Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

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Zelan
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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#16 Post by Zelan »

Katy133 wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:57 pm If you wish to stay more historically-accurate, but still want to add pronoun options for androgynous/non-binary player characters, you could use he/she/he--the third "he" would be considered gender-neutral versus the first "he," which would be the male option.

The use of "he" to refer to a person of unknown gender ("the generic 'he'") was used in manuals and school textbooks from the early 18th century until around the 1960s. An early example of this is Anne Fisher's 1745 grammar book "A New Grammar." Older editions of Fowler also did this.
The customer brought his purchases to the cashier for checkout.
In a supermarket, anyone can buy anything he needs.
When a customer argues, always agree with him.
Source: World Heritage Encyclopedia

Another method that has been used in the past is the "it" pronoun when referring to someone whose gender or sex is unclear (this was usually used for children, babies, and animals). Oscar Wilde commonly used this in his writing.

The visual novel's in-universe explanation could be that the speaker (a person of the 1960s) can't identify the player character's sex just by looking at them, so they refer to the player character using generic pronouns (rather than outright ask what their sex is, which could be considered a faux pas).
This makes sense in terms of historical accuracy, but in terms of inclusiveness, it really doesn't make much sense. At that point, why even bother making a third gender an option? And it doesn't take into account the fact that the person might imagine their character as presenting in a more feminine way. Not everyone who is non-binary has a masculine appearance.

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#17 Post by Widdershins »

FriendlySenpai wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:10 pm A good example ... included a gender neutral pronoun option and a non-binary character despite the story being set in a very gendered society. It worked well because there wasn't any sort of emphasis being put on the pronouns, they were just there. You don't have to get into exploring the concept of nonbinary gender identities just because they exist within the story.
Draziya wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:34 pm ... if you give players the option to choose pronouns, they will most likely choose pronouns they identify with. This means that anyone who has a problem with it breaking their immersion will not ever see their character being referred to with those pronouns. Those who do use those pronouns will have one more game where they can play as someone who uses the same pronouns as them.
Thank you both for chiming in! I'll admit, I was a little surprised by the suggestion that offering any pronoun options (as opposed to having one established player character gender) would detract from the story-- naturally, in some narrative settings it may require more intensive adjustments to accommodate, but as a player I've always appreciated seeing the option when it pops up. I look at it roughly as putting out another place setting at the table: whether someone takes the seat or not, the dinner party is going to be more welcoming and rewarding for everyone if you know nobody is going to be sent away hungry. It also suggests there's a variety of palates being catered to, as well, which means a greater likelihood I'll find something to my own tastes. My worries now as a creator are in making sure I realize what my expectations as a player would be, to the best of my ability.
Zelan wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:47 pm Sometimes, going out of your way to address the realism of nonbinary pronouns can have a negative impact, especially with historical fiction ... my friend described their treatment as "othering." This is especially important considering how much my friend loved the same studio's portrayal of a nonbinary love interest in the last game, which was set in a sci-fantasy setting. Gender was barely even acknowledged - the character was called "they" and that was that.

Also, ... Not every small town is going to be made up of staunchly traditional Republican types. Even if that's the mentality of the town as a whole, you can still have characters who are more open/accepting of nonbinary gender identities and wouldn't bat an eye about it.
This is enormously helpful insight, on all fronts. I feel as you do about the setting, mostly because regardless of how socially conservative a culture's established ideology might be, humans are not infrequently more liberal in making allowances for individual people they know-- and while it's only been in recent years they have started gaining a wider voice and accommodation in our culture, non-standard gender and sexual identities are nothing new. Your friend's experience with the Victorian-set game is one that gives me some pause; I'm treading lightly as I can with my non-binary character, but the way other characters relate and refer to them is not always ideal, even without anyone having bad intentions. It's something I plan to run by more knowledgeable friends and possibly seek outside readers for later on, once the script is done. Thank you again for that insight!
Katy133 wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:57 pm The visual novel's in-universe explanation could be that the speaker (a person of the 1960s) can't identify the player character's sex just by looking at them, so they refer to the player character using generic pronouns (rather than outright ask what their sex is, which could be considered a faux pas).
More or less my *exact* mental justification for never addressing it head-on, so it's a relief to hear someone else independently arrive at the same conclusion. There's so much going on in the plot, too, it really feels out of place to delve into it: the characters are more concerned with how someone from 2012 landed in their midst, and circumstances also dictate that being trapped in town with a growing food shortage and sundry other, more mysterious events rather takes precedence over hashing out the newcomer's gender identity.
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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#18 Post by verysunshine »

