Video games

[Myopic Bookworm]

My son has just acquired a new game (Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom), and while watching him work through the introductory section, I was pleased to note that the first item acquired by the central character in the quest is a kilt!

[TSH]

Concerning The Legend of Zelda, it was common for people to call Link's tunic a skirt in the older days of gaming. It was probably due to ignorance or as a joke, because of how long he wore his tunics pantless. I'm not sure what exactly it is he wears in this newest entry in the series, but it does remind me of the times he didn't wear pants in earlier Zelda games.

Over the past decade or so, more and more games have become inclusive — allowing male characters to wear skirts and such. We've seen this in other Nintendo franchises, such as Animal Crossing (starting with New Leaf, in which the developers proudly stated that boys could wear skirts, girls could wear pants, etc.). Fire Emblem (a turn-based Strategy Role-Playing game) has had a few feminine-looking males in its 30+ years of existence; there are even two notable ones who do dress in "women's" clothing and are portrayed in a positive light. Splatoon 3 almost completely disregards gender, and allows Inklings and Octolings to wear anything without restriction, with only a few gear being somewhat different depending on the gender.

This even extends beyond Nintendo. We've had wrestling games that don't have gender-restrictive anything, as in the early WWF/E Smackdown games. Sunset Overdrive allows players to wear a skirt, regardless of which of the four body types they choose. Saints Row (especially SR2) does this even better, by allowing the player to choose how their Boss walked. The Elder Scrolls, primarily Daggerfall and Morrowind were utter champs when it came to making virtual dolls.

I could go on, and I might later on, but I just wanted to point out several examples of video games allowing male characters to wear skirts and/or kilts and sensibly giving players the option to have their characters wear whatever without any inane restriction, like sex. Far too many games had done this in the past, and there's still obviously too many that do restrict what you can wear based on sex. It's a bloody video game. Why should I be restricted to a certain set of apparel instead of giving me the option to wear what I'd like my character to wear just because of a choice I made in a menu? It's almost like a punishment for not picking the "right" sex, since females characters typically have more customization options than their male counterparts.

[STEVIE]

It's a bloody video game. Why should I be restricted to a certain set of apparel instead of giving me the option to wear what I'd like my character to wear just because of a choice I made in a menu?

Hi TSH and MB,
I get part of the points which you make but this also brought the MASH signature tune, Suicide is Painless, to my mind.
"The game of life is hard to play".
Hey, if the game doesn't suit, drop it but that is just a tad more difficult in "meatspace".
Another aspect of this is that computer games in the past have been cited as a factor in the motives for violent crime.
Whether that is correct or not, the belief existed.
Nowadays, given the hysteria that is surrounding the whole trans question the more liberal of these games may actually become the safest venue in which a male will be able to be skirted.
Ironically, the trans paranoia could have a real impact on the fundamental difference between "The Kilt" and a plain old skirt.
This is also ignoring the commercial aspects in the publication of them, men in skirts will not be a selling point.
Steve.

[TSH]

It's a bloody video game. Why should I be restricted to a certain set of apparel instead of giving me the option to wear what I'd like my character to wear just because of a choice I made in a menu?

Hey, if the game doesn't suit, drop it but that is just a tad more difficult in "meatspace".

I'd still play if it's good, but damn, do I hate when developers promote their character creator systems, yet don't account for people who don't want to be bind by certain choices pertaining to whether your character is male or female.

Nowadays, given the hysteria that is surrounding the whole trans question the more liberal of these games may actually become the safest venue in which a male will be able to be skirted.

Another reason why video games are the ultimate form of escapism.

Ironically, the trans paranoia could have a real impact on the fundamental difference between "The Kilt" and a plain old skirt.
This is also ignoring the commercial aspects in the publication of them, men in skirts will not be a selling point.

I already felt that impact firsthand when I wore a kilt to work at once. They certainly won't be a selling point... for a while, at least.

Another aspect of this is that computer games in the past have been cited as a factor in the motives for violent crime.
Whether that is correct or not, the belief existed.

Other forms of media has had this absurd accusation attributed to them as well. There's just not enough good evidence to support this, and there hasn't been in the 30 or 40 years since games started to become more mainstream. It's just fools trying to shift the blame to entertainment so others can't enjoy it — similar to those vehemently against men doing or wearing anything deemed "girly".

[FLbreezy]

I could go on, and I might later on, but I just wanted to point out several examples of video games allowing male characters to wear skirts and/or kilts and sensibly giving players the option to have their characters wear whatever without any inane restriction, like sex.

Thank you for bringing this up, I've had a long-ish post in the works for quite a while dealing with this very topic but Life (TM) has been very chaotic and busy as of late. I credit Animal Crossing in particular for being able to envision "myself" in skirts, and even finding that I prefer that version of myself over the male default. Getting the courage to make that same transition to "meatspace" took some time, but it definitely helped spark the motivation when I needed it. It also helped that I had so many friends in that game that were accepting and encouraging.

[STEVIE]

being able to envision "myself" in skirts, and even finding that I prefer that version of myself over the male default. Getting the courage to make that same transition to "meatspace" took some time, but it definitely helped spark the motivation when I needed it.

I had to use my imagination and sometimes a mirror Breezy.
In the UK "Animal Crossing" meant the Zebra crossing for road safety and the nearest thing we had to a video game was Etch-a-Sketch.
When my daughter discovered computers 20 or so years ago, she was a Sims fan.
I had thoughts about how the characters could be built to suit a man in skirt but I never actually tried it.
Steve.

[denimini]

I have thought that video games might start a trend of young males wearing mini skirts, emulating some of the warrior characters, without undermining their own portrayal of masculinity.