A couple days ago we reported that toddlers and pools would be excluded from the Sims 4 base game. While the decision is likely tied to EA's desire for increased extended profits through micro-transactions, news of the cut content disappointed a barrage of fans. However, rather than bitch and moan across EA blogs and forums, some folks took it upon themselves to encourage a change.

Night Simmer, a Canadian Sims fanatic started a petition respectfully asking EA to consider including the missing pieces of his favorite simulator; toddlers and pools. In a matter of days, the petition gathered a following of nearly 8000 signers.

"Toddlers have been a vital aspect to The Sims series because it is a lifestate that is crucial to the flow of the game. Without it, newborns will age straight up into children which will impair the possibility for story telling - a huge thing for the Simming community. We also want pools. Pools have been in every single basegame and to not have them would be ridiculous at this point."

I find it funny that pools are clearly an afterthought, but there's a real passion for toddlers. Much like the comments section on the Sims blog, there's a lot of animosity and confusion regarding the exclusion on Change.org, too. One commenter, possibly drunk, wrote "THIS IS A F****** LIFE SIMULATION GAME AND WE NEED 'TODDLERS' AND POOLS FOR F**** SAKE!," while others approached the matter more business like, making professional and rational statements. "If you're substituting quality for a quicker release time, it is sad and pathetic. I cannot comprehend the stupidity of this decision."

Although the reasons behind EA's decisions are largely speculative, blatant greed is probably right on the money considering their checkered past of consumer disregard. That said, we've reached out to EA concerning their decision to exclude toddlers and pools, and whether there's any purpose outside of micro-transaction profiteering. We'll let you know if and when we hear back.