Can Sims Marry Relatives? Exploring Family Dynamics in The Sims
The question of whether Sims can marry relatives in The Sims franchise is a surprisingly complex one, steeped in game mechanics and occasionally influenced by mods. In the base game, Sims cannot marry first cousins or closer relatives. The game prevents romantic interactions beyond friendly or confrontational options between those Sims who are recognized as direct family members.
This system extends to parents, siblings, offspring, grandparents, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews, and first cousins. The family tree is the key; if a Sim appears on another Sim’s family tree, the game flags them as related, and romantic relationships are typically blocked. However, beyond first cousins, the waters become murkier. Second cousins and more distant relatives are fair game for marriage, as the game doesn’t actively prevent these unions. Now, let’s explore the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about family relationships and marriage in The Sims.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can Sims date their siblings?
In most cases, no. Unless a glitch occurs, if a Sim appears on another Sim’s family tree, they usually cannot have a romantic relationship. The game recognizes the family connection and prevents the usual romantic interactions from being available.
2. Can Sims WooHoo with family members?
Sims also can’t do any Romantic interactions with anyone the game considers a biological or legally adopted relative: this includes their parents, siblings, offspring, grandparents, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews, and first cousins.
3. Can Sims be polyamorous in The Sims?
In the base game, Sims cannot have multiple spouses or fiancés/fiancées simultaneously. However, they can have multiple boyfriends and girlfriends. To allow polygamous marriages, you would need to add mods. Mods can unlock the ability to have multiple romantic partners and spouses.
4. Can cousins marry in Sims Mobile?
First cousins cannot marry in Sims Mobile. Anything beyond that, even if they are technically related, will show up as Stranger.
5. How much can you “inbreed” a family in The Sims 4?
The game has limits. After about four generations, the game stops explicitly recognizing distant ancestors in the family tree for relationship purposes. This means that Sims can unknowingly marry distant relatives after a certain number of generations, but the game doesn’t actively encourage or prevent it, especially if they are unaware of the distant relation.
6. Can Sims date their siblings of the same gender?
The same rules apply regardless of gender. If the game identifies two Sims as siblings, they cannot pursue a romantic relationship, regardless of their genders.
7. Can two Sims be pregnant at the same time?
Any adult female Sim can become pregnant, regardless of her relationship status. You can have one Pregnant Sim in the Pregnancy Event at a time, however you can have an unlimited number of Pregnant Sims up to your Sim count level.
8. Can Sims have two boyfriends at once?
While Sims cannot have more than one fiancé/e or spouse at a time, they can have multiple boyfriends and girlfriends. As many as you want, in fact! Sims can even have multiple boyfriends and girlfriends while engaged or married to someone else.
9. Can you WooHoo with more than one Sim at the same time?
You can’t woohoo with more than one sim at the same time, but you can woo hoo with multiple people, just not at the same time. Yes you can woohoo with multiple women/men throughout your playthroughs.
10. Can Sims get pregnant if they just WooHoo?
No. Regular WooHoo never results in pregnancy, and Sims who are hoping to start a family in this way need to use the ‘Try for Baby’ option instead.
11. Is it possible to “inbreed” in The Sims 4 without mods?
Fun fact! After 4 generations the game doesn’t call her your great great grandmother, she’s your ancestor and it lets you breed with other people who are related to her. More than half my sims had my matriarch on both side of their family tree. They’re all inbred.
12. Can you have 2 wives in Sims?
A sim can only be engaged to one person at a time, meaning that if you want multiple sims to marry one another you will need to do each marriage one at a time.
13. Can you have a science baby with a sibling in Sims 4?
Sims can only have Science Babies with other Sims who they share a friendship with, no romance is necessary! Your Sim can also directly ask their other friend Sim to have a science baby in a regular conversation.
14. Will another sim ever propose on their own?
No, because that would be giving an NPC the same power as the Player. NPCs can only propose to other NPCs; you, the Player, are the only one who can get your Sim engaged or married.
15. Why do my Sims keep rejecting each other?
If it’s a negative one, the romantic interactions probably won’t work. Make sure neither sim is embarrassed, sad, etc., and check if there are any conflicting traits.
The Nuances of Family and Relationships in The Sims
The mechanics behind family relationships in The Sims are designed to prevent accidental or unwanted incestuous pairings, up to a point. The limitations on first cousins and closer relations are hard-coded into the game. However, the lack of active enforcement beyond a few generations introduces interesting possibilities.
Mods dramatically alter the landscape of family relationships in The Sims. Some mods remove the restrictions on marrying relatives entirely, allowing players to explore these unconventional relationships if they choose. Other mods focus on deepening the realism of family dynamics, adding new interactions, traits, and consequences for various relationship choices.
For players interested in the educational aspects of gaming, The Sims offers a sandbox for exploring complex social dynamics, albeit within a simplified framework. The Games Learning Society (GamesLearningSociety.org) explores how games can foster learning and understanding in various contexts.
While The Sims provides a platform for experimentation and storytelling, it’s essential to remember that the game’s portrayal of relationships may not always reflect real-world complexities and ethical considerations. The game allows to explore social interactions in a way that may be difficult or impossible in the real world.