I'm world building for a fantasy MMORPG and I really want to have a safe and acceptable environment for all possible players. Of course I am going to be realistic and have prejudice in game, it wouldn't be believable if everyone got along. However I personally feel that if a paying consumer of my game feels like having a non binary character, why should I limit them and make them feel uncomfortable? They could always make two separate characters, but then there's a lack of sync and feeling that they are one person. My team also discussed having a feature that switched between avatars while keeping gear and skills. Another idea was a sort of illusion spell that would alter the players body to a set form based off of their original facial shape and general traits. I would like to hear more suggestions and thought of this topic in games, or if something like this has been done before, even if it was not intended for gender fluid people. In the end I would like to have a believable way for a player to switch between male and female in game.
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Do characters in the game have the possibility to beget offspring (male) or to give birth to offspring (female)? Otherwise, they are not male and female, but rather masculine and feminine: which is a much simpler problem, and one that should have minimal impact, if it has any impact at all. Actually, what exactly would be the impact of switching the identifier of a character from Cao Pi to Guo Nüwang? (One of those names is feminine, and the other masculine; which is which is left as an exercise.)
We are working on a function for players to have NPC children. So if they had gotten pregnant they would not be able to change the sex of their avatar, that would cause problems. This is more of gender and appearance, not so much biological sex. Though I guess it would be plausible for them to be pregnant, and then get some one else pregnant after giving birth. If of course it wasn't illusion magic.
It seems like you already know your answer. If it's about gender and appearance, then it's about how a character is physically portrayed. Right? So for example, in an typical MMORPG, you purchase a breastplate from the local armory, you'll have a 'male' version and a 'female' version. Perhaps just give an option to purchase a variety or degree of masculine and feminine armor regardless what biological sex your player is. For example, a male player can purchase a very feminine looking breastplate.
we have plenty of possible answers. It's more of what would make people feel most comfortable. A lot of gender fluid people can have body dysmorphic disorder, and some of them play games for gender comfort. It's like a self applied therapy where you can be what ever you identify with, and others will see and accept you as that gender. So masculine and feminine armor would work and is probably an idea we will use, we don't want someone to feel confined to one gender. Especially because gender fluid people can change from masculine to feminine day to day. the armor also means they may have to buy multiple sets. also some one may feel strongly masculine one day, and strongly feminine another, making a gender ambiguous character a bit awkward.