New Square Enix farming game allows players to be gender-neutral

Having more gender-inclusive pronoun options in a video game, especially an RPG, shouldn’t be a big ask from gamers. A Square Enix producer thinks helping gamers feel welcome by including non-binary pronouns is such a small question that making it a part of his new game was a no-brainer.

The game in question is Cutesy Farming Simulator Harvestellawhich RPG giant Square Enix released yesterday On PC and Switch. Similar, same, equivalent Stardew Valleyletters in between Harvestella They are charged with caring for crops, befriending neighbors and overcoming adversity in the form of environmental disasters. HarvestellaAs Eurogamer noted today, there’s a character creator feature that gives players the option to choose male, female or non-binary pronouns.

in a Interview with Eurogamer, producer Daisuke Taka stated that he felt it was “completely normal” for the game to include a non-binary option for players. While gender-neutral pronouns seem like a small part of the farming sim as a whole, Takka said it’s important to let players choose their gender identity because the game is “for everyone.”

“Harvestella’s hero is the player,” Tuck said Eurogamer. “We thought it was important for the player to create their own character, choosing different elements including gender, appearance, voice and name. We felt it was important so players are not limited and feel free to express themselves however they want and as a result feel much more connected to their characters.”

Read more: Trans inclusion means more than adding possible gender alternatives The Hogwarts Legacy

Recently, characters in video games published as gender-neutral have met with outrage among the gaming community’s peanut gallery. Look no further than the vocal minority Guilty gear strikes The idea that community came when the war Bridget And Testament Came out as transgender and nonbinary, respectively. Phi Phi was so hurt, a troglodyte took it upon himself to impersonate a customer service representative and Fake email about Bridget’s gender.

Square Enix has recently been making strides to ensure that some of its games are more inclusive. in Interview with July 2021 Gamer, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Co-director Motomu Toriyama said LGBTQ+ inclusion is an important issue for both gamers and developers.

“Inside Final Fantasy 7 RemakeWe rebuilt the original game using the latest technology, but we felt that it shouldn’t stop at the technical side and we needed to update the story content in line with modern sensibilities,” Toriyama said. Gamer. In the same month, the company said A non-binary character mascot debutsMina, for that year’s Pride.

However, the JRPG giant doesn’t always get it right. For example, one might want to remind Final Fantasy xvi Producer Naoki Yoshida that, contrary to his moderate view that people of color are walking about your old last fantasy will be Transgress the “narrative boundaries” of the upcoming game’s medieval European settingBlack and brown people are not a “new game plus” feature on planet earth.

I’m more into the vibe than I’m feeling Harvestella Folks “The visibility of gender-nonconforming people has become much more common, so we thought it was important to reflect that within the game and show that all players are welcome in Harvestella,” Tuck said.