Video games with nonbinary player character options: Difference between revisions

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    (i added a refrence to undertale an rpg where there are many lgbtqia refrences and doesnt point it out like 'OMG LGBTQ STUFF' no it makes it like a passible thing and doesnt make it a big topic it is a very good game and i encorage you to go and play it :))
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    *''VERSUS: The Lost Ones'' by Zachary Sergi (published in 2015 by Choice of Games LLC) is a sci-fi interactive novel where it's possible to play a nonbinary character. The player's character, Thomil, comes from a planet where everyone telepathically shares their thoughts and feelings with one another. A couple chapters into the story, the player is asked about their character's gender. They can choose from six options: a cisgender woman, transgender woman, cis man, trans man, [[intersex]], or "I don't subscribe to any gender categories". Choosing the last option sets Thomil's stats to say "Gender: Not Applicable," and brings up these remarks in the narrative: "You are both genders, but you are also neither gender. You believe gender defies categorization, operating on a kind of sliding scale-- one that can change every day. You've come across [foreign planets'] texts about other cultures where such thinking is considered taboo or even sacrilegious, but in a society where everyone can quite literally share their thoughts and experiences, it's fairly impossible not to accept others once you understand who they truly are. Besides, even the most staunchly 'male' or 'female' cisgenders admit that sometimes they feel more 'masculine' or 'feminine' at different times. You just take that kind of thinking to a whole new level." The narration in ''VERSUS'' makes clear that this is not an undisclosed gender or a fantasy sex, but a nonbinary gender identity. Though Thomil comes from a sci-fi setting where where this and other transgender identities are accepted, this is a realistic depiction of a nonbinary person.
    *''VERSUS: The Lost Ones'' by Zachary Sergi (published in 2015 by Choice of Games LLC) is a sci-fi interactive novel where it's possible to play a nonbinary character. The player's character, Thomil, comes from a planet where everyone telepathically shares their thoughts and feelings with one another. A couple chapters into the story, the player is asked about their character's gender. They can choose from six options: a cisgender woman, transgender woman, cis man, trans man, [[intersex]], or "I don't subscribe to any gender categories". Choosing the last option sets Thomil's stats to say "Gender: Not Applicable," and brings up these remarks in the narrative: "You are both genders, but you are also neither gender. You believe gender defies categorization, operating on a kind of sliding scale-- one that can change every day. You've come across [foreign planets'] texts about other cultures where such thinking is considered taboo or even sacrilegious, but in a society where everyone can quite literally share their thoughts and experiences, it's fairly impossible not to accept others once you understand who they truly are. Besides, even the most staunchly 'male' or 'female' cisgenders admit that sometimes they feel more 'masculine' or 'feminine' at different times. You just take that kind of thinking to a whole new level." The narration in ''VERSUS'' makes clear that this is not an undisclosed gender or a fantasy sex, but a nonbinary gender identity. Though Thomil comes from a sci-fi setting where where this and other transgender identities are accepted, this is a realistic depiction of a nonbinary person.
    * In the RPG ''7th Dragon III Code: VFD'', you create your character without any reference to gender, and the game will use they/them pronouns for you and your teammate characters regardless of appearance. Players also can change their character's appearance and name anytime.<ref name="lgbt_Gend">{{Cite web |title=Gender in 7th Dragon III Code: VFD |author= |work=LGBTQ Video Game Archive |date=3 May 2019 |access-date=13 July 2021 |url= https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/2019/05/03/gender-in-7th-dragon-iii-code-vfd/#more-11037|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629080521/https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/2019/05/03/gender-in-7th-dragon-iii-code-vfd/ |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref>
    * In the RPG ''7th Dragon III Code: VFD'', you create your character without any reference to gender, and the game will use they/them pronouns for you and your teammate characters regardless of appearance. Players also can change their character's appearance and name anytime.<ref name="lgbt_Gend">{{Cite web |title=Gender in 7th Dragon III Code: VFD |author= |work=LGBTQ Video Game Archive |date=3 May 2019 |access-date=13 July 2021 |url= https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/2019/05/03/gender-in-7th-dragon-iii-code-vfd/#more-11037|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629080521/https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/2019/05/03/gender-in-7th-dragon-iii-code-vfd/ |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref>
    * In the RPG Undertale you control a character named Frisk, in the game you can see that all the npcs call you a they and there are many lgbtqia+ references in the true pacifist and pacifist route.


