While all of The Sims games have allowed for romantic and sexual relationships between character of the same gender, marriage has not always been an option for those relationships. In The Sims 1, characters of the same gender could become roommates but were not given the option to marry. In The Sims 2, joined unions were added as an option for same-sex couples, which was procedurally the same as marriage—the option granted to heterosexual couples—except in that joined unions accrue fewer “aspiration points” (points accrued by achieving Sims’ wants which can then be spent to purchase rewards) than marriage.
In The Sims 3 and 4, all couples not currently engaged or married were given the option to get married once their romance and friendship scores were high enough. These changes in the language the game uses to specify the relationships of its characters demonstrates the progressive shift in The Sims series over the years.
LGBTQ references in this game series:
Joined Unions and Marriages Between Same-Sex Couples
Queer Pregnancies and Reproduction
Citations:
- LeJacp, Y. (2015, June 26). A Brief History of Gay Marriage in Video Games. Kotaku. Retried from http://kotaku.com/a-brief-history-of-gay-marriage-in-video-games-1714251913
- Same-Sex Relationship. (n.d.). The Sims Wiki. Retrieved from http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Same-sex_relationship
- Wants and Fears. (n.d.). The Sims Wiki. Retrieved from http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Wants_and_Fears#Aspiration_and_Influence_points
LGBTQ Video Game Archive 