Progressive Starfield Lets Players Pick Their Pronouns
It's nice to look back at how far representation and inclusivity has come in video games, but it's very clear there is still a long way to go regarding the actual industry itself and the content of the games. Something as simple as inclusive pronouns is a good start, though, and next year's Starfield is set to let players choose their own and NPCs will respond accordingly.
How Do We Know Starfield Will Let Players Choose Pronouns?
The news comes from a recent Reddit AMA with Bethesda Game Studio Executive Producer Todd Howard. One user enquired about the upcoming game, saying they'd heard it will be more of a hardcore RPG experience, and asked Howard to elaborate a little.
"Really excited about what the team has done with character creation here. Including choosing background, skills, etc." Todd responded, before continuing, "You can also pick your pronoun (he, she, they) and we've recorded all the relevant dialogue to support that choice."
It may seem like a small inclusion, but for gamers struggling to see themselves represented in media, it means a lot. Also, for an RPG game predicated on immersing yourself into the experience and inhabiting the character you play as, it adds depth to the role-playing aspect. Considering the amount of dialogue set to be in Starfield, it must have been a lot of work to tweak aspects to match the player's preferred gender experience.
What Else Did We Learn From The AMA?
Throughout the AMA, Todd Howard illuminated some details on Starfield and even shared a cute anecdote about his son: "For Father's Day this year my son gave me a card that said, 'You're amazing Dad, but where's TES6?'" We agree mini Howard, keep pressing him for it please.
One user asked about Starfield's modding capabilities and if Bethesda would offer the same support as previous entries, which Howard confirmed was the case, adding "Our modding community has been with us for over 20 years. We love what they do and hope to see more make a career out of it."
Lastly, he also confirmed some smaller details, such as the inclusion of robot companions and that Bethesda is still struggling in their ongoing battle with making ladders usable in their Gamebryo engine. Some things never change, eh?
Starfield is set to release on November 11, 2022. It will launch for Xbox Series X|S and select PC storefronts, as well as coming to the Xbox Game Pass on day one.