Seeking Feedback: Gender Options for My 3D Graphic Adventure Game

[Purple Lilith]

Hi everyone! I'm developing a 3D Graphic Adventure Game using Unreal Engine and would love your input. (*Graphic Adventure: The gameplay focuses on story exploration, player choices, and interactive dialogue with lots of animations.)

A key feature of my game is giving players the ability to choose their character’s gender, with options including male, female, and trans women (*Transgender women are women who were assigned male at birth.). However, to balance development resources, I’m focusing on just two protagonist-gender/romance pairings.

Here’s what I’m considering:

Scenario #1: A male protagonist with romanceable female NPCs or a trans protagonist with romanceable trans/bisexual NPCs.

Scenario #2: A female protagonist with romanceable male NPCs or a trans protagonist with romanceable trans/bisexual NPCs.


Trans women will always be available as a protagonist option to promote inclusivity, but I need to decide between male or female as the other option. This decision will influence promotional materials and the initial selection players see when starting the game, but both pairs will have unique storylines tailored to the chosen gender and romance combination.

So my question is: which pairing do you think players would engage with the most? For example, would a male protagonist or a female protagonist be more appealing as the first option alongside a trans option?

Feel free to share your preferences and reasoning—your input will help me create a game that feels engaging and inclusive for a broad audience. Thank you!

P.S. The game will have some mechanics and storytelling similar to Life is Strange but with stylized graphics inspired by Fortnite (Stylized Art Style).

 

[Kuviragames]

I think the most logical choice if you aim for an higher audience would be male protagonist. I would chose the other two options only if the protagonist doesn't really have a story background, like it doesn't really matter for the story. Or you plan to do a lesbian game.

 

[MarshmallowCasserole]

What do you mean by "default", exactly?

No matter what the default option is, male or female, if the non-default option doesn't make sense because the storyline doesn't fit it, then it's a bad experience. I'm sorry, but if a game focuses on a story, you better write that story with specific characters in mind. That includes the protagonist. A male-centric story is different from a female-centric one, unless in your world gender roles are erased (you can guess how well the wider audience relates to that). You can cram two stories in one game, but then there's no default. They would be just two stories, hopefully equally well written.

 

[Purple Lilith]

I think the most logical choice if you aim for an higher audience would be male protagonist. I would chose the other two options only if the protagonist doesn't really have a story background, like it doesn't really matter for the story. Or you plan to do a lesbian game.

Maybe you misunderstood my question or I didn't explain myself very well. The main character (the protagonist of this game) will be male/trans or female/trans. I want to know which pair would be played the most. For example:
Scenario #1 (you play as a straight male with female NPCs or as a trans with trans/bisexual NPCs)
Scenario #2 (you play as a straight female with male NPCs or as a trans with trans/bisexual NPCs)
Trans will always be a second option but I'm between male or female as the first option.
Creating 3 options is so much work, that's why I'm choosing 2 options (pairs) only. And of course between this 2 options, each character has their own story line, that's up to the players based on their choices.

 

[Purple Lilith]

What do you mean by "default", exactly?

No matter what the default option is, male or female, if the non-default option doesn't make sense because the storyline doesn't fit it, then it's a bad experience. I'm sorry, but if a game focuses on a story, you better write that story with specific characters in mind. That includes the protagonist. A male-centric story is different from a female-centric one, unless in your world gender roles are erased (you can guess how well the wider audience relates to that). You can cram two stories in one game, but then there's no default. They would be just two stories, hopefully equally well written.

I restructured my question and my game concept. Please feel free to read it again and let me know what you think. I really would love your feedback.

 

[MarshmallowCasserole]

I restructured my question and my game concept. Please feel free to read it again and let me know what you think. I really would love your feedback.

Well, the male protag option doesn't make sense, then. I mean, I presume the FtM trans would like to, you know, present as a woman, in which case their story would be identical to a fem-protag. Male or FtM is option one. Female or MtF is option two. Since you insist on having MtF, but not FtM (or at least is what I read from OP), the choice seems rather obvious, no?

If I read wrong, then just write the protag you are more confident writing. Really, do your best work, not what is hip today.

 

[Purple Lilith]

Well, the male protag option doesn't make sense, then. I mean, I presume the FtM trans would like to, you know, present as a woman, in which case their story would be identical to a fem-protag. Male or FtM is option one. Female or MtF is option two. Since you insist on having MtF, but not FtM (or at least is what I read from OP), the choice seems rather obvious, no?

If I read wrong, then just write the protag you are more confident writing. Really, do your best work, not what is hip today.

I get your point. But let me ask you this...
Let's forget the trans gender for a moment. Would you rather play as a male or female protagonist?

 

[Kuviragames]

I get your point. But let me ask you this...
Let's forget the trans gender for a moment. Would you rather play as a male or female protagonist?

Now we are back to my point. If you have frequently sex in your game then go for the higher audience and take male. Else it depends on your story but in that case you shouldn't be able to chose the gender.

 

[MarshmallowCasserole]

I get your point. But let me ask you this...
Let's forget the trans gender for a moment. Would you rather play as a male or female protagonist?

I'd like to play as a sentient piece of food... No but seriously, I do not have a strong preference on the whole (I'm a straight male, btw). Or maybe I do, but it's too weak compared to differences in writing quality.

Some genres do slot better with certain genders, but I don't know what your game will be. VN with vanilla romance and mild fetishes? Male. VN about whoring around with reckless abandon? Female. Platformer (and all that usually comes with that) female female female!

 

[Purple Lilith]

I'd like to play as a sentient piece of food... No but seriously, I do not have a strong preference on the whole (I'm a straight male, btw). Or maybe I do, but it's too weak compared to differences in writing quality.

Some genres do slot better with certain genders, but I don't know what your game will be. VN with vanilla romance and mild fetishes? Male. VN about whoring around with reckless abandon? Female. Platformer (and all that usually comes with that) female female female!

I'm sorry, but I thought I asked you a simple question. Would you rather play as a male MC that fucks female NPCs or as a female MC that gets fucked by male NPCs?
Piece of food, piece of wood... there's no need to be rude!
Thank you for your reply anyway, appreciate it.

 

[MarshmallowCasserole]

I'm sorry, but I thought I asked you a simple question.

And the simple answer, that I did give upfront, is that I do not have a broad preference. My personal top list of games has examples of both. As another example in non-porn RPGs I base my choice of characters largerly on aesthetic preferrences... and end up playing male characters in some, and female in others anyways. Because some games do female character aesthetic better (in my opinion) than male and some do the opposite.

Would you rather play as a male MC that fucks female NPCs or as a female MC that gets fucked by male NPCs?

I don't know. This is not enough for me to make a judgement.

I don't think "I don't know" should be such a hard to believe answer.

Piece of food, piece of wood... there's no need to be rude!

If you take a small self-referential joke as an act of rudeness... maaaan it must suck to be you, constantly envisioning malintent where there is none.

 

[Geigi]

As a female player, I'd like to play a female protagonist game and romance men.

 

[Jaike]

My personal preference out of the choices "male protagonist with romanceable female NPCs" or "female protagonist with romanceable male NPCs" is female protagonist, but I wouldn't really recommend it, because I know that often doesn't sell well, but I don't discourage that either. What's way more important is what you're passionate about, what fits your vision.

 

[HarveyD]

Which pairing will players engage with the most? The male protagonist one.
This is not my personal preference but it's clear as day that most people here prefer a male protagonist.