    ===2016===
    ===2016===

    Revision as of 19:41, 17 July 2023

    Caution icon - Noun Project 9556 white.svg
    Content warning
    This article mentions transphobic violence, gender dysphoria. If you are not comfortable with reading about this kind of topic, we suggest you take a step back.

    In most video games, the player's character either has a preselected binary gender, or can be set as only male or female. This page will list games that meet at least one of the following criteria:

    • allow the player to create their character as specifically nonbinary (often by selecting an option for singular they pronouns/entering custom pronouns) or
    • have a player character creation process with no reference to gender at all.

    So, the player characters in games on this page are not canonically nonbinary, but they can be nonbinary based on how one plays. For characters that canonically have a gender outside the male-or-female binary, see Nonbinary gender in fiction#Video games.

    (Games are listed chronologically by year of first release, or by the year that a nonbinary player character option was introduced, whichever is later.)

    2010

    Gender selection screen in Choice of the Dragon.
    • Choice of the Dragon, by Choice of Games LLC, is an interactive fiction story in which the player's character is a dragon. When creating this character, you are given the option of being male, female, neither, or an undetermined gender.

    2013

    • The task-management RPG Habitica (formerly HabitRPG) has a non-gendered character creator. The FAQ states "Characters/avatars do not have a specific gender. You can mix and match all the available avatar customizations to produce any appearance you like."[1]

    2014

    Character creation screen in the game LongStory.
    • In the visual novel/dating sim LongStory, players choose the protagonist's pronouns from they, she, or he.
    • In the dating sim Great Personality: Guardians, there is an option for the player character to be genderqueer.[2]
    • The puzzle game Robots Need Love Too allows a choice of six pronoun sets for your robots: she, he, they, zie, ey, or xie.[3]
    • The interactive novel game Creatures Such as We allows the player to identify themself as a cis man, cis woman, trans man, trans woman, 'person', or 'other' (fill in the blank).[4]

    2015

    • VERSUS: The Lost Ones by Zachary Sergi (published in 2015 by Choice of Games LLC) is a sci-fi interactive novel where it's possible to play a nonbinary character. The player's character, Thomil, comes from a planet where everyone telepathically shares their thoughts and feelings with one another. A couple chapters into the story, the player is asked about their character's gender. They can choose from six options: a cisgender woman, transgender woman, cis man, trans man, intersex, or "I don't subscribe to any gender categories". Choosing the last option sets Thomil's stats to say "Gender: Not Applicable," and brings up these remarks in the narrative: "You are both genders, but you are also neither gender. You believe gender defies categorization, operating on a kind of sliding scale-- one that can change every day. You've come across [foreign planets'] texts about other cultures where such thinking is considered taboo or even sacrilegious, but in a society where everyone can quite literally share their thoughts and experiences, it's fairly impossible not to accept others once you understand who they truly are. Besides, even the most staunchly 'male' or 'female' cisgenders admit that sometimes they feel more 'masculine' or 'feminine' at different times. You just take that kind of thinking to a whole new level." The narration in VERSUS makes clear that this is not an undisclosed gender or a fantasy sex, but a nonbinary gender identity. Though Thomil comes from a sci-fi setting where where this and other transgender identities are accepted, this is a realistic depiction of a nonbinary person.
    • In the RPG 7th Dragon III Code: VFD, you create your character without any reference to gender, and the game will use they/them pronouns for you and your teammate characters regardless of appearance. Players also can change their character's appearance and name anytime.[5]
    • In the RPG Undertale you control a character named Frisk, in the game you can see that all the npcs call you a they and there are many lgbtqia+ references in the true pacifist and pacifist route.

