EA shows off live customization for The Sims 4 and releases Sim character creator

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Electronic Arts chief operating officer Peter Moore and executive producer Rachel Franklin showed off the character and home customization features of The Sims 4, the newest edition in a game series that has generated billions of dollars in revenues for the video game publisher.

EA also announced you can now download a Sims character creator on TheSims.com.

The executives showed off how you can quickly build a caricature of yourself (in this case, a tattooed version of Moore) and then create your very own football stadium for your home. They showed how a character can die, and you can beg Death to restore the person.

You pick personality traits for your Sim, like “gloomy” or “energized.” You can play a holographic video game system in your living room. You can try to cheer up someone who is depressed. Your Sim may complain to another about his or her problems, and you can try to brighten up someone’s day. You can try dancing to cheer up the depressed Sim, and it may or may not work.

“It can be as deep as you want it to be,” Franklin said.

Moore created his own character and walked out to the garden. A cow plant proceeded to eat him.

“That’s just a slice of The Sims 4,” Franklin said. “You can experiment with your Sims and play out their own interesting stories.” The game debuts on Sept. 2.

The Sims 4 neighborhood
The Sims 4 neighborhood