this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023
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Tbh I don't even know why the option even exists. I have 2 days worth of playtime and not once does it go on about pronouns or anything like that. So to me the menu seems completely pointless. If i can recall i also don't think the NPCs have even referred to me as male or he/him. Maybe Bethesda added it last minute or something to try to appeal to a larger group of people idk. I'm just enjoying my spaceship man.
I'm not super far in, but I have heard it. The first time I remember hearing it is in the opening act when Lin is telling Barrett about you. Also when Sam talks to the marshal about you in Akila City. I suppose there are only so many opportunities for other characters to talk about you while you're standing right there, but it does pop up, so it's nice to have the option for those moments.
Do people really care what gender the MC is? I just role play as whatever gender the character is.
If I'm playing Tomb Raider, I am Laura Croft. If I play GTA, I'm CJ or Trevor or whatever. If I'm given a choice, I'll sometimes look up if the gender matters (e.g. in Mount and Blade it can impact relations), and otherwise just pick randomly. When there's a character creation screen, I usually randomize it a few times and get into the game.
I wouldn't mind role playing as a gay or trans person, though I'd be a little worried about the content because I'm not looking for anything with relationships, I want to wreck monsters and solve puzzles.
Depends on if the character's supposed to be a self insert. In a game with deep customization you may be trying to make yourself, and not playing as Lara Croft or Geralt, so being able to choose your pronouns helps immersion, and immersion's a big deal to many players who'll take it anywhere they can get it in a game, whether it's pronouns, or being able to see your torso and feet when you look down.
Huh, I guess I never want to insert myself because I'm not that interesting. :) I play games to escape myself, and I really hate seeing my own name show up in games.
But that's probably more my personality (I hate being publicly praised) than anything else.
Revisit this thought whenever you consider if other people "really care" about something that you don't instead of questioning whether inclusion is ever "necessary".
That's fair.
It's just not something I have experience with. Even my wife, who likes public validation, also prefers to role play in games.
But that's the great thing about most RPGs, they have options to get whatever character model you want. So whether I understand people wanting to play as themselves or not is irrelevant. You can make your character look like yourself, I can make my character look random, and a trans person can make their character look like they see themselves. How I choose to make my character look has no impact on anyone else's experience.
Tell that to the idiots making mods like this. Not that it changes anything for anyone but themselves, but it does promote bullshit bigotry over a menu selection of all things and fully deserves to be shut down.
And none of this is about "public validation". It's about having even just one more avenue for people that don't happen to be cis white males to make a character for themselves that's more relatable. More options should always be welcome. It hurts nobody and lifts up many.
Yup, I agree. The mods exist to push a narrative and make others angry, that's it.
I could understand if Bethesda made the MC trans with no way to change that, but expanding role play options is never a bad thing IMO.
Most guys choose to be guys when given the choice, for example. Apparently a lot of people do care. Gender fluid, agender people, casgender people, etc may not care or vary more.
Why would I want to stare at a man's ass and hear his grunts for hours on end.
Idk. Why would someone want to have a man's ass and voice? Seems weird to me. Yet about half of the world seem to want to be guys. And most of those are happy to be a choose to be a guy when customization is an option. I can't answer why so many guys consistently and choose to be guys in game (and sometimes have pride in their characters appearance and try to brag about their it) or some tease other people they perceived as guys for choosing to be a girl in-game when I can't understand why they want to be guys in the first place.
For me, I relate more to those who make fun of themselves for using that excuse because they were in denial. I've definitely been there. Of course there are guys (cis or trans) who like playing as girls too; I just can't relate (aro-ace spec).
When you meet Sam & Cora they'll refer to you by your pronoun while they talk about you.
The whole thing is just to make the character generation non binary, that's it. I don't see why this is such a big deal for some people. I'm a cis male, I select a masculine body type and go with he / him, or maybe they / them, and be done with it. It does nothing but help others feel more included.
Ohhhh. Wow i never noticed that tbh. I was so focused on trying to win sarah over. Never met a more picky person in my life. Now she resides on europa because she bitches every time i steal or a innocent sounding dialog option makes her mad. Sam is cool every ounce and a while he says something about me stealing but it's not as annoying. I've yet to come across cora. I spend so much time in the ship builder.
You might've missed their initial dialog in the lodge, which happened in that garden area. You can find her typically in the basement where she has her room and she will be on board of your ship if you assign Sam onto it. The kids in Starfield are actually pretty cute and wholesome, unlike the literal spawns of Satan from Skyrim.
Ohhh that kid! I completely ignored that little stinker. I remember her trying to con me out of 50 creds for books. I'm too greedy for that i got ships to build.
You probably would have noticed it if they used the wrong pronouns. Which is why the option exists...
I did notice it when creating my character but the only thing I thought was "Oh hey, cool"
Edit: I thought you said you didn't notice the option even exists but I'll just leave this here anyways
It was most likely a Marketing/management decision, just a checkbox to fill to show people they "care".
Or one of the many, many people involved with development suggested it because it applied to them or someone they knew and the decision was made to include it out of respect for the people involved.
Or, maybe, inclusivity is never a bad thing, regardless of your personal level of cynicism. Hate the world all you want, but there are people out there that appreciate and deserve things like this.
Ahh the old "they did the right thing for the wrong reason" argument. Maybe, just maybe, somebody at the company did actually care?