    2016

    • In Tokyo Afterschool Summoners, the player can set the protagonist's gender to male, female, or "other", regardless of which appearance they choose.
    • In the dating sim Hustle Cat, the protagonist can be either male, female, or nonbinary with "they" pronouns, and the characters in-game will refer to them with the chosen pronouns.
    • In the RPG visual novel Queen at Arms, the protagonist is AFAB and for much of the game is crossdressing as male to hide their identity. However, halfway through the story, the player chooses the protagonist's gender identity, and the options are male, female, or genderqueer.[6]
    • In the science-fiction adventure game Event[0], players choose their pronouns as he/him, she/her, or they/them.[7]
    • In the mobile game Pokémon Go, players select their avatar from one of two "styles" instead of being asked "Are you a boy or a girl?" as was the case in many other Pokémon games.[8]
    • The fan-made RPG Pokémon Uranium allows players to select from three avatars: one masculine, one feminine, and one androgynous. Based on the selected avatar, the game will use he/him, she/her, or they/them pronouns in dialogue when referring to the player.[9]
    • In the indie romance visual novel My Cup of Coffee: Earl Grey Forever After, the protagonist can be male, female, or "gender free". Choosing gender free results in the game using gender neutral language, ne/nem/nir pronouns, and the Mx title. The player can also choose to "make everyone else gender liberated too", resulting in the protagonist saying things like "Everybody knew about me, the eldest child of the late Gentleperson and Gentleperson Fairfax".
    • The interactive novel game Empyrean lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[10]
    • The interactive novel game Choice of the Pirate lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[11]
    • The interactive novel game The Hero Project: Redemption Season lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[12]

    2017

    Character options in the game Heart. Papers. Border. The NB gender marker is selected.
    • In the strategy game Heart. Papers. Border. (available in Steam Early Access since August 2017), you can select your character's gender from F, M, or NB when starting a game. This has no apparent effect on gameplay.
    • The interactive novel Heart of the House allows the player to be male, female, or nonbinary.[13]
    • The action RPG Pyre allows players to select their pronouns from she/her, he/him, or they/them.[14] The pronouns can be changed at any time through the settings menu.[15]
    • In the visual novel A Foretold Affair, players choose their pronouns as he/him, she/her, or they/them.[16]
    • In the visual novel JoJo's Diner, players can select they/them pronouns for their character.[17]
    • In the adventure game South Park: The Fractured But Whole, the player character is asked by Mr. Mackey if they identify as male, female, or "other". If you select "other" then Mr. Mackey calls the character's parents and reports "Your child just let me know that he, er, they identify as being gender neutral. [...] It's fine, it's just everyone was under the impression that they were a boy." After hanging up the phone, Mr. Mackey says, "This is a shocker, New Kid, but there's nothing wrong with not identifying as a binary gender. You can be whatever sex you want, OK, even if it's none. That's fine!" After leaving Mr. Mackey's office, a group of "rednecks" in a pickup truck drive up and say, "Well, well, well, if it ain't one of them gender neutrals? We don't take kindly to your types around here. Let's welcome this thing to our town," and a battle commences. (The same battle, with slightly different dialogue, also happens if you choose to say you're a trans girl.)[18]

    2018

    Gender choice near the beginning of the interactive novel Fallen Hero: Rebirth.
    • Interactive novel Fallen Hero: Rebirth lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[19]
    • Interactive novel Silverworld lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[20]
    • Interactive novel The Superlatives: Aetherfall lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[21]
    • Interactive novel Tower Behind the Moon lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[22]
    • In the dating sim Monster Prom, you can choose your character's pronouns from they/them, she/her, or he/him.[23]
    • In the adventure/visual novel game Headliner: NoviNews, players choose their pronouns as he/him, she/her, or they/them.[24]
    • In Red Embrace: Hollywood, the player chooses their pronoun from "he", "she", or "they".[25]
    • In the visual novel //TODO: today, the protagonist can be male, female, or nonbinary, depending on player's choices.[26]
    • Genderwrecked is a post-apocalyptic horror/gore visual novel about trying to find the meaning of gender. The player can select their pronouns from she/her, they/them, he/him, xe/xir, ze/zir, it/it, or custom pronouns.[27]
    • In the turn-based strategy game Battletech, while customizing your character, you can choose from he/him, she/her, or they/them pronouns. The third option opens up both masculine and feminine appearance options.

