Choosing a gender for your game's protagonist • Gaming • General Gaming • Eurogamer.net

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 17:35:28 24 posts
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Hey!

So I'm in a game dev. team and a while ago we were deciding on what gender should our leading character be. An idea came up to make this character Agender (EDIT: doesn't identify neither as woman nor man; not sure what the right expression is) and this sparkled a very "passionate" debate. The team was pretty much devided in half. Some thought it would be a good idea and others (including myself) seriously opposed it.

The arguments FOR having an Agender protagonist (as presented by part of the team that was cheering for this idea):

- it would make the character more mysterious
- it would set us apart from other games
- it would be very inovative
- it is something that catches attention
- it would appeal to a wider spectrum of gamers

Now for the arguments AGAINST such an idea (those arguments are totally biased and written from my side of the view):

Whilst it's true that it would put more mystery into our character's persona and it would also set us apart from other games, I think it's also true that we have to consider HOW do we set us apart from others. Yes, it would be something inovative and we would stand out, but would this really be portraing what are we trying to do game-wise, or would it portrait us more as a certain political agenda-serving studio that tries to appeal to the PC culture we're living in today? And yes, it does catch the attention, but what kind of attention? It's a very common expression we hear that "even a bad publicity is still a publicity", but I think it's evident in the gaming world, that good reviews and good publicity is what makes you money. And this leads me to the last point: would it really appeal to the "wider spectrum of gamers"? I think not. Again, I think it would only appeal to some of the people, but majority of these people would not be the kind of people that would actually consider buying our game (eg. would not be gamers), but would instead just agree with the agenda we would be representing and move on.

As a marketer I have to look at things from marketing point of view and I always tend to follow the basic saying: Inovations are welcome, as long as they don't produce more bad than they do good.

But I've been wrong before, so I'm really interested in your opinion. Is gender something you even notice? Would you mind if the game's main character would be Agender? What do you have to say?

Edited by TilenM at 17:40:11 18-09-2017

Edited by TilenM at 17:43:54 18-09-2017

Edited by TilenM at 17:45:44 18-09-2017

Edited by TilenM at 17:46:31 18-09-2017

Edited by TilenM at 17:52:48 18-09-2017

KRadiation 18 Sep 2017 17:37:24 1,743 posts
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A gender or a-gender? I'm confused.

If you're crowbaring that kinda shit in just to make a point (or cash in and market it as unique) then no. If the game deals with their gender as a plot device then maybe.... but it smells of exploitation. It's not in there becauss the game and story demand it.

If it looks like a guy or a girl and it's a fun game... who gives 2 shits what gender they assosiate themselves as ?

Edited by KRadiation at 17:42:59 18-09-2017

Edited by KRadiation at 19:14:01 18-09-2017

Decks 18 Sep 2017 17:39:47 31,013 posts
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It worked for the original Halloween film so I don't see why it wouldn't work in a game.

disusedgenius 18 Sep 2017 17:39:51 10,677 posts
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Maybe he means androgynous?

spamdangled 18 Sep 2017 17:41:53 31,803 posts
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I think he means gender-neutral (i.e., not specified).

My response would be that unless the character's gender is important to the story, why does it even matter? Give the player a choice between a male or female protagonist, or choose one. But unless it's specifically important from a narrative perspective, concentrate on making a good game first and foremost.

Personally, if the game is fun, I couldn't care less if I'm playing a male, female, transgender or a blue-furred gerbil with the head of an ostrich.

Edited by spamdangled at 17:43:30 18-09-2017

macmurphy 18 Sep 2017 17:41:56 4,447 posts
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I personally always thought the big tash was compensating for something on Mario. He wore dungarees and had womanly curves and a high pitched voice.

So to me she's a lesbian doing role play. She's had the hots for Peach for years and never been able to express it. So she cuts her hair, puts a fake tash on, grabs a set of dungarees from the cupboard and just runs around collecting coins for the op to give her a salami instead of a turkey lettuce boat.

Never had a problem with it, I think most gamers don't.

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 17:42:19 24 posts
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@KRadiation I mean a person that doesn't identify neither as a man or woman. Did I misspell that? Please let me know if there's a better expression for it.

mothercruncher 18 Sep 2017 17:43:30 19,474 posts
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I'd like a Jamie Lee Curtis option please.

richarddavies 18 Sep 2017 17:43:48 8,312 posts
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I don't think Asian trans dwarfs are represented nearly enough in video games. You'd be pushing the boundaries if you were brave enough to include them in your next game.

KRadiation 18 Sep 2017 17:44:15 1,743 posts
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Edited above

No it's because the title makes it sound like you're asking choosing a gender for your character
And then later something else.
I've got it now ;(

BigOrkWaaagh 18 Sep 2017 17:47:15 10,554 posts
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Are you using agender in the same way as one might say asexual? I think the term is genderless. But no, I don't think it's a particularly good idea unless your game is about that anyway.

