Truthfully? I’d love to. Most certainly I will, sometime in the future although not using the Choice of Games medium to do so. I don’t think it’s the right format and I don’t think it has the right audience. I think Choice of Games come with an expectation of being able to customise the protagonist. I also think that inclusion is an important aspect of Choice of Games.
Now, games like Seven Winds, which I loved, could carry the idea.
But I’d need a clearer idea than I currently have in order to do similar. I do think it’s an interesting concept, one that fits well into both the sci-fi and fantasy genres, and could make for an interesting exploration of gender as well as sexuality. I’d need more of a story though. I’d definitely love to see games that explore those ideas, as well as those who just don’t assign a gender at all.
I also prefer stronger defined protagonists. I’d rather limit starting choices in order to give the protagonist a more solid voice. I’d rather have them be the Hero you roleplay being, rather than be you, the player. Where the freedom comes from your choices in regards to the future, not from creating yourself.
I think your ideas are certainly worth thinking of.
Yes, I agree with having transgender as an option during the gender question is awkward. Definitely for those reasons. I’d a strong dislike of having to include the question there.
I believe Heroes Rise tried too hard to depict Zehir’s in a glowingly positive manner, and that effort combined with the odd “Zehir” label made them come across as not entirely human, almost as if they were a strange new species.
@Drazen: Yeah, excuse me. I meant neutrois, which is used by some online communities now to describe someone without a gender, neutral gender, or neither male nor female. (which is not to be confused with sex, as someone of indeterminate sex would fall under intersex)
british are really peculiar with words , too many to describe people we use transexual men and women. you could be biologically men a legally a women in spain and and contrary. transexual are if you are in process or physical change or you want permanent in that state neuter being not sexual organs at all for us like Titus my kitty. So i little confused with your terminology.
@Endmaster Good point about having the writer just write the character they wish to. Look at the comparable visual novel. Few if any of those begin with an open choice character. You are the avatar the author chooses for you. Yes that does indeed mean that those who don’t want to play a female character being romanced by cute boys (pick whatever combination here you wish) won’t, but it also means the writer can be far more personal or specific with the player character. When done right, that allows for a far more impacting experience for the reader/player.
The disconnect for me personally with a lot of IF is that I am indeed not playing the role of a character or experiencing the world through their eyes. But rather that the game becomes more trial, error and guessing to figure out the mathematical combinations (of the various choices) to achieve various endings. Not that VNs can’t have their own issues when it comes to paths, but it at least feels different.
I thought the intentions surrounding the inclusion of zehir were good, but the implementation left a lot to be desired. They seemed to be exoticised, described as extremely desirable and I didn’t really understand how they worked. Were they born, that way and if so what separates them from other people who are intersex?
What did people think of Stageshow in Heroes Rise?
@HaydenD I agree, visual novels do feel different. I’d love to see a more visual novel approach being taken to choice games. It’s something I’ve been trying to do myself, but my own problems keep me from actually getting anything finished.
The comment about the fact that “you can’t believe she isn’t all woman” when she changes I thought was stupid, to be blunt. It just bothered me. I know what the author was trying to say, but the way it came off was wrong.