    2019

    • In the simulation game Signed and Sealed With a Kiss, "you choose your pronouns (he/she/they) and presentation (masculine/feminine/androgynous)."[28]
    • In the interactive novel Drag Star! you can play your character as a drag queen (she/her), a drag king (he/him), "a gender-funky club kid" (they/them), use no pronouns, or enter your own custom pronouns.
    • In the interactive novel Moonrise you can play as a trans woman, a cis woman, or a nonbinary person.[29]
    • In the free-to-play visual novel/dating sim Otter of My Life, you can make your character Ashley Otterson male, female, or nonbinary, and can also select your pronouns as he, she, or they.

    2020

    A screenshot of the character creation process in Later Daters.
    • In the visual novel/dating sim Later Daters, the player can choose their honorific as Mx, Ms, or Mr.[30]
    • In the simulation game Calico, the character creation process is non-gendered.[31]
    • In the simulation game BitLife, since the June 2020 Pride Update, the player can select (after the character reaches age 5) whether their character is cisgender, genderqueer, nonbinary, transgender female, and transgender male. Being non-cis may cause the character to experience gender dysphoria in-game, lowering their Happiness level.[32]
    • In the simulation game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the character creation process is non-gendered, having players select a "style" instead of a gender for their avatar.[33]
    • Interactive novel game Kidnapped! A Royal Birthday lets you be male, female, or nonbinary.[34]
    • In the dating simulator Max Gentlemen Sexy Business! while customising your "gentlesona" you can chose what kind of body type (and genitals) you have (there's a variety of male-ish body types with vulvas or penises and the same goes to female-ish body types), which doesn't influence your dating options tho and can be overall ignored if you wish to. Also you choose what kind of business tycoon title you prefer "Sir", "Madame", or "Boss" mirroring traditional variety of pronouns.[35]
    • The Free-To-Play visual novel Our Life lets you choose your pronouns from she/her, he/him and they/them. As you grow up in the game you can also decide to change your pronouns.
    • The platformer game Shovel Knight features a Body Swap Mode, which allows the player to customize the appearance and pronouns of each of the game's twelve main characters. Initially, only masculine and feminine pronouns were available, but an update in 2019 added the option for gender-neutral pronouns.
    • In the creature-collecting game Temtem, you can select a masculine or feminine body type, and can select "she/her", "he/him", or "they/them" pronouns. Hairstyles and clothing options are not restricted by body type or pronouns. When an NPC uses a gendered term to refer to the player character, the game often gives you the option to reply "I am not a boy/girl." These dialogue options are available no matter what pronoun you picked at the start of the game.[36]

    2021

    • In the farming RPG Pumpkin Days, previously known as Pumpkin Online, the player character creator has no gender selection nor any gender-locked clothes. The official website says that "specifying a gender does not play a role in Pumpkin Days. Simply use our body sliders in character customization to add feminine and/or as masculine features as you want. Any clothes you buy will fit the body you choose."[37]
    • The interactive novel game Pugmire: Treasure of the Sea Dogs lets you be male, female, or nonbinary. [38]
    • The RPG Wildermyth allows heroes to have they/them pronouns.[39]
    • In the racing game Forza Horizon 5, the character creator gives an option for they/them pronouns. Pronouns are not tied to the body you choose for your character.
    • In the action RPG Postknight 2, the player character has no defined gender and can freely be customized using any combination of masculine and feminine hair, eyes, and clothing.

    Unreleased (currently in development)

    • In the dating sim Repurpose, the player will be able to choose their pronoun set as "he", "she", or "they".[40][41]
    • Similar to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons example above, Splatoon 3 (set to be released on 2022) will have the players select their avatars' "style" (encompasses both gender and species). The haircuts and pants (which previously were gender-restricted) will also be unisex.[42][43]
    • The sci-fi visual novel Infinite Stars will allow your character to use he/him, she/her, or they/them pronouns.[44]

