There's an open discussion going on in The Black Simmer forum about how Simmers in the community are obsessed with making light skinned sims. Maybe you should check that out, internalize it. I get these types of asinine comments pretty frequently, this is why I am aggravated. https://t.co/WVGgH37lfu

— Xmiramira 🔜 PAX East (@Xmiramira) December 23, 2017

I am a dark skinned, plus sized, black woman, so my characters & the content I create will REFLECT THAT. pic.twitter.com/8JYwZofzvP

— Xmiramira 🔜 PAX East (@Xmiramira) December 23, 2017

A few years ago, in the official Sims 4 forum, someone asked for more hairs catering to sims/players of color. Locs, braids, curly fros. Someone else had the nerve to say something along the lines of: "I don't want that wild hair, that should be CC"

— Xmiramira 🔜 PAX East (@Xmiramira) February 8, 2018

Marked Bodies, Marked Knowledge

Racism in the System of Ideas

When the experiences of gamers of color are constructed as alternate, the wider Simming ecology resists the contributions of people of color to the system of ideas. Sometimes, this issue manifests itself through comments pressuring marginalized participants to white-wash their content to make it fit within the system of ideas's boundaries for "normal." Xmiramira, a prominent content creator, Simmer, and woman of color, is known for her widely popular custom-content, her Twitch streams, and her role in founding The Black Simmer. In the second tweet on the left, she speaks about the conflict between her content and the wider Simming ecology's ideas of "normal" representation. Despite her inclusion of Sims of "all shades and sizes," she receives a disproportionate number of requests for lighter skinned and white Sims. The resistance to representations of content in which people of color are the majority speaks to the entrenched construction of white bodies, identities, and majorities as "normal" in the Simming ecology's system of ideas.

Xmiramira, however, embraces her content creation for what it is: reflective of her lived experience. In the third tweet on the left, Xmiramira speaks about resisting the requests to remove her embodied experience as a Black woman from her negotiation of the ecology's systems, saying "I am a dark skinned, plus sized, black woman, so my characters [and] the content I create will REFLECT THAT." This tweet is accompanied by two photos of Xmiramira to reinforce her message. According to Clinnin and Manthey, people with "marked bodies" (including people of color) online often receive hatred simply for existing and not hiding their difference (31). By presenting her body and identity as both Black and Simmer, Xmiramira actively resists a wider system of ideas that holds those identities separate.

Furthermore, some Simmers mark Black experiences, identities, and bodies as "other" through their debates about what content should be added to the base game. This ideological negotiation is important because it identifies what the system of ideas positions as most necessary for satisfactory gameplay. Simmers frequently cite their personal experiences and understanding of gameplay necessities when supporting their ideas of what elements should be developed and added to the game engine; unfortunately, Simmers of color have been historically dismissed and critiqued in these conversations. In the fourth tweet to the left, Xmiramira speaks of an example of this behavior: "A few years ago, in the official Sims 4 forum, someone asked for more hairs catering to sims/players of color. Locs, braids, curly fros. Someone else had the nerve to say something along the lines of: 'I don't want that wild hair, that should be CC.'" Xmiramira's response critiques the assumption of the poster that style options for Sims and Simmers of color are "extra," rather than integral to the game. This tweet presents a digital resistance to racism. It draws attention to the fact that people of color occupy space in the Simming ecology and advocates for the experiences of people of color to be acknowledged and incorporated into the system of ideas. This activity is a form of positive resistance that addresses racist comments as "a product of a larger system...that requires change" (Clinnin and Manthey 37).