over on The Sims’ subreddit, u/grumpydai shared a photograph of a brand new account suspension for “hateful conduct” after they known as their queer household “homosexual” within the gallery. In keeping with u/grumpydai, the suspension was even labeled as “a severe violation”.
The household was not made out of malice or as a homophobic act, poking enjoyable at homosexual folks – it was merely a homosexual household, and the identify was chosen to replicate that. Nonetheless, it seems as if The Sims’ moderation flagged the phrase “homosexual” as a slur, which has upset many in the neighborhood provided that it stifles expression within the gallery the place gamers share their creations with one another.
This is not the primary time {that a} person has reported getting a suspension for utilizing the phrase homosexual. Solely final month, u/adamthegoose took to the subreddit with their very own story. They made an “harmless ‘homosexual bar'” for the gallery in 2015 when same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide within the USA. Eight years later, their account bought suspended for “Hateful conduct”. The ban was eliminated as EA stated it was a “mistake”, including that it could “assessment their course of”, although it appears little has modified since then.
It seems as if The Sims flags any time period that may very well be utilized in a derogatory means, with ‘homosexual’ inflicting a suspension because it may need been utilized in a homophobic method. This can be a drawback with automated moderation because it not solely catches potential examples of bigotry, but in addition punishes LGBTQ+ gamers for celebrating who they’re.
One commenter even stated that this extends to Sim names, as one participant made an Indian character known as Nazia, solely to be suspended as a consequence of it being just like ‘Nazi’.
Each final month’s and yesterday’s threads have blown up on The Sims subreddit, with many calling on EA to overtake its moderation system in order that it does not unjustly droop these merely utilizing the sport to specific themselves, one thing The Sims has been encouraging increasingly these days with binders, stretch marks, expanded gender customization choices, and a lot extra.