    Further resources

    References

    1. ↑ "FAQ > Your Avatar > How do I make my avatar female or male?". Habitica Wiki. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
    2. ↑ "Great Personality: Guardians". Represent Me. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
    3. ↑ [False "Robots Need Love Too"] Check |archive-url= value (help). TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2021. Inclusive design: choose from 6 personal pronouns (she, he, they, zie, ey, and xie)
    4. ↑ "Choice of Games (developer)". Represent Me. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
    5. ↑ "Gender in 7th Dragon III Code: VFD". LGBTQ Video Game Archive. 3 May 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
    6. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/362020/Queen_At_Arms/?curator_clanid=39486419 Archived on 17 July 2023
    7. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/470260/Event0/?curator_clanid=39486419 Archived on 17 July 2023
    8. ↑ Tan, Nigel (14 July 2016). "Pokémon Go praised by fans for non-binary, gender fluid avatars". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
    9. ↑ "Pokémon Uranium". Represent Me. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
    10. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/557700/Empyrean/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    11. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/476490/Choice_of_the_Pirate/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    12. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/459310/The_Hero_Project_Redemption_Season/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    13. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/742150/Heart_of_the_House/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    14. ↑ Powell, Dougie K (19 June 2018). "Player Genderfluidity in Gaming". Hey Poor Player. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
    15. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/462770/Pyre/?curator_clanid=39486419 Archived on 17 July 2023
    16. ↑ "A Foretold Affair". Represent Me. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
    17. ↑ "JoJo's Diner". Represent Me. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
    18. ↑ Duffy, Nick (8 September 2017). "South Park video game 'more difficult' if you pick a transgender character". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
    19. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/800620/Fallen_Hero_Rebirth/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    20. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/839940/Silverworld/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    21. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/726230/The_Superlatives_Aetherfall/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    22. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001490/Tower_Behind_the_Moon/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    23. ↑ "Monster Prom". Represent Me. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
    24. ↑ Henry, Jasmine (4 April 2019). "Headliner: NoviNews Gets Negative Reviews for Non-Binary Pronouns". J Station X. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2021. At the beginning of the game, players can choose to go by he/him, she/her, or they/them pronouns. In an email, Unbound Creations founder Jakub Kasztalski explains that the game doesn’t address LGBTQ issues beyond this
    25. ↑ Argent Games (10 September 2018). "Your Customized MC - Red Embrace: Hollywood". itch.io. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
    26. ↑ VNDB | //TODO: today characters Archived on 17 July 2023
    27. ↑ ryan rose aceae. "GENDERWRECKED". itch.io. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
    28. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/933230/Signed_and_Sealed_With_a_Kiss/?curator_clanid=26898915
    29. ↑ "Moonrise". choiceofgames.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
    30. ↑ Ford, Suzie (5 March 2021). "Later Daters PC Review". GameSpace.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
    31. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1112890/Calico/?curator_clanid=39486419 Archived on 17 July 2023
    32. ↑ Tim (3 July 2020). "BitLife Pride Update Guide: Everything You Need to Know About BitLife Version 1.38, aka the Pride Update". Level Winner. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
    33. ↑ "Animal Crossing series". Represent Me. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
    34. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356440/Kidnapped_A_Royal_Birthday/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    35. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/817840/Max_Gentlemen_Sexy_Business/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    36. ↑ Warren, Jack (5 February 2020). "LGBTQ and non-binary identity representation and integration in Temtem — Manchester Metropolitan Game Centre". Manchester Metropolitan Game Centre. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
    37. ↑ "Pumpkin Days Unique Features". Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
    38. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1644330/Pugmire_Treasure_of_the_Sea_Dogs/ Archived on 17 July 2023
    39. ↑ "Non-binary heroes". 28 December 2020.
    40. ↑ "Repurpose (Demo) by Eros". itch.io. 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
    41. ↑ Resident Rabbit. "Repurpose". Kickstarter. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
    42. ↑ Nintendo. "Splatoon 3 - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch". YouTube. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
    43. ↑ https://splatoonwiki.org/wiki/Player_customization Archived on 17 July 2023
    44. ↑ "Infinite Stars - The Visual Novel on Steam". Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2021. Shape your avatar and his | her | their history, personality, and relationships through countless decisions and interactions.
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