This is something I have seen be discussed surprisingly little, and I just wanted to bring some attention to it.
I want to emphasize how awesome it is that a big, AAA Xbox Game Studios release is going to have a transgender protagonist. This is huge, and literally no other game, developer, or publisher that I can remember (at least not the major ones) have allowed for this until now - certainly not in terms of having a pre-defined character you are playing who happens to be transgender.
Dontnod in general have been extremely great and progressive in terms of their games and representation - whether it was by pushing for women protagonists with Remember Me, then again with Life is Strange (also including great LGBTQ representation there with max and Chloe), and even the surprisingly candid commentary on the current state of American Politics with Life is Strange 2. Given that, I actually am entirely confident that they will do justice to their portrayal of a transgender young adult in Tell Me Why.
Mad kudos to Microsoft here as well - I really cannot think of very many publishers that would have taken a risk like this in terms of representation (and yes, we sadly live in a world, and are fans of a medium, where simply having a playable trans protagonist will be viewed by many as "pushing an SJW agenda" - but that's a whole other discussion).
So, yeah. Just wanted to give credit where credit is due (and there's a lot of it due) to MS and Dontnod for this. I sincerely hope this is the kind of thing that becomes more and more commonplace. Gaming is enjoyed by billions of people worldwide, from all walks of life. The characters in the games we play should start reflecting that.
I want to emphasize how awesome it is that a big, AAA Xbox Game Studios release is going to have a transgender protagonist. This is huge, and literally no other game, developer, or publisher that I can remember (at least not the major ones) have allowed for this until now - certainly not in terms of having a pre-defined character you are playing who happens to be transgender.
Dontnod in general have been extremely great and progressive in terms of their games and representation - whether it was by pushing for women protagonists with Remember Me, then again with Life is Strange (also including great LGBTQ representation there with max and Chloe), and even the surprisingly candid commentary on the current state of American Politics with Life is Strange 2. Given that, I actually am entirely confident that they will do justice to their portrayal of a transgender young adult in Tell Me Why.
Mad kudos to Microsoft here as well - I really cannot think of very many publishers that would have taken a risk like this in terms of representation (and yes, we sadly live in a world, and are fans of a medium, where simply having a playable trans protagonist will be viewed by many as "pushing an SJW agenda" - but that's a whole other discussion).
So, yeah. Just wanted to give credit where credit is due (and there's a lot of it due) to MS and Dontnod for this. I sincerely hope this is the kind of thing that becomes more and more commonplace. Gaming is enjoyed by billions of people worldwide, from all walks of life. The characters in the games we play should start reflecting that.