Katy133 wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:57 pm If you wish to stay more historically-accurate, but still want to add pronoun options for androgynous/non-binary player characters, you could use he/she/he--the third "he" would be considered gender-neutral versus the first "he," which would be the male option.

The use of "he" to refer to a person of unknown gender ("the generic 'he'") was used in manuals and school textbooks from the early 18th century until around the 1960s. An early example of this is Anne Fisher's 1745 grammar book "A New Grammar." Older editions of Fowler also did this.
The customer brought his purchases to the cashier for checkout.
In a supermarket, anyone can buy anything he needs.
When a customer argues, always agree with him.
Source: World Heritage Encyclopedia

Another method that has been used in the past is the "it" pronoun when referring to someone whose gender or sex is unclear (this was usually used for children, babies, and animals). Oscar Wilde commonly used this in his writing.

The visual novel's in-universe explanation could be that the speaker (a person of the 1960s) can't identify the player character's sex just by looking at them, so they refer to the player character using generic pronouns (rather than outright ask what their sex is, which could be considered a faux pas).
These options are historically accurate, but using them might not be helpful. If the language and terms used in the writing are always reflective of the 1960s, these ideas would work. 1960s English is really close to modern English. Beyond that, you may have missed a linguistic issue. You're talking about generic antecedents.

The usage of "he" and "it"" are referencing the fact that English has no gender-ambiguous third-person singular pronoun. "He" was phased out in favour of "he/she" or "(s)he" because it read as presuming a male gender, which has gender equality issues. (The Persons Case is relevant here.)

"It" is not used the same way as other pronouns. "It" is neuter (no gender), which is different than "gender ambiguous" in English. "One" is gender-ambiguous, but is considered impersonal.

In this case, "they" is serving a different purpose. It's not being used to identify a person whose gender is unknown. They is the player's known gender. Using "he" or "it" in this context would be equivalent to saying, "The star of the men's basketball team gave his/her jersey to his/her mother."

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#19 Post by Zelan »

verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:14 pmIn this case, "they" is serving a different purpose. It's not being used to identify a person whose gender is unknown. They is the player's known gender. Using "he" or "it" in this context would be equivalent to saying, "The star of the men's basketball team gave his/her jersey to his/her mother."
I think that what Katy133 was referring to is the fact that some of the characters within the game would not know the player's gender and would default to using "he" or "it."

Regardless, for the reasons that both you and I put forth, I agree that using either of those pronouns instead of "they" wouldn't be a good idea.

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#20 Post by verysunshine »

Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:07 pm
verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:14 pmIn this case, "they" is serving a different purpose. It's not being used to identify a person whose gender is unknown. They is the player's known gender. Using "he" or "it" in this context would be equivalent to saying, "The star of the men's basketball team gave his/her jersey to his/her mother."
I think that what Katy133 was referring to is the fact that some of the characters within the game would not know the player's gender and would default to using "he" or "it."

Regardless, for the reasons that both you and I put forth, I agree that using either of those pronouns instead of "they" wouldn't be a good idea.
I know several people who use they, some of whom look gender ambiguous and others who don't. Sometimes this results in gendering errors.

If the player has no way to customize the character's appearance, the simplest option might be to have the character look confused and ask "Are you a boy or a girl", with "neither" being an acceptable answer.

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#21 Post by Zelan »

verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:22 pm
Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:07 pm
verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:14 pmIn this case, "they" is serving a different purpose. It's not being used to identify a person whose gender is unknown. They is the player's known gender. Using "he" or "it" in this context would be equivalent to saying, "The star of the men's basketball team gave his/her jersey to his/her mother."
I think that what Katy133 was referring to is the fact that some of the characters within the game would not know the player's gender and would default to using "he" or "it."

