As a nonbinary player who has spent way too many hours in character creators, I used to accept the same tired binary: male or female, pick one. But in 2026, I have to ask: why are we still pretending that two boxes fit every hero, villain, and villager? The answer is simple—they do not. Video games have grown into a global storytelling medium, and the language we use to address players should grow with them. That is why games like Temtem matter, and why some developers still need to catch up.
Language Evolves, And So Should We
In English, the push for gender-neutral pronouns is no longer fringe. In September 2019, Merriam-Webster added 'they' as a nonbinary pronoun. By 2026, singular they is common in style guides, workplaces, and yes, games. Is it really so confusing to respect a pronoun? Critics once claimed it would be too hard, but the world kept moving. Language is not a fossil. It is a living system, and players are part of it.
The Hispanic world has seen similar debates around Latinx, an alternative to Latino or Latina. Reaction remains mixed, and Romance languages have strict grammatical gender in articles, adjectives, and nouns. Still, the conversation itself proves that even languages with deep gender roots can adapt. Video games, which translate across cultures, should be ahead of that curve, not behind it.
Developers Doing It Wrong
Not every studio has gotten the message. Russian studio Battlestate Games became a case study in how not to handle inclusive character design. A 2016 interview with developer Pavel Dyatlov resurfaced, and in it he claimed only men would be playable in Escape From Tarkov because women could not handle the stress of war. The response was condemnation, and rightly so. The studio later said the real reason was the huge amount of work needed for animations, gear fitting, and similar systems. Veteran game designers quickly pointed out that this excuse does not hold up with modern development tools.
I still wonder: if your lore says only men can be playable, why not say that? Why hide behind a fake technical limitation? There are many ways to justify a creative choice, but blaming technology that does not exist only makes the exclusion look worse. In 2026, that interview reads like a relic from a different era, and not a good one.
Developers Doing It Right
Temtem, which first made waves in Steam Early Access, remains a strong example. It asks players to choose She/Her, He/Him, or They/Them. Clothing, hairstyles, body types, and voices can be mixed freely. I can make a character who looks and sounds however I want, without the game forcing me into a strict gender division. That is not a gimmick. It is respect, and it should be standard.
Sunless Sea took a different but equally thoughtful approach. When you create a character, the game asks how you want to be addressed, then states, 'Your actual gender is up to you.' Your crew respects your ability, not your gender. That is a small line of text, but it carries weight. It tells players that their identity is valid even when the character is not visible on screen.
Shovel Knight went even further by fixing its own past. The original game cast men as heroes and women mostly as damsels in need of rescue. The developers listened, learned, and added a Gender Swap feature, now called Body Swap Mode. Players can choose the gender of characters in Shovel of Hope, or assign genders randomly to players and major NPCs without changing dialogue or personality. That is how you update a classic without erasing what made it great.
| Game | Inclusive feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Temtem | She/Her, He/Him, They/Them plus mixed customization | Lets players define themselves without limits |
| Sunless Sea | Asks how you want to be addressed | Respects identity even without visible avatars |
| Shovel Knight | Body Swap Mode | Corrects old binary tropes without breaking story |
| Escape From Tarkov | Only men playable, with poor excuses | Shows how not to handle representation |
Language Evolves, And Game Developers Should Lead The Way
As language evolves worldwide and LGBTQ inclusiveness grows, video game developers should be at the forefront of embracing gender-neutral pronouns. Video games bring people together, especially now that online modes are almost the default. Inclusivity should also be a default, never an exception. I do not want to praise a game just for letting me exist. I want it to be normal. I want to log in, choose my pronoun, and never wonder if the game will misgender me.
The next time a developer worries that pronoun options are too confusing, I will ask: confusing for whom? The player who finally feels seen, or the designer who refuses to update a spreadsheet? In 2026, the tools are here, the language is here, and the audience is here. Games should not just reflect the world as it was. They should help build the world as it should be.