Sometimes a player doesn't want to play within a strict binary. Maybe the game is a dating sim in which the player doesn't know yet who they'll be interested in, and therefore don't want to miss out on half of the options. There are also times when it really doesn't make sense to force a player to choose a gender. Why does it matter?
Then there's the fact that sometimes gamers want to make a character that more resembles themselves. Not everyone fits neatly into male and female boxes, so it only makes sense that gamers would want their characters to reflect that. It can be a lot of fun to personally get involved with the storyline, and making more customizable characters can really help immerse players in their games.
10 It's Only Alex And Steve In Minecraft
Nobody and nothing talks in Minecraft. Villagers just make an annoying noise and any two can produce children. There are no restrictions on the skins that can be placed on either Steve or Alex, because why would there be? The whole game is about customization and exploration, so there's absolutely no reason for gender to be addressed at all.
If it can be built, it can exist. The same goes for skins and everything else that possibly can happen within the Minecraft sandbox.
9 Animal Crossing: New Horizons Just Wants To Be Cute
In New Horizons, the most recent entry in the Animal Crossing franchise, there isn't even the option to pick a gender. Instead, players are prompted to pick a "style" and anything can be worn by anyone, regardless of their selected style, so it really doesn't matter in the end.
Instead of focusing on if the player is a boy or a girl, villagers just use gender-neutral pronouns, allowing the player can be whoever they want, whenever they want. It really is a pretty sweet system.
8 Sims 4 Has Choices For Everything
The Sims has always been ahead of the curve as far as extreme character customization options, and Sims 4 takes it one step further by not limiting much to gender at all. Instead, there are separate options for if a Sim will use the restroom sitting down or standing up, if they can get pregnant, and if they can get another Sim pregnant, among the usual options for hairstyles, clothing, and even the pitch of the Sim's voice.
Sometimes the pronouns get a little wonky when a Sim is being addressed by in-game menus, but it can always be passed off as a poor translation error from Simlish.
7 Hustle Cat Has An Entirely Off-Screen Protagonist
As with many dating sims, Hustle Cat never once actually shows the protagonist. Even better, they offer the player a selection of pronouns which even includes a they/them option.
So what that means is that a player can get incredibly invested in whoever they want to date by inserting themselves, another character, or any of their own ideas free from the distraction of improper pronouns.
6 2064: Read Only Memories Customizes What Can't Be Seen
The protagonist in 2064: Read Only Memories is never actually seen, but during character creation, the player can choose from a wide array of options, from name to sexuality to gender, all of which can be further customized with a list of pronouns and the ability to input custom ones.
The personality of the protagonist is determined by the player's choices, meaning that they can put themselves or whatever character is in their heads right into the game for a massively immersive experience.
5 The Arcana: A Mystic Romance Doesn't Care What The Protagonist Is
The Arcana: A Mystic Romance is another dating sim where the player never actually gets to see the protagonist. Instead, they are given the options of various pronouns, including a gender-neutral option.
The game sends the player character through a story as the apprentice of a mystic, allowing the player to make their own path like in so many other choice-based mobile games. Following that trend, it also tries to convince the player to purchase extra scenes that add nothing to the game.
4 Monster Hunter: World Breaks Gender Norms
Monster Hunter: World has an impressive character creation screen that allows the player to select whatever they want regardless of the base gender. Want makeup and long hair? Doesn't matter if the base is masculine or feminine. It's all the same.
It's just a sweet addition to such an acclaimed video game to have thrown away restrictions on a character's looks based solely on what gender the player selected. No more skimpy, unrealistic armor for the girls and clunky overdone plate mail for the guys — unless it's wanted!
3 Saints Row 4 Goes Above And Beyond
The Saints Row series has never really cared what the player picked for their protagonist. Everything is decided by sliders and a million options, and there's never once been a restriction on what clothes could be worn.
Saints Row 4 goes above and beyond with its customization options, even going so far as to never having anyone address the player character with gender-specific language. The player gets to choose their vocal tone, their body type, and even how they walk and gesture.
2 Cyberpunk 2077 Might Have Been Less Than Ideal, But Made An Effort
Cyberpunk 2077 might have had a rough start, but they at least delivered on the promise to ignore gender entirely during character creation. The menu is to die for, with so many sliders and dials to customize V's appearance and body type that a player could spend all day on that aspect alone.
Instead of adhering to the gender binary, players can focus on exploring buggy Night City with Keanu and forget about the outside world.
1 Versus: The Lost Ones Is An Interactive Novel That Never Shows Anything
Text-based adventures can really benefit from their lack of imagery. Instead, they get to rely heavily on their characters' own thoughts and imaginations, so ensuring the game emphasizes the player's choices is crucial to the success of the experience.
Versus: The Lost Ones stands out since entirely text-based: no graphics, sounds, nothing. It focuses solely on the player's decisions, one of which is the pronouns that the game addresses them by. When searching for a unique experience, give the interactive novel Versus: The Lost Ones a shot.
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