Bella Goth

Lore & Background

Bella Goth originally appeared in the first The Sims game as one of the 'pre-made' Sims that come pre-installed with the game. She is married to a man named Mortimer Goth, with whom she has one daughter named Cassandra. She is depicted as a housewife and resides on a lot with a small cemetery containing a few gravestones. The Goth family also appears in The Sims 2, now residing in Pleasantview. A new family member has been added, Bella and Mortimer's younger son Alexander Goth, while Cassandra has reached adulthood and Mortimer has reached retirement age. However, before the events of the game, Bella disappeared, having seemingly been abducted by aliens. As such, she does not physically appear in the game without the use of cheats and external modifications. Bella Goth appears a second time in The Sims 2 as a NPC in a paranormal-themed world called Strangetown. This version of Bella is close, but not identical to the one in Pleasantview and has no memories or relationship with her family. As Strangetown prominently features a crashed UFO and contains residents of alien origin, it is implied that Bella Goth ended up in Strangetown as a result of the alien abduction. In the PlayStation Portable release, she once again appears as an NPC in Strangetown. The Sims 3, which takes place before The Sims and The Sims 2, depicts Bella as a child living with her brother and parents under her maiden name of Bella Bachelor in a town called Sunset Valley. Also appearing is her future husband Mortimer, who is revealed to have been her childhood friend. However, in a downloadable science-fiction-themed world called Lunar Lakes, a gravestone can be found with Bella Goth's name on it, with this sim having seemingly died of old age. The Sims 4 depicts an alternate version Bella who is a young adult living with her husband Mortimer and her children Cassandra and Alexander. As opposed to being a housewife, this incarnation is unemployed.

In Their Own Story

In The Sims 2, Bella Goth has been depicted being abducted by aliens and dumped in Strangetown. After her abduction she appears in the game but has no memories of her past. In The Sims 2, there are two distinct Bellas, and fans have theorized that one is a clone or alien impostor; however, the game's developer, Maxis, denied this, stating that both Bellas are real, publishing an in-universe interview with Bella about the abduction that occurred prior to The Sims 2. She appeared in The Sims 4 with a lighter skin tone than in previous iterations, similar to other characters at launch. This was eventually addressed following some controversy, causing the team to update the game to darken characters' skin color. She was also redesigned in order to make her look older. She received a revamped model in The Sims 4 and received mixed reception among fans, particularly due to her breast size being decreased. Kotaku writer Ashley Bardhan personally enjoyed the new model. While commenting about 'Eurocentric' character design tendencies, Bardhan was enthused with her skin being darker with this new model, as well as her being given 'luscious curls of dark hair'.

Reader's Guide

Bella Goth is a pre-made character in the first The Sims game, living as a housewife with husband Mortimer and daughter Cassandra. In The Sims 2, she has disappeared before the game's events, but can be found as an NPC in Strangetown with no memories of her past. In The Sims 3, she appears as a child named Bella Bachelor in Sunset Valley, where she is childhood friends with future husband Mortimer. In The Sims 4, she is a young adult working in law enforcement, living with Mortimer and children Cassandra and Alexander. Her skin tone was lightened at launch but later corrected after community feedback. She was redesigned to look older in The Sims 4. Fans have liked the mixed-race of Goth family from their very first appearance. Since then, Bella has also received attention, particularly for her red dress and breasts, and she has generally been a popular character among fans since appearing in the first game.

Did You Know?

• In The Sims 2, Bella Goth does not physically appear in Pleasantview without the use of cheats and external modifications.
• The Sims 3 depicts Bella as a child under her maiden name Bella Bachelor, living with her brother and parents in Sunset Valley.
• In The Sims 4, Bella is unemployed, unlike her housewife role in the original game.
• A gravestone with Bella Goth's name can be found in the Lunar Lakes downloadable world, though the ghost's appearance is randomized based on the Sim's hair color in life.

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