When it comes to trans and nonbinary representation, the games industry is in a state of flux. Change is happening, especially in the indie scene, but it’s a long process that’s creating a landscape of unpredictability. New releases that have the opportunity to challenge the status quo often fall short, as seen in the initial feedback about Cyberpunk 2077: Fans were divided on whether the inclusion of a trans character outweighed the subtle transphobia at play in the game.
Even other so-called best efforts, like Dragon Age: Inquisition and The Last of Us 2, rely on fetishism and trauma. It becomes a tired tapestry of clichés and misunderstandings, helped along by a lack of LGBTQIA+ conversations. If developers took the time to talk with a diverse mix of LGBTQ+ gamers, they’d better appreciate the nuance needed to create well-rounded queer characters. Instead, trauma mining—specifically trans trauma—is often a point of focus, an issue that could be eradicated if more trans input was brought to the table.
The LGBTQ+ games scene is “deteriorating,” Phoebe Zeitler, a trans gamer, tells WIRED.
Currently, representation is disjointed; for every hit there are several misses, and the hits often come from independent game developers crafting new narratives, not traditionally risk-averse AAA publishers. Gaming has always struggled to properly represent LGBTQ+ characters, with previous generations using trans inclusion as a joke, like in the Grand Theft Auto series. Sadly, that precedent of questionable portrayals has worsened.
Learning From Big-Budget Missteps
One example of where potentially well-meaning inclusivity fell short is 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its introduction of a third gender option in its character customization tools. When Activision added the nonbinary/trans option to the game, it seemed to be making headway—gamers across the LGBTQ+ spectrum would finally feel properly included.
Unfortunately, what Activision did was introduce a “classified” feature as opposed to a specifically nonbinary/trans one. Despite actively touting the feature as a gender-free alternative, the reality was that Activision avoided fully committing to trans inclusion, instead taking the easy “other” option. It turned a potentially progressive stance into a sour experience.
Having a “classified” option may feel appropriate given the game’s military missions, redacted files, and secretive, stealthy plot. However, as soon as you recognize that the male and female options remain the same, “classified” suddenly takes on a sinister tone. It reinforces, however unintentionally, the idea that nonbinary and transgender characters (and their players) are “others,” somehow outside of the accepted norm.
When Activision announced this option, the news was met with both praise and scorn from fans. Those who supported the decision couldn't understand the issue, asking why anyone would even take offense at the option. Meanwhile, those against the move fell behind the too-familiar rallying cry of “historical accuracy” as cover for their own homophobia or transphobia.
But Call of Duty is hardly alone. Also notorious is September 2020’s Cyberpunk 2077, a game that promised much, yet all but crashed and burned within weeks of its release. Although bugs cemented its fate, the game attempted to offer some form of trans representation through its character customization. Players could choose typical options like hair, makeup, and gender, but they were also allowed to choose their character’s genitalia regardless of the gender they selected, appropriately separating gender from biological sex.
Most PopularBusinessThe End of Airbnb in New York
Amanda Hoover
BusinessThis Is the True Scale of New York’s Airbnb Apocalypse
Amanda Hoover
CultureStarfield Will Be the Meme Game for Decades to Come
Will Bedingfield
GearThe 15 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride
Adrienne So
For many, this felt like a huge step in the right direction. Sadly, however, below the surface of this customization, what players found in-game was a largely cisgendered world which served to reinforce the binary rather than challenge it, even in the game’s own fictional media. Cyberpunk could have challenged the world we know through its world building, choosing to explore dystopian themes on a deeper level. Instead, the devs rely on surface imagery to add texture to its environment. The messages of consumerism, capitalism, violence, and sex all remain two-dimensional—nothing more than an aesthetic aid.
We can see this in the way a lot of the environment adheres to gender norms we recognize today, such as certain clothes being for men, makeup being only for women, and so on. That binary continues when a character, V, is scanned, and her sexual preferences are categorized into male and female—there’s a lot of either/or.
Even with the inclusion of ranged gender expression, the either/or element is still there. Arguably, it’s intensified into a fetishism of how trans bodies look. Just as sexuality is simplified, so too is transness—it focuses on genitalia being the main marker of trans bodies.
“The game overtly fetishizes transgender women’s bodies. The entire point of the character designs appears to highlight their “trans” nature and in doing so reduces trans people down to their genitals,” says Kate Rayner, technical director at The Coalition, makers of Gears of War. “The reverse argument the developers make that they are trans-positive—and by exploiting trans bodies they portray a dystopian future to fight against—is weak and does not justify the negative representation.”