What will happen is, you will have to pick a character model to run with, either male or female because people are not born genderless as far as physical appearance goes. Then you will have this character who looks like a man or woman incessantly bang on about being genderless the whole game.

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 17:49:30 24 posts
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@KRadiation I think we're on the same page. Making it anything else would just be giving unnecessary details that could potentionally lead to bad reviews.

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 17:51:36 24 posts
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@BigOrkWaaagh Thanks for letting me know what the right expression is!!

To be honest here, the writers wanted to actually make the game in a way that would just ignore the gender. But the game itself has nothing to do with genders, so my opinon remains that it's a bad idea to include things like that.

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 17:53:59 24 posts
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@spamdangled So it's safe to conclude you wouldn't mind if the protagonist would be Agender? (found the right Word on the web lol)

It would be interesting to run a survwy on this.

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 17:54:56 24 posts
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@macmurphy Huh, interesting. Never thought about it in that way. Thanks for the input!

Deleted user 18 September 2017 17:56:34

macmurphy wrote:
I personally always thought the big tash was compensating for something on Mario. He wore dungarees and had womanly curves and a high pitched voice.

So to me she's a lesbian doing role play. She's had the hots for Peach for years and never been able to express it. So she cuts her hair, puts a fake tash on, grabs a set of dungarees from the cupboard and just runs around collecting coins for the op to give her a salami instead of a turkey lettuce boat.

Never had a problem with it, I think most gamers don't.

I want to argue but I can't. "Mario" is friends with a giant fucking mushroom. Anything is possible.

KD 18 Sep 2017 17:57:22 3,575 posts
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@TilenM If its just that character and no story reason for it then I cant see any good coming from it, be nice to see them represented a bit more but to do it for no good reason and make the player play as them doesnt sound the best idea for sales.

If you want to make a point about it and dont care for millions of sales then please do, more people should be taking chances to do it.

JamboWayOh 18 Sep 2017 17:57:57 25,236 posts
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Decks wrote:
It worked for the original Halloween film so I don't see why it wouldn't work in a game.

Totally would though.

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 18:01:01 24 posts
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@KD That's the exact problem I'm having with it. Our game Will have nothing to do with gender representations, so I don't see including such a thing into it.

Thanks for the response!

Deleted user 18 September 2017 18:03:42

To the gamemakers out there: Havent You all seen the Matrix? Like there is no spoon/is that air that you are breathing?

Invent a new gender, create a new gender, so much possibility, so many possible gaming revolutions to be born.

Make it 4K sexy tho

macmurphy 18 Sep 2017 18:05:06 4,447 posts
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JamboWayOh wrote:

Decks wrote:
It worked for the original Halloween film so I don't see why it wouldn't work in a game.
Totally would though.

In her prime? Jesus. Who wouldn't?

Decks 18 Sep 2017 18:05:33 31,013 posts
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JamboWayOh wrote:

Decks wrote:
It worked for the original Halloween film so I don't see why it wouldn't work in a game.
Totally would though.

Defo

Stuz359 18 Sep 2017 18:16:49 492 posts
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What genre is the game though? I mean for example, in Portal it wasn't explicit whether you were male or female and the FP viewpoint didn't give anything away either. Hell the Half-Life games didn't really make a difference if you were Gordon Freeman or Georgina Freeman.

JamboWayOh 18 Sep 2017 18:17:40 25,236 posts
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Decks wrote:

JamboWayOh wrote:

Decks wrote:
It worked for the original Halloween film so I don't see why it wouldn't work in a game.
Totally would though.
Defo

Phwoar!

Still, Curtis in Trading Places made a young JamboWayOh go all funny in the trouser area.

Edited by JamboWayOh at 18:17:57 18-09-2017

onestepfromlost 18 Sep 2017 18:25:32 2,721 posts
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you do know the whole jamie lee curtis thing is an urban myth?

Fake_Blood 18 Sep 2017 18:28:57 11,093 posts
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More like Jamie lee curtains amirite??

/here all week

TilenM 18 Sep 2017 18:31:38 24 posts
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@Stuz359 It's a stealth 2.5D platformer and a gender playes no role in it.

nickthegun 18 Sep 2017 18:40:19 87,711 posts
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If you have to ask these questions, are doing it for a marketing exercise and are trotting out phrases like 'PC culture', your implementation of it will be terrible and you will end up pleasing no one.

If you don't believe in it, which you clearly don't, just make it a white guy and call it a day.

BigOrkWaaagh 18 Sep 2017 18:43:24 10,554 posts
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Stuz359 wrote:
What genre is the game though? I mean for example, in Portal it wasn't explicit whether you were male or female and the FP viewpoint didn't give anything away either. Hell the Half-Life games didn't really make a difference if you were Gordon Freeman or Georgina Freeman.

In Portal you are very clearly a woman unless I'm really misremembering?