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Maxis Changes The Sims 4's Insane Trait To Erratic Following Criticism
Since 2009 with The Sims 3, Maxis has been using a trait named "Insane" for a behavior modifier for Sims in the games of the same name.
The behavior involved giving Sims unprompted and seemingly random mood swings, behaving inappropriately in social situations, rummaging through trash, being randomly aggressive and insulting with other Sims, and "speaking madness." It could be chosen at creation, or birth, of a Sim and essentially made them act out of concert with standards of behavior and is represented by a picture of a Sim in a straitjacket.
Maxis has seemingly changed this name from "Insane" to "Erratic" without mentioning why or even including it in the game's patch notes.
Kotaku, which has criticized the naming of the trait in the past, picked up on the story today. They note that, aside from the name, nothing else has really changed, including the icon, but that Erratic better fits the theme and is an actual trait. We have reached out to Electronic Arts for further comment, but have not heard back at the time of writing.
[Source: Kotaku]
Our Take
It is a change for the better, though admittedly I never really thought that hard about it when it was still called Insane. This is one of those things that was probably created with zero malice, but it's still good to look at it and question if something else wouldn't fit better. Stigmatizing mental illness as the thing that makes people speak gibberish and dig through the trash is something media in general is getting better at, slowly but surely.
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