Yesterday it was revealed that Square Enix’s upcoming action RPG has a bit of a twist with an intersex character. There has been a lack of respect in some of the gaming blogs about the announcement, to say the least. Gender identity is something that has not been on the radar much in gaming and I would love to see this change in the future.
A little aside; I would just like to say, while I did recently have a rant on the controversy surrounding
Shadow Complex, it does not mean I have some sort of LGBT agenda. I just have very strong opinions on these topics and am very passionate about positive activism.
Continuing on with the subject at hand, Gaygamer’s newest writer,
VorpalBunny recently pointed out Kotaku’s lack of respect and understanding on the subject.
Kotaku was quoted in the article saying “Her, his, its Kaine's attitude and manner of speech are manly -- but she/he/it emphasizes her female qualities through her racy fashion style.”
Like Gaygamer points out, proper use of pronouns seems to be a big issue here. In any case, “it” used as a pronoun is highly inappropriate. The characters should be addressed as they identify, not what’s between their legs. Also, to add to this point, using the term “hermaphrodite” is hardly a fair term to use in the 21st century, even our very own
Jim Sterling from Destructoidis guilty of that. To be respectful, the proper terminology in this case would be intersex. I really feel like these are smaller issues and I am being a little nit-picky, but it is all about educating people about these things for the future.
Now that the little stuff is out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about Gender Identity in videogames. As much potential as NieR has in breaking new grounds, it may very well be the “Brokeback” of videogames, or perhaps a better comparison “Trans America” of videogames. What I mean by that is, the character transcends gender because of the fact that she is some sort of demon, where she grows a penis during possession.
Just like NieR’s movie counterparts, there is an underlying reason and explanation as to why she is the way she is. I hope one day we get to a point where characters can be gay, straight, bi, trans, for no other reason simply because they just “are” and not be the single focus of the story. That’s one thing I love so much about the television show “Torchwood”. The character of “Jack Harkness” among others, is bisexual, not because of any magical reason or it is not the centerpiece of the show. He just happens to like men and women equally and that’s all there is to it. There isn’t some elaborate back story as to the why or who’s, it just is.
I'm excited to see what future news on this title brings us. Although it is still up in the air if this title will make it's way to North America, I really think it should. This game is just the visibility our society needs so that this kind of disrespect is not tolerated.
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¿que? oh, the *other* nier...
Thanks Niero, title is fixed!
Oh! haha, I didn't notice that. I'm not that clever. I was talking about me :)
Is hermaphrodite offensive? I was under the impression that it was more of a clinical or medical term, in the same vein as 'male' and 'female.'
We fear what we don't understand.
X-men taught me that.
Also, Bridget
+1 Fap
I thought Square has been using unisex heroes in their games for years now.
BOOM BITCHES I'M OUDDAHEAAAAA!
Duffy, as someone who has spoken to me personally, you know exactly where I stand on all GLBT issues, so I'm fairly certain you know my intention is not to be offensive. I actually didn't know that term was supposed to be offensive, especially as Jesus H Christ points out, isn't it a proper term?
Still, I really enjoy your thoughts on these matters, and I'm actually glad NieR is making such a bold step. It's a step toward acknowledging the people who don't fit neatly into social pigeonholes, and I am all for that.
Jim, don't worry, I know that you have nothing but love for all things GLBT, and I know that was not your intention. It was a proper medical term 20 years ago, but "intersex" is the appropriate term now for androgynous sex organs. I'm more just hopefully educating people in a friendly way, and I'm not trying to single you out. Thanks for all the love and support! :)
Intersex sounds even hotter.
I am so on that!
I believe "It" in context is a reasonable pronoun for Kaine. What pronoun would you use for a demon with characteristics of both sexes?
I would however make the claim that "she" is the best pronoun seeing as she was female before she turned into a demon according to the information presented.
Fap, regardless of gender.
I can see how intersex might not be understood as more appropriate than hermaphrodite (thanks for the education on that, btw.), but how do you not know that referring to someone, anyone, as 'it' is inappropriate?
'It' infers a less than human status -- even if you're not sure of the acceptable nomenclature, why wouldn't you use he/she instead of the same word you'd use to identify the trashcan?
Thanks for this post!
