Russia has given The Sims 4 an 18+ rating because it allows for same-sex relationships. The Sims’ Russian Twitter account first announced the rating earlier this week. When a fan asked why The Sims 4 was given an 18+ rating while 2009’s The Sims 3 did not, The Sims’ Russian Twitter account explained that it was complying with Russian law number 436-FZ, “On Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development.”
It’s a curiously active week for the discussion of gay marriage in the videogame world. First, Nintendo came under fire for not allowing same-sex relationships in the Western port of “Tomodachi Life,” and now EA’s “The Sims 4″ is getting slapped with an Adults-Only rating in Russia for its inclusion of them. The Sims has included some variation of same-sex relationships since its first iteration. A tweet from the Russian Sims account explained: “18+ [rating] has been assigned in accordance with the law number 436-FZ ‘On the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development,’” translated by Google GOOGL +1.18%.