Can You Accidentally Get Pregnant in The Sims 4?
I still remember the shock when my Sim, Grace, started throwing up one morning. A pregnancy test confirmed it – she was carrying her ex-boyfriend‘s baby from a drunken one night stand weeks before. This kind of drama was par for the course across earlier Sims titles, where unplanned pregnancies could strike at any time. But in the latest game, things are different…
In the core The Sims 4 experience, "accidental" pregnancies do not and can not ever happen.
Conception requires direct input from the player by consciously choosing "Try for Baby" when two Sims Woohoo. Without that, they‘ll WooHoo freely with zero chance of pregnancy. Let‘s explore what this means, why the mechanics changed, and whether it‘s positive for players…
Woohoo vs Try for Baby
The Sims includes two main romantic interactions between adult Sims – the classic "Woohoo", which is simply fun, consequences-free sex, and "Try for Baby". As the name suggests, only the latter can result in pregnancy via intentional player input.
This wasn‘t always the case, however. Past Sims games relied more on RNG, with a random percent chance that any standard Woohoo session could accidentally lead to a baby, just like real life. By completely separating these interactions, The Sims 4 guarantees control.
The Odds of Multiples
| Number of Babies | Odds of Occurrence |
|---|---|
| Single birth | 90% chance |
| Twins | 10% chance |
| Triplets | 1% chance |
When intentionally attempting pregnancy via "Try for Baby", the above odds determine whether you end up with twins/triplets. But again, without that choice, the normal Woohoo is totally "safe".
Pregnancy Mods
Of course, The Sims 4 also supports custom script mods that can override this behavior. Many popular pregnancy mods aim to add more realism into the game by allowing accidental conceptions to happen after standard Woohoos.
The level of surprise can be customized based on settings like Sim fertility cycles, birth control use, age, etc. So if you want drama when your elderly Sim Grandma shockingly gets pregnant from her young boyfriend, well…mods have you covered!
Analyzing the Intentional Pregnancy Approach
The developers clearly aligned The Sims 4‘s pregnancy mechanics more with traditional game design principles rather than strict real-world accuracy…
The Player Experience
Giving users direct control over pregnancy outputs provides a more predictable, less frustrating gaming experience. Surprise pregnancies could derail legacy challenge stories or carefully planned Sim arcs when they occurred against a player‘s wishes due to luck.
Avoiding Sims in Limbo
Random accidental pregnancies also inevitably produced some orphaned Sim babies whose parent players didn‘t actually want in their save file. The opt-in model circumvents bringing these unwanted Sims to life.
While increased player control has advantages, The Sims 4‘s total elimination of unintended consequences even amidst risky Woohooing may still feel too cleanly scripted for some fans…
One Simmer‘s Accidental Triplets Saga
Long-time Sims player Sabrina told me about her shocking pregnancy tale:
"I was so surprised when my elderly Sim Irma suddenly got pregnant with triplets. It seemed highly unlikely given her age! I actually thought it was a weird glitch at first. Of course, I had to scramble to get the nursery ready in time. Thankfully Irma‘s loyal husband Herbert lovingly took up night feeding duties once the crying toddler triplet boys arrived. It was total chaos but so fun to play out!"
When I informed Sabrina of Sims 4‘s guaranteed opt-in only pregnancy approach contrasted to previous games, she reflected sentimentally on the darker yet more realistic Sims 2 and 3 surprises:
"Even though accidental pregnancies could be annoying if your story didn‘t call for babies, I do oddly miss that sense of risk and unpredictability. It made gameplay more exciting knowing a random Woohoo might forever alter my Sims‘ lives."
Teen Pregnancy Over the Years
| Sims Game Edition | Teen Pregnancy Enabled? |
|---|---|
| Original Sims | Yes |
| Sims 2 | Yes |
| Sims 3 | Initially No, Later Yes via Patch |
| Sims 4 | Only with Mods |
As shown above, the chances of teen Sims getting unexpectedly expecting have steadily declined with each release. This perhaps points to society‘s shifting discomfort with applying real world reproductive scenarios to underage minors in games.
My Attempt at Sims 4 Baby-Making
Personally, I first struggled to intentionally get my perfect Sim couple pregnant even through multiple deliberate "Try for Baby" attempts! Apparently they had to reach a certain romantic relationship threshold before the game would bless their pregnancy efforts. Once I got that metric high enough, twins popped up no problem. I guess the Sim fertility gods required some romantic courting first!
At the end of the day, The Sims 4 undeniably prioritizes player control and creative expression over pure realism. Eliminating pregnancy surprises entirely aligns with that philosophy of enabling users to craft their ideal Sim stories. Still, balancing surprises that mirror the random chaos of real life should surely be considered for future iterations to satisfy fans desiring that unpredictability.
What do you think of The Sims 4‘s strictly opt-in approach for pregnancies? Do you miss surprise conceptions, or prefer the control? Share your experiences and thoughts below!