Actually Jack Harkness is omnisexual, because he is from the future.
Toodles.
What Jim said.
But seriously, I agree with you. I'm excited about this game for a lot more reasons than an intersex character, but I'm really glad they're doing something so bold (and not trying to make a huge deal out of it).
Also, this game had BETTER come out in America.
I was not aware of this intersex word. Thanks for the heads up.
I learned a new word today.....intersex.
To me it just sounds like bull, it comes of a lot like "Oh, she's not really a she, aren't we we edgy. But don't feel guilty wacking of to the tits" more than any profound comment on the identity of gender.
I was under the impression that hermaphrodite is someone who specifically has BOTH sex organs.
Either way, I'm with Jim. Intersex is a far sexier word. :D
thought provoking blog!... and Torchwood was a great example!
Great blog! I'm very interested to see how the fact there is a penis involved will be treated in the game, if at all.
As far as pronouns: She is a she. It is her identity and she says so..
If this blog had a hole, Captain Jack would have shagged it senseless before I got to the end...Cos that's he rolls, baby.
Great blog, Duffy. I am also very interested in how these games could turn out, it could be really interesting to play as a transexual person in a game.
I agree with all your points, it's all about educating people, and promoting equality :)
Great blog! I was excited to see someone intersex in a game as transgender/gender variant/intersex people are rarely used in any media and it's usually just for laughs or the gross out factor. I really hope Nier is able to break ground in some way and maybe one day we can more video game characters that represent the very broad spectrum of gender/sexuality/race and all other branches of life.
Something that you're forgetting, this is Japan. They love chicks with dicks. This might sound juvenile, but it's true. For an example, the new iDOLM@STER game features a cross-dressing shota boy, and once that tidbit made it's way to the news stands, pre-orders shot through the roof for the title. Cavia/Square-Enix aren't trying to break some gaming standards here, they're using her intersex role as a gimmick. Nothing more. Sure, I would love to buy into it and think that they're doing something "revolutionary" here. But no, they're not.
What diverse said, this isn't new at all, Japan digs the whole woman with a penis scene. Heck, if the Japanese ever found out the west was making a big deal out of this, they'd laugh to high noon about how retarded our culture and our attitude to gender is.
I'd laugh with them.
Very interesting write-up. I also had no idea about the preferred term being intersex. Ordinarily I'd be suspect of this being an overly political correct thing, but I guess as more diversity in gender roles come about and are more recognized it's expected that new terms come up.
Just for my own clarification is there a difference between the word intersex and hermaphrodite in definition or is the only distinction that one is less offensive?
@ Diverse and Mushman
Trust me, I am nowhere close to being naive about things like futanari or shota, the Japanese basically invented those genres. You seem to be missing my point. I did this write up to inform people of proper pronoun and terminology and to give a "what if" scenario regard the future of gender identity in gaming. Also, unlike many of the games you mentioned, this one just might have a shot at actually being a mainstream release in North America, therefor it is relevant. I'm only making a "big deal" about this mainly because our society is so ass-backwards about this stuff :P
@ Zodiac
More of a distinction that one is much less offensive. It would be like calling a trans-man a transvestite...pretty derogatory to say the least.
I think there's confusion and a general lack of knowledge and most of us because of a variety of issues. The fact that conservative culture doesn't want to acknowledge the issues is a major factor.
Also as transgender people go through their transition, some chose to completely ignore and do not refer to their pre-transition life. I worked with a trans-man who went through this and during his transition he didn't acknowledge his pre-transition female identity which brought up a lot of confusion among coworkers upon the sudden gender/name change. In cases like this it's kind of hard to talk about because the person them self is embarrassed or offended. Also there is the cultural trend of calling transgendered people "he/she" instead of "he" or "she" because people don't accept the person's self acknowledged gender.
Are the following correct?
Transgender - Changing to a gender identity one wasn't physically born with (including surgery and non surgery), generally refer to people being trans-man, trans-woman, and use pronouns just he or just she, using the person's accepted gender identity.
Intersex - Both/androgynous identity from birth. Use the pronoun (he or she) that the person chooses?
I might have said some politically incorrect things, but I figure it's better to ask and offend once instead of assuming and offending continually :)