TITLE
How choosing ‘Girl’ in early RPGs inspired today’s game designers
AUTHOR
Juno Stump
PUBLICATION
Polygon
YEAR
2022
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
FROM THE ARTICLE
My parents treated me to a bowl cut and The Lion King after I told them who I was, so it meant a lot to me a few years later when Game Freak’s Pokémon Crystal respected my answer of “Girl” after asking my gender for my playthrough on my atomic purple Game Boy Color.Pokémon Crystal marked the first time in the series that players had the ability to choose their gender, a tradition that has continued in the mainline role-playing titles since, including in the latest entries, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
When Crystal was released worldwide in 2001, a lot of my friends paid little attention to the addition of Kris, the canonical name for the game’s female protagonist, but it was a really big deal to me. And in the time since I came out and accepted myself, I’ve learned from many other women that Pokémon Crystal and Kris impacted them greatly too, allowing us to finally see ourselves in a video game and on our very own Pokémon adventure.
Now, 21 years later, it is comforting to see game studios pushing and trying for better representation in all gaming spaces, both physical and pixelated. Inspired by my own memories of Kris in Pokémon Crystal, I spoke to four individuals in the game industry about their experiences designing for gender inclusivity, and how their own experiences playing games have affected their approach to their work.
GAMES MENTIONED
Bossgame: The Final Boss Is My Heart
Pokemon Crystal
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Iasmin Omar Ata
Maura Peterson
Emily Pitcher
Lily Valeen
TOPICS MENTIONED
Gender