The Sims 4 'Insane' Trait Renamed to Avoid "Distraction"

For players that have been enjoying the real-life simulator game The Sims 4, you may be familiar with the "insane" trait that could be utilized in-game. Once selected this could cause players to "talk to themselves and have unpredictable emotions." Talking to a random houseplant, flirting with their reflection, uncontrollable mood swings - all of these were factors that came in to effect when this trait was slotted, but EA has decided to rename this feature to avoid "distraction."

Back in March, Kotaku called out the game for its 'problematic' terminology citing that is an inappropriate misuse of the term associated with mental illness. They also mentioned that it further stigmitized those that struggle in real life, "People who live with mental illness don't behave randomly—they have specific conditions with specific symptoms that can be treated to various degrees," staff writer Gita Jackson wrote.

"It's toned down in [The Sims] 4, but in general Insane sims are more aggressive and less liked by other sims. Even in a game where you can be abducted by aliens or eaten by a Cowplant, this feels like a judgement on people who live with mental illness."

With EA having expanded their reputation within the community (yes, outside of microtransactions) to be a more diverse and inclusive environment, it looks like the developers took the critique to heart. Now named "erratic," this is what EA had to say about the recent changes:

"Our game celebrates life and the people in it. As language evolves, we want to take the steps needed to ensure players feel they can have a great time without distracting language that is not always current or appropriate," a rep said. "We made the change to better reflect the design of that Trait."

The trait itself is the same, for the most part, outside of the actual name. It does bring up an interesting point, however. To be fair, the stigma in media, even video games, regarding mental illness grossly distort what it means to be mentally ill. The umbrella is so large for what falls under that category, that debasing it to simply "crazy" can lead to bias and misdiagnosis for those actively seeking help. What do you think about this issue? Do you think EA did the right thing, or should it have not been an issue to begin with? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below and let's discuss!

(Kotaku via PCGamer)