The Sims 4 now allows players to create transgender characters

Gamers playing The Sims 4 can now create transgender characters, dressing men in skirts and women in attire previously only accessible to men.

In a sign of the times, creators of the life-simulating game The Sims have created a free update that removes gender barriers, allowing players to customise their characters with access to 700 pieces of content -- clothing, hair, and jewellery -- which can be used interchangeably between male and female Sims.

"The Sims is made by a diverse team for a diverse audience, and it's really important to us that players are able to be creative and express themselves through our games," reads a statement from the developers. "We want to make sure players can create characters they can identify with or relate to through powerful tools that give them influence over a Sims gender, age, ethnicity, body type and more."