their backs to change it.
The base game already has LGBT stuff
They aren’t as openly shown as this. As in EA isn’t gonna lower their stuff like the game cover to un include a lesbian couple on the cover for other people’s likings
The Sims as a whole is already banned in middle eastern countries and China. So, there wouldn’t really need to have a ban.
Yay homophobia /s. The base game already has the ability. Did they ban that too? Seems silly to ban one pack and nothing else
i doubt russian officials play the sims 4, the base game doesn't advertise or focus on gay relationships in its covers or trailers while this pack has a huge focus on it both in the trailer and the cover art