Amira “Xmiramira” Virgil
...the innovator who pushed to make Black visibility in the Sims community a priority
The Sims series owes a lot to players like Amira “Xmiramira” Virgil, who is one of the series’ most influential content creators. She’s an EA Game Changer, which means she’s part of
The Sims publisher’s community program that highlights top players and contributors. And she’s put that platform to good use. In 2020, in collaboration with other game changers, EbonixSims, CatherineSims, Mia Zaff, and Rio, she helped improve
Sims 4 gameplay by collaborating with EA and ushering in
new skin tones that helped underrepresented Simmers feel seen. This happened only after Virgil and her peers spent years speaking about a lack of Black Sims content.
If you don’t know her by Amira, then you might know her as
Xmiramira or Mira, an
incredible advocate who is beloved by a lot of the Sims community. In 2020, the
dynamic content creator, joined the inaugural season of Sims design reality show
Spark’d and won alongside her teammates in their final challenge, where they demonstrated their relationships with Sims to create a story personal about all three of them. Her teammates decided to make the final challenge about
Virgil’s relationship to the Sims from childhood until now.
The Spark’d winner also contributed to
The Black Futures Project, an anthology that is all about asking and answering the question “What does it mean to be Black and alive right now.” In the book, Virgil discusses the community she created for Black Sims players,
The Black Simmer.
Virgil has centered Black voices and create safe spaces for Black people to be, well, Black. She’s done that despite microaggressions from unwelcoming
Sims spaces that disregard the need for Black hair, skin, etc. Virgil has heavily influenced the way
Sims players think about and enjoy the game. She has inspired younger creators to make their own way in this industry.
All that she’s done for the Sims community paid off, because she recently signed to a women-led gaming lifestyle company
Queens Gaming Collective that will try to even the playing field in an overwhelmingly male-dominated industry. Virgil’s star shines so bright, there is nothing she can’t do next.
— Robin Mosley