Predominately, the issue with Cyberpunk was its fetishization of femme trans bodies, with images depicting enlarged penises on display; it offered a caricature of trans representation as opposed to authenticity. This brought up the age-old question: exploitative or inclusive?
What Representation Really Looks Like
Thankfully, not everything is so dire. There are several games across the spectrum that deliver a more authentic representation of nonbinary and trans experiences. Dragon Age: Inquisition and one of its fan-favorite NPCs, Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi, is a perfect example.
From the moment I was introduced to Aclassi in the game, I loved the character. There was a subtlety to them, an authenticity that was recognizable from that first interaction; I was drawn to them, and discussing them with other trans and enby gamers, I realized I wasn't alone. So it came as a huge blow that they couldn't be romanced by the player’s character in-game—although Bioware does include a love interest for Aclassi in the Trespasser DLC. Best described as short but sweet, the DLC felt like an easy way to offer some inclusivity and keep fans happy(ish).
“Krem in Dragon Age: Inquisition broke new ground as one of the first authentic representations of a transmasculine character in a mainstream game,” Rayner says. Including a trans NPC that plays a substantial role in the story, and who isn’t fetishized, initially wowed the fans. However, this representation wasn’t without issue. There’s an “othering” dynamic to the character’s portrayal, with questions of their gender identity feeling invasive rather than inclusive. Trans people don’t owe anyone explanations, yet this game almost sends the message that if you ask someone, they’ll always tell.
Most PopularBusinessThe End of Airbnb in New York
Amanda Hoover
BusinessThis Is the True Scale of New York’s Airbnb Apocalypse
Amanda Hoover
CultureStarfield Will Be the Meme Game for Decades to Come
Will Bedingfield
GearThe 15 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride
Adrienne So
“By setting up his conversation with you as an education into transness, it really drove home the point that you, the player, obviously could not be trans. It assumed the game’s audience was cis players, just like your average mainstream game assumed a hetero player, a male player,” Rayner says.
Partnered with this uncomfortable gray area, the choice of voice actor—a cisgender woman portraying a trans man—also tainted its trans representation. Although Jennifer Hale is an exceptional voice actor, fondly referred to as “a kind of Meryl Streep of the form,'' her involvement was due to her being highly recognizable to the fandom. If trans authenticity had driven character creation, a trans voice actor would have been chosen.
Fortunately, more games—and their developers—have stopped assuming that their players are all cisgender, hetereosexual men, as Dontnod Entertainment’s Tell Me Why demonstrates. Although the game includes an openly trans character, Tyler, his transness isn’t what specifically drives the story, it’s just an element of his character.
“He’s exactly who he says he is without saying he’s trans,” says August Aiden Black, the trans actor who plays the character. Sure, Tyler’s past trauma is mentioned, but the fact that he’s trans isn’t presented in a way that makes it feel like tokenism. Tyler simply is who he is.
This is likely why the game has been praised as one of the best queer games of 2020, because it delivers an inclusive queer experience in a natural way, indicative of genuine LGBTQ+ experiences. By using trans masculine actors to voice Tyler across all languages, as well as working closely with GLAAD, Dontnod was able to ensure it was as realistic and respectful to the character as possible.
“GLAAD was an invaluable partner in this journey and should rightfully be highlighted for their contribution to the game … they helped us have a better view of the history of representation in mainstream media, access contacts and resources that would have been difficult otherwise being a small French studio in Paris, France, and much more.” Livvy Hall, the Xbox Community Manager of Tell Me Why, explains that GLAAD’s help allowed the team to do better than games that had come before it. The organization's wealth of knowledge, alongside trans experiences and feedback, allowed Tell Me Why to avoid the common trans pitfalls often seen in mainstream media.
Working with LGBTQ+ institutions like GLAAD is an invaluable resource—and more developers should consider doing so to make sure the games they produce are authentically diverse. Games need to hold up a mirror to queer culture, as trans gamer Phoebe Zeitler explains: "At the end of the day, avoiding offensive portrayals of LGBTQ+ people isn’t about grinding out some kind of performative ritual to please the great god 'cancel culture.' It’s about better reflecting both the world around us and the world that we want to see."
More Great WIRED Stories📩 The latest on tech, science, and more: Get our newsletters!Can a digital reality be jacked directly into your brain?“AR is where the real metaverse is going to happen”The sneaky way TikTok connects you to real-life friendsAffordable automatic watches that feel luxeWhy can’t people teleport?👁️ Explore AI like never before with our new database🏃🏽♀️ Want the best tools to get healthy? Check out our Gear team’s picks for the best fitness trackers, running gear (including shoes and socks), and best headphones