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Sploodington

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  1. I'm glad you acknowledge the importance of representation of nonbinary genders, but I really disagree that the fact this game isn't about gender means it has to take a traditional stance. As I said before, actively forcing players to choose one of two genders is talking about gender and gender politics, I don't think PZ should get a free pass from having to think about the message it sends because it isn't expressly about gender. But ultimately a no is a no and PZ is still a good game, it's just disappointing that the character creation system is staying the way it is.
  2. I feel like what you're failing to understand here is that allowing players the choice to make their character any gender rather than just male or female isn't necessarily 'making a stand' or 'pushing an agenda', what the game currently does however is. The game as it currently is actively limits player to choosing one of two genders. That sends a message, it pushes an agenda, whatever you want to call it. This isn't a choice between making a stand or not getting involved, it's a choice between perpetuating the prevalent and harmful view that there are only two genders (which is objectively untrue and socially problematic for those who identify as neither) or taking action to prevent yourself from doing so. Inaction on the part of the devs isn't them not pushing an agenda, it's just them pushing an agenda which is already prevalent enough that noone notices it. Also, regardless of what video games are 'for', any creator of media has a responsibility to their audience. Whether they choose to examine the implicit messages their choices send or not, the message is still there and still has an effect, and it's their responsibility to acknowledge that. I also disagree that gender nonbinary characters add nothing to gameplay, their inclusion allows for a more compelling and complex narrative with a wider variety of characters. It allows us to experience this world from a different perspective, that's certainly not nothing.
  3. The fact that you see people with nonbinary genders as "The Bearded Lady from the carnival", or that you see transgender people as being somehow not "average people" shows that this is exactly the place to "make a stand for TransGender rights". Also, making a game in which the character creation system is representative of how gender actually works is something which fits pretty damn well with a game which aims to make scenarios and gameplay elements that feel real. That's what's great about PZ, the realness makes it more intense. Representation is important and having your gender identity represented in a game and acknowledged as worthwhile can have a huge social impact, but even ignoring all of that it's still ultimately a matter of making realistic gameplay. And yeah a mod that allowed for other genders than male and female would be great, but what would be even better is if the developers just put it in the game in the first place, and I'd like to think they're nice enough people to at least consider this seriously, rather than lazily dismiss the idea like you're doing. 'Go mod it yourself' (or ToastedFishSandwich's comment, for that matter) isn't an adequate and thoughtful response to criticism, it's a half-assed dismissal.
  4. Most transgender people don't want a mixture of external sex traits, such as a beard and breasts; they identify as the opposite gender they were born into, in which case they could be represented through the game as simply picking the sex they identify with. You're right that 'transgendered' is generally understood to refer specifically to people whose sex is male/female and gender is female/male respectively, but I think OP was using the term to refer to people with nonbinary gender identities too.
  5. I think it's a great idea, if players want a cisgendered character (like what's available now) they can just make their character look either male or female. If they aren't cisgendered want to play as themselves, or they are cisgendered and want to roleplay as a character who's trans* or has a nonbinary gender identity then removing a pre-set dichotomy allows them to do that too. It allows for more freedom on the part of the player, a wider range of experiences available and it makes the game more representative. I mean it'd basically just be a matter of removing the thing that says 'You can only be male or female' and instead giving players a character who doesn't really look particularly gendered at all and saying 'Be whoever you like', which is a good thing for a character creation system to do anyway.
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