The term 'petty' has a specific meaning in Black slang, and Xmiramira managed to integrate that meaning into The Sims 4 in a way that is both faithful to its origins as well as playful. Xmiramira’s “petty” trait takes the “petty” concept - which she describes as “truly, the definition of a hot mess” - and makes it a playable option. Xmiramira’s creations have ranged from the celebrated “ Melanin Pack” offering vibrant skin tones to behavior mods and traits that take a page from Black slang and pop culture.

SheSpeaksSimlish, EbonixSims, and Xmiramira are notable Sims modders that gained popularity because they decided to fill the community’s need. So Black girl gamers decided to take matters into their own hands and began to create in-game items and mods on their own. The Sims 4 is meant to be a life simulator, but feedback from the community pointed to the overwhelming reception that Black girl gamers weren’t seeing their life reflected. The base game’s hairstyles - an important point of creativity or expression for Black girl ‘simmers’ - were few and far between, and those that were available lacked nuanced details. They lacked the cartoonish vibrancy of the lighter skins available.

In the latest Sims, Sims 4, some Black players across message boards and social media criticized the darker skin tones in the game as unflattering, grey, or ashy.

Despite all this freedom, Black gamers still found themselves left wanting.

Sims 4 melanin pack