The Sims: still bound to the standards of reality?

In "It’s a Queer World After All: Studying The Sims and Sexuality" by Mia Consalvo, the lifestyle of the Sims is brought into question. Though the Sims environment can be thought of as a virtual space in which users can create a virtual exsistence for their avatar regaurdless of the societal norms, Mia Consalvo has picked apart the open minded ideas and discovered that there are still limitations that seem to be inforced by the physical world. One such limitation involves "shade", or in the real world, race. Though the Sims has equal opportunities for all it's make believe people, Consalvo has brought to light the issue of the limitations placed on the physical appearence of an individual avatar based on what "shade" color their skin is. Another issue raised was the sexual orientation of an individual avatar. Though sexual orientation isn't a fixed element in the Sims, the actions of the user through the avatar can sway or erase any feelings toward another character, regaurdness of their sex or race.