There Is Prejudice Behind The Pixels With The Sims 4 DEI Remover Mod

I’m sure we are all aware of the so-called “culture war” that has permeated social media in recent years and infected political discourse. The world has seen a rollback in protections and rights for society’s most vulnerable. Here in the UK, the Supreme Court ruled last month that “sex” is defined by one’s biological gender within the 2010 Equality Act; this will affect Transgender individuals’ access to single-sex spaces and has spurred a wave of online hatred and vitriol. In 2022, in the United States, the Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe v. Wade, allowing abortion laws to be decided on a state-by-state basis, ending the freedom of choice for many women and removing their bodily autonomy.

This all stems from a fierce debate seen online. Many use social media as a platform or a political soapbox, allowing their views to be shared. While freedom of expression and opinion are important in a democratic society, it’s when those ideals have real-world implications that they become an issue. A common talking point online is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (abbreviated to DEI), a framework adopted by many employers and public bodies to ensure equal fair treatment for people with protected characteristics. This is where The Sims 4 DEI Remover Mod comes in.

What Is The “DEI Remover” and Where Did It Come From?

The Sims 4 DEI Remover Mod was initially released in March 2024 on a fringe RPG gaming message board, but it came to wider attention when Daniellebuilds on Facebook posted about its existence to her 300,000 followers. The mod aims to remove anything that isn’t white, cisgender, heterosexual, and anything else that is considered to be part of EA and Maxis’ “agenda”. In addition to black or brown Sims from the game, the mod also removes all Sims deemed “too fat” by the creator. If that wasn’t enough, all same-sex couples have been changed to strictly heterosexual siblings.

The image above is from the original post on the forum where The Sims 4 DEI remover mod was posted. Notably, Celeste Michaelson from The Sims 4 Growing Together, a trans Sim, has been both race-swapped and changed to a Cis-woman. In the original thread, the modder claims, “Another thing I tried to remove…the afro hairs and body parts (nose-eyes-mouth) but I did not find out how to either”. It seems the modders’ hate knows no end.

Back in 2021, a similar mod appeared on Twitter that replaced the pride flag collection with flags bearing iconography of far-right political ideologies. This included a Trump 2020 ‘Make America Great Again’ banner, the blue line flag that was made in support of the police force in the wake of the murder of Geroge Floyd, and ‘Don’t Tread on me’ which is a historic flag that is associate with the Tea Party Movement in the modern day.

EA’s Response and Subsequent Takedown

Since the mod has been brought to the wider public’s attention, EA’s IP enforcement department has been in contact with the forum where the mod was initially posted, requesting that it be delisted. American news publisher Wired contacted the administrator of the forum, who claimed that the take-down was “An act of targeted censorship”. The administrator went on to include a copy of their correspondence from EA’s IP senior counsel Lisa Chin, who stated:

I write on behalf of Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA”). It has come to our attention that you are hosting material that infringes copyrights owned or conntrolled by EA.

Lisa Chin – Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property at EA

Despite the administrator’s wishes, the mod was removed from its original thread. However, once something is on the internet, it is never truly gone. The mod was once again reposted on May 6th on a new thread, this time claiming “fair use”. Unfortunately for the modder, fair use holds no weight until it is tested in court. The mod explicitly goes against EA’s End User Agreement under user-generated content (UGC). The policy states:

Do not interfere with or disrupt another player’s use of an EA Service or use EA Services to upload, distribute, or engage with content that is harmful or inappropriate.

All reasonably objectionable content posted, directed to other players or any EA employee or representative is prohibited, including content that is abusive, hateful, defamatory, sexually explicit, profane, obscene, bullying, harassing, or endangers minors.

Electronic Arts Terms of Service (Section 6 – Rules of Conduct)

The continuation of the site’s support of The Sims 4 DEI Remover Mod may invoke further action from EA.
Upon doing further research, I came across another site hosting similar mods. A few examples inlcude one that removes “pride g*oomer sh*t”, another pride flag replacer, and one that removes hijabs from the game entirely. EA’s IP Enforcement team has not responded to my request for comment.

The Sims Franchise and Inclusivity

Since the debut of the franchise in 2000, The Sims has consistently pushed the envelope when it comes to social inclusivity and player freedom. Unlike many games of its era, the original game allowed for same-sex relationships without barriers or penalty, quietly laying the groundwork for what would become a defining feature of the series. This feature is the ability for players to express themselves without boundaries.

Over the years, Maxis’ commitment has evolved in line with social and political advancement, even in the face of backlash and changing tides. The Sims 4, over its 10-plus-year lifespan, has made inclusivity a deliberate pillar of its development ethos. Just take a look at what has been added!

• 2016 – Gender Customisation – This landmark update added the ability to customise various facets that define a Sim’s gender, including pregnancy options, physical frame, and clothing preferences.
• 2019 – Muslim Cultural CAS items – Several items including hijabs for both everyday and swimwear, Kufis, and various modest outfits were added.
• 2022 – Pronoun Update – Added the ability to customise Sims’ pronouns in the English language version.
• 2022 – Sexual Orientation – Prior to this update, all Sims in-game were pansexual by default, however, this update included the ability to set both romance and woohoo preferences.
• 2023 – Jewish Cultural Cuisine – The May 2023 SDX drop included matzo ball soup and challah, the latter being requested for little over a year by Twitter user HufflePom.
• 2023 – Disability – The Sims 4 Growing Together update added both hearing aids and glucose monitors in a free update, one of the first major instances of disability representation in the franchise. Hopefully, there will be more to come in the future.

I could go on and on about the personal and cultural representation in The Sims 4, but that list would be too long for anyone to read. It is not perfect by any means, and the game still has a long way to go. Some modders have taken it into their own hands, such as Nando (@haus_of_nando on Twitter), who is about to publicly release his African Savanna world mod, a region that is underrepresented in the franchise as a whole.

The point being, the Sims franchise has been, still is, and always will be a place for people to create the Sims they want, play how they want, and feel represented and respected.

Looking Forward

The controversy surrounding the DEI remover mod is about more than just one piece of user-generated content. It raises the deeper questions about the boundaries and ethics of modding, the responsibility of the IP holder, and the values that we as a community choose to uphold. For over two and a half decades, The Sims has thrived in embracing diversity and offering players a virtual space in which self-expression is not only possible but celebrated.

As the franchise continues to evolve and as Project Rene looms, the tension between creative freedoms and community standards is unlikely to disappear. But if history is any indication, the heart of The Sims lies in its ability to reflect, respect and reimagine the many ways in which people live, love, and exist. That is a legacy worth protecting.