Regardless, for the reasons that both you and I put forth, I agree that using either of those pronouns instead of "they" wouldn't be a good idea.
I know several people who use they, some of whom look gender ambiguous and others who don't. Sometimes this results in gendering errors.

If the player has no way to customize the character's appearance, the simplest option might be to have the character look confused and ask "Are you a boy or a girl", with "neither" being an acceptable answer.
I'm aware that some people who use they/them don't look gender ambiguous, hence what I said earlier:
Zelan wrote:And it doesn't take into account the fact that the person might imagine their character as presenting in a more feminine way. Not everyone who is non-binary has a masculine appearance.

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#22 Post by verysunshine »

Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:50 pm
verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:22 pm
Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:07 pm

I think that what Katy133 was referring to is the fact that some of the characters within the game would not know the player's gender and would default to using "he" or "it."

Regardless, for the reasons that both you and I put forth, I agree that using either of those pronouns instead of "they" wouldn't be a good idea.
I know several people who use they, some of whom look gender ambiguous and others who don't. Sometimes this results in gendering errors.

If the player has no way to customize the character's appearance, the simplest option might be to have the character look confused and ask "Are you a boy or a girl", with "neither" being an acceptable answer.
I'm aware that some people who use they/them don't look gender ambiguous, hence what I said earlier:
Zelan wrote:And it doesn't take into account the fact that the person might imagine their character as presenting in a more feminine way. Not everyone who is non-binary has a masculine appearance.
I know you're aware. The issue is how to handle how a player imagines their character using code.

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#23 Post by Zelan »

verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:56 pm
Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:50 pm
verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:22 pm

I know several people who use they, some of whom look gender ambiguous and others who don't. Sometimes this results in gendering errors.

If the player has no way to customize the character's appearance, the simplest option might be to have the character look confused and ask "Are you a boy or a girl", with "neither" being an acceptable answer.
I'm aware that some people who use they/them don't look gender ambiguous, hence what I said earlier:
Zelan wrote:And it doesn't take into account the fact that the person might imagine their character as presenting in a more feminine way. Not everyone who is non-binary has a masculine appearance.
I know you're aware. The issue is how to handle how a player imagines their character using code.
I apologize for assuming that you were lecturing me. That response on my part was pretty rude to you and didn't actually further the discussion at all.

To the topic at hand, I think I'm only reiterating old points here, but even having less sympathetic characters purposely misgender the protagonist for the sake of historical accuracy would be problematic, as it doesn't take into account the way that a person using they/them might choose to present. (As a matter of fact, those using binary pronouns don't always conform to traditional gender roles either, but that's a whole other discussion.)

I suppose you could have some sort of mechanic like asking "What should people misgendering the protagonist call them?" but... that's honestly way too ham-fisted, and like, would anyone even want to answer that question?

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#24 Post by verysunshine »

Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:38 pm
verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:56 pm
Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:50 pm

I'm aware that some people who use they/them don't look gender ambiguous, hence what I said earlier:

I know you're aware. The issue is how to handle how a player imagines their character using code.
I apologize for assuming that you were lecturing me. That response on my part was pretty rude to you and didn't actually further the discussion at all.

To the topic at hand, I think I'm only reiterating old points here, but even having less sympathetic characters purposely misgender the protagonist for the sake of historical accuracy would be problematic, as it doesn't take into account the way that a person using they/them might choose to present. (As a matter of fact, those using binary pronouns don't always conform to traditional gender roles either, but that's a whole other discussion.)

I suppose you could have some sort of mechanic like asking "What should people misgendering the protagonist call them?" but... that's honestly way too ham-fisted, and like, would anyone even want to answer that question?
It's okay. I'm not offended.

We might be interpreting the scenario of a character misgendering the main character differently. I wasn't clear enough, and I have realised there are multiple ways to handle this.
A) Write the dialogue so the character's gender is never mentioned.
B) Have the character misgendering fail to get a gender, then ask.

