Games worth discovering

Him, her, s/he, they: These five games allow players to express their identity to the fullest

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Video games have always served as a place where people can escape and roleplay. In the real world, I might be a 5’6” theater kid, but give me the controller, and I can be a vengeful god, an ancient assassin, or an orc warrior. These days, the amount of diversity and representation in games is more expansive than it’s ever been. And they’re no longer just a place where gamers go to live out fantasies: They can also be a safe space to express one’s real identity.

In many of today’s games, selecting a class and choosing male or female is only the beginning. We’re seeing games where players can select their gender pronouns, shape their bodies, choose their vocal ranges, and even select their genitalia! For some of us, this translates to unique and comical character designs, and for others, it’s a way to craft a virtual version of themselves that matches the identity they embrace. Whatever the case, the industry is embracing the desire for increased options for self-expression, and so am I!

Here are five games where players can get lost in character creation for hours, and where gender and identity options are explored beyond the most basic binaries.

1. Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 might have been praised for a complex narrative that allows players to choose their own fates, but that’s not the only element of the game that gives players incredible amounts of control. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the character customization system in Baldur’s Gate 3 could easily require a guide. Outside of the origin characters, players can select everything from mythical race, subrace, skin color, and features that are specific to each race like scales. As far as identity signifiers go, players can choose gender (including a nonbinary option), vocal range, hairstyle, background, and genital options. It’s by far one of the most complex character creation systems in a game today and a shining example of what standard character creation systems might look like in the future.

2. Starfield

Starfield is another game that makes fewer gender assumptions and allows players to choose how they want to represent themselves. Starting with a biometric ID (basically a preset base model to begin building from), players can choose body type, walk style, head shape, skin tone, eyebrow color, pronouns, and background. And that’s before even digging into the gameplay skills, which range across a wider variety of sci-fi options like spacesuit design, deception, scavenging, robotics, dueling, and research methods. Players also have the ability to change their skills and appearance in major settlements and by completing quests throughout the game in Starfield. Starfield is futuristic not just in the plot and spacefaring environment, but also in its forward-thinking character creation system.

3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Though certainly not as broad as the character creation systems in Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield, Animal Crossing: New Horizons earns its place on this list by eliminating the concept of gender entirely! From the start, you can select your clothes, hairstyle, eye color, and accessories like beard, nose, mouth, and cheeks—all without the game ever asking your character’s gender or restricting your options in any way. It’s as simple as creating the character you want regardless of labels. This is especially noteworthy, as it was such a difference from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which didn’t just stick to the gender binary but only allowed players to select and have a white skin tone. It may seem like a small, simple step, but I’m glad Nintendo finally took it.

4. The Sims 4

The Sims series has been around since the turn of the millennium and has always been known for its diverse character customization systems. Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Sims 4 broke ground by allowing clothes, hairstyle, makeup, and facial hair to be selected regardless of gender. In later updates, EA added the ability for players to choose pronouns for their Sims, including a they/them designation. One especially noteworthy option is selecting fertility options, as in the ability to get pregnant, get others pregnant, or neither. You can even set whether your Sim can produce milk or pee standing up. Talk about an all-inclusive character creation system.

5. Cyberpunk 2077

I remember first hearing about how I could choose a character’s genitals (or none at all) in Cyberpunk 2077, and my mouth dropped to the floor. It’s not just the goods you’re packing, though. When you create a character in Cyberpunk 2077, you can choose their tattoos, life path, blemish color, nails, nipples, pubic hair style, pubic hair color, and penis size. I’d never even considered some of these things being customizable! It’s not all rosy with this one, though. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t have body type customizations, and other characters use he/she pronouns depending on the voice type that’s selected. The game was also accused of commodifying and objectifying trans people by some observers. Nevertheless, It’s still one of the most in-depth character creation systems I’ve seen in a game.

💬 What are some of your favorite character creation systems you’ve seen? Let me know in the comments.