Is Sims 4 for Children: What Parents Need to Know

Sims 4 is a simulation game where you create Sims who can do almost anything you can imagine. I grew up playing Sims since the release of the first generation of The Sims. When it was first released in 2000 there was still a lot to leave to the imagination. For instance, to have a baby, two sims would kiss and then a pop up would sometimes appear and ask if you'd want to have a child and then the child would magically appear. With the release of each generation, Sims 2, Sims 3, and now Sims 4 it has become more involved and there is not quite as many blanks for your child to fill in.

If you are considering whether you want to allow your child to play Sims 4, I am going to do a deep dive into all aspects of the game so you know exactly what to expect. Sims 4 is a great game but can be a bit mature for younger children.

Rating

Sims 4 has a Teen ESRB rating for Crude Humor, Violence, and Sexual Themes. ESRB's Teen rating gives a recommended age of 13+. While there are many more adult themes the Sims does not show every detail in the game but is more suggestive than its past counterparts.

Sex

Sims 4 is not as innocent as the Sims once was. Your Sims have the ability to create romantic relationships with Sims of either gender. The only limitation is that young adults and adults cannot create romantic relationships with any sim who is a Teen, Child, or Toddler. Teens have the ability to have romantic relationships among themselves.

To create a romantic relationship sims can flirt with each other and do multiple "romantic" interactions with each other. Once their romantic relationship gets to a high enough level, the sims have the option to "Woohoo" or "Try for Baby." (Teens only have the option to "Mess Around.")

When the sims are "in the act" you won't see any details, if they use the bed the sims go under the covers and you see a ball that moves around and small hearts come out the top. Sims have the option to use either the bed, shower, or closet (if you have the Get Together expansion pack). While nothing is ever shown, it doesn't leave too much to the imagination.

If your sim gets pregnant, you will see a baby bump appear. When your sim has the baby you can choose to have it at home or go to the hospital. During birth a pop up appears to let you know if its a boy or girl and give it a name. A baby will then magically appear in the bassinet.

Gender

The Sims 4 had an update where you now have more control over their gender. You can now choose for your sim to get pregnant no matter their biological sex. You can choose if your sim has a masculine or feminine physical frame, masculine or feminine clothing preference, if the sim is able to get pregnant or get other pregnant, and if they use the toilet standing or not.

This is a later update, and only affects the game if you switch any of the options. The game defaults to regular gender roles when you are creating a sim. These options are not readily apparent and you have to click on the menu for these options to come down.

Drinking

Similar to the "Woohoo" drinking is involved but it is known by the euphemism "juice" and your sim can become "juiced." It doesn't really affect the game that much, some special drinks will give your sim special moodlet, but there are never any drunken parties in the Sims.

If your sim does over indulge they immediately will become "dazed" and usually just negatively affects their overall mood.

Death

Death is part of the game and sims can die in a multitude of ways. Sims can die from more natural causes such as old age, starvation, overexertion, drowning, and electrocution. Sims can also die if they have a certain emotion run too high such as embarrassment or anger. However, there are a lot of strange, slightly comical ways a sim can die. Some include flies, bunnies, rocket ship crash, or by cowplant.

When a sim dies the grim reaper will come and then a tombstone will appear. If there are other sims in the household then the ghost of your sims that have passed will appear. You can interact with the ghost and even bring them back from the dead.

Violence

Sims 4 does not contain that much violence. You sims do have the option to do mean interactions to one another and can fight as a result. When two sims fight a big dust ball shows up and you see the sims intermittently in the big dust ball. Similar to the sex, no details are shown but you still get a picture of what is going on.

The only other type of violence is some of the ways the sims die. By flies, rabbit, or rocket ship crash you will see a big dust ball and maybe your sim running around, but no gory details are shown.

Mods

The Sims 4 gives players the option to download third party mods. Mods are usually free downloadable content that can add extra items and game play to your game. These mods are not regulated by the creators of the Sims and can be more adult in theme.

There are some mods that allow you to introduce drugs into the game, smoking, sugar daddy/mommy, extreme violence, and much more. If you are ok with your child playing sims but nothing more you will need to monitor them to make sure they do not download any extra mods that have adult theme gameplay.

Many mods however are great because they offer more clothes for sims to wear or extra furniture. However, if you are worried you can make sure the settings in the sims has mods off each time your child plays the game.

Final Thoughts

In my personal opinion, the teen rating is appropriate. Although it will depend on each child's individual maturity level and what each parent is comfortable with. Hopefully this article gave more detail into each of the ratings categories and helped you make a more informed decision.