Code: Select all

if gender = "he":
	official "Come this way, sir."
if gender = "she":
	official "Come this way, ma'am."
if gender = "they":
	official "Come this way..."
	"Just [name] is fine."

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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#25 Post by Katy133 »

I tried looking for games (that are set in the 60s or before) that give players pronoun options, for examples on how different games have approached this.

The interactive fiction game, Tally Ho! is set in the 1920s and has a male/female/non-binary option. I've played through the game and found that there were actually very few instances where the player character is referred to as "they" or as "a person" (to replace words like "a gentleman" or "a lady"), and other characters don't question it. This is mainly because of what TV Tropes refers to as the All-Concealing "I", a framing device where gender pronouns are rarely used for the narrator because they are the "eye" of the story.

Another example is the game Undertale, which is set in an anachronistic fantasy setting (the year is called "20XX" and seems to mainly contain medieval, 80s, and modern-day aesthetics/technology). Undertale is not as close an example of what we're looking for compared to Tally Ho! (since it's set after the 60s and there's no option to play as a male or female character), but we can still see that there's very few instances where the character's gender is mentioned (as far as I know/remember, the character is only referred to as "they" near the end of the game).

Another example is Super Solvers: Midnight Rescue! An edutainment game set in the 90s (when it was made) where the player is wearing a large coat, gloves, and a hat, making them a featureless protagonist. As far I as can remember, the game doesn't refer to the player as "they," and instead addresses the player as "you" or by a gender-neutral title (such as the "Super Solver" or as "a friend"). Again, like Undertale, the player is not given a pronoun option, and it's set after the 60s. Another reason why this is a less helpful example than Tally Ho! is because the character can be interpreted as androgynous (meaning they simply look ambiguous, but identify as male or female), rather than agender.

Looking into these and other examples in games (or even Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novels) may give ideas on how to approach this.
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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#26 Post by Draziya »

Since we're talking about games that deal with non-binary or gender neutral pronouns that aren't set now, let me go ahead and do a bit of a case study on Fallen London.

So we're on the same page, Fallen London is not a Visual Novel. Fallen London is a browser-based interactive fiction game. It has some multi-player aspects but it is largely single player. It is set in an alternative Victorian London that was stolen underground.

Fallen London is well known for its gender options:
  • A Lady
  • A Gentleman
  • My dear sir, there are individuals roaming the streets of Fallen London at this very moment with the faces of squid! Squid! Do you ask them their gender? And yet you waste our time asking me trifling and impertinent questions about mine? It is my own business, sir, and I bid you good day.
Until about two years ago, when NPCs tried to address those who chose the third option, they would go "ah, Si-, er, Mad-, er, yes" rather than "Sir" or "Madam". This had received mixed feedback. On the one hand some people loved it, on the other hand it made others uncomfortable.

Fallen London addressed this by adding Titles and forms of Address. You can choose to have your character be addressed as "Sir", "Madam", "Citizen", "Deacon", "Lieutenant", "Private", "Doctor", "Lady" and "Lord." You can even unlock more Titles as your character progresses in the game. You can also opt to let people be unsure of what to call you, which will allow you to let NPCs refer to you with "ah, Si-, er, Mad-, er, yes".

Of course, the way Fallen London is set out means that NPCs never need to refer to you with pronouns, and this may not be the case for you. This also works with the gothic tone of the game, which may not be applicable to your game. Still, Fallen London is a great example of dealing with pronouns in a setting that is not now or in the future.
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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#27 Post by Widdershins »

verysunshine wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:22 pm I know several people who use they, some of whom look gender ambiguous and others who don't. Sometimes this results in gendering errors.
Zelan wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:38 pm ... even having less sympathetic characters purposely misgender the protagonist for the sake of historical accuracy would be problematic, as it doesn't take into account the way that a person using they/them might choose to present. (As a matter of fact, those using binary pronouns don't always conform to traditional gender roles either ...)
Indeed. Personally, I find that at a certain point, being a stickler for historical accuracy and/or detailed specifics has diminishing returns. Opting for an unembellished he/she/them in this case is a compromise: without a setting rendering it a non-issue, incorporating multiple, nuanced genders and forms of address requires direct notice in dialogue, and to do that both responsibly and with realism-- in a period setting, especially-- risks subsuming any other plot into that story. My goal in skimming the surface (and otherwise dodging the main character's gender altogether) is to avoid sticky dialogues, potential misgenderings, and assumptions based on appearance, and allow for the player to fill in the blanks with their own interpretation, hopefully without any overt conflicts with the established world. It's possibly fudging the line a little on realism, but still seems the tidiest way of keeping inclusivity and believeability in balance.

