This Alarming Sims 4 Bug Is Raising Eyebrows

The following article includes references to incest.

"The Sims 4" is no stranger to controversy these days. Between the recent outcry over refusing to sell an expansion pack in Russia (which the developers later backpedaled on) and the discontent caused by the exorbitant prices of all the additional content (via Reddit), it seems the EA flagship franchise has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The latest patch only made the situation worse, unfortunately. What was meant to be a free update with more detailed customization options has turned into a huge mess, with issues ranging from relatively harmless glitches to serious gameplay obstructions. While the worst offender — a lifespan bug that made Sims go from infancy to dying of old age in a matter of minutes — can be solved with a simple workaround and has been addressed by EA, it seems players will have to wait for fixes to the other bugs.

Unfortunately, not all of these issues are easy to solve. Aspects like glitchy walls and pets with celebrity status might be easily overlooked, but there's one bug in particular that's garnered quite a bit of attention. In a disturbing turn of events, the newest update has somehow made it possible for Sims to want to date their own relatives.

Players have posted their issues with the bug on Reddit and the official "The Sims" bug report forums. It seems the main culprit behind the unfortunate mix-up is the implementation of the Wants and Fears feature originally used in "The Sims 2" and added to "The Sims 4" with the recent patch (per Twitter). This mechanic gives each Sim a set number of randomly rolled tasks and events that provide positive or negative consequences upon being fulfilled. Often, Wants involve getting closer with other Sims they've recently built a positive relationship with, even initiating romantic connections with them.

Somehow, the developers failed to implement some sort of check to ensure that family members will never roll the Want to date one another. Reddit user Profoundend posted a screenshot of their Sim developing the Want to date her son, all while looking horrified by the prospect. One bug thread on the report forum collected multiple such cases, including twins wanting to date one another, a child wanting to date their parent, and vice versa.

While it's understandable that developers might want to focus on the game-breaking issues before the minor technical mishaps, watching your Sims develop incestuous compulsions sounds like a fairly harrowing experience — here's hoping the problem gets solved sooner rather than later.