As a secondary aside: if the option of choosing pronouns is on offer, I'm reeeaaally uncomfortable with the idea of even the least sympathetic of characters in the most realistic of settings misgendering the player character. It feels like a hard betrayal of trust to, as a creator, effectively say "Here, in this immersive space, you can actively alter the world settings by selecting to be known as X, and the game will respect your word"-- and then still have characters in game overriding that selection. As with most things, I'm sure there's a right way to do it, but in my view it belongs in the same Use Caution pile as abuse, racism, ableism, intensive bullying, etc.: it's widespread, real-life behavior that is othering and undermines an individual's autonomy/humanity. I do believe there's a place to discuss heavy subjects in games and narrative media-- but that place isn't a dialogue meant to drive home the player made a non-standard choice, nor in a casual aside to give a mean and/or ignorant character flavor text. We already cherry-pick what aspects of reality to incorporate into our stories, and which to excise or replace with fantasy: why opt for a "realistic" narrative choice that could potentially be hurtful to the player instead of just the character, damage immersion by suggesting the player's choices are irrelevant, and all for an effect that can often be conveyed in many other, less potentially harmful ways?

Loose example: I find that when I can choose to play as a female character in a story-based game, the flavor text that changes based on gender frequently includes an uptick in the sexual harassment faced by the player character, such as being given gendered insults, or subject to lascivious commentary by unlikable side characters (often with a dash of astonishment at finding the female player character is capable). It doesn't really serve to make me feel more connected to the character, or the story, so much as it gives me a moment to sigh, "Here, too?", particularly when my partner plays the same game as a male character and gets none of that-- or (worse) is invited by the game to participate in directing those same negative behaviors at female side characters. Sometimes, telling the same story the same way between genders undermines the narrative less than a more true-to-life take does, in my opinion. It's the push-pull when it comes to the responsibilities of a storyteller, and the responsibilities of a historian. Ideally, there should be plenty of overlap in both directions (history grounds storytelling, storytelling brings history relatability and relevance); but ultimately storytellers and historians have different goals, and there ought to be divergences, too.

This is my own personal Writer's Code, but it informs my current question and feels relevant to the discussion, since it's branched out, so I hope the digression is okay.
Katy133 wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:06 pm This is mainly because of what TV Tropes refers to as the All-Concealing "I", a framing device where gender pronouns are rarely used for the narrator because they are the "eye" of the story.
This is exactly what I'm relying most heavily on, as well-- I didn't realize there was a name for it as a narrative device. (Your list of games is terrific for reference-- thank you for including it! I even remember playing Super Solvers in computer lab as a kid, too, because I am an Old).
Draziya wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:40 pm ... Fallen London is well known for its gender options ...
I've never heard of Fallen London before, and now I desperately want to look it up! The use of Titles and Forms of Address is ingenious, and it sounds like an excellent course-correction to expand when there was discomfort with the initial third option response. It sounds like a more fantastic setting with less direct character interaction than my present project, but it's a brilliant way to implement a story as light handed and inclusive both, which is exactly what interests me. Thank you so much for sharing!
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Re: Question regarding offering preferred pronouns option for main player character

#28 Post by verysunshine »

Fallen London is amazing. Go check it out.

For other interesting representations of gender, you could look at the books "Rising Stories" by Don LePan, in which the main character, Robin, never has a defined gender, and the visual novel Analouge: A Hate Story, in which the main character is given a gender, but is only called Investigator. "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison does something similar with race: two girls are established as being different races, and the entire story is about racial issues, but it's never established which girl is which race.

You could also look at essays about books where the main character's gender is unknown to see how essay writers handle it.

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