You can choose pronouns in a highly customizable video game and streamers are having entirely normal reactions to it.
As you would expect, having the option to choose very basic pronouns has sent a few choice gamers into a spiral. Starfield is centered around space exploration, with various character customization options—including the ability to choose they/them pronouns and play as a non-binary person if you so choose.
Of course, there is also the option to choose he/him and she/her pronouns if you prefer. The world is your oyster! Quite easy, then, for gamers to simply ignore the ‘they/them’ option if they want to.
Despite the easy path being open to them, streamers like British YouTuber Heel vs Babyface took the opportunity to rail against the game for being “dragged out” of the immersive gaming experience for having to pick his pronouns. We would assume then that also checking boxes on forms and every website under the sun drags you out of the immersive experience we call life.
“You take everything we love, all our immersion, all our fantasies, all our escapism, and you just can’t help shovel your ****,” Heel vs Babyface screamed (literally) into the camera.
From the reaction, you would have thought there’d been some violent assault on his life, instead of a rather simple dropdown menu. Luckily, other gamers have been quick to point out how ridiculous Heel vs Babyface and other streamers sharing his opinions sound.
This isn’t the first time that Bethesda Studios, the company behind Starfield, has been dragged into a bizarre ‘debate’ about pronouns. Another streamer, Herschel ‘Guy’ Beahm IV, also known as Dr Disrespect, was earlier furious that the head of publishing at Bethesda, Pete Hines, included pronouns in his X bio—a spat that resulted in a planned sponsorship deal with Bethesda getting rejected due to “past controversies.”
Heel vs Babyface has since responded to the internet’s mocking of his pronouns rant, setting himself up as a martyr in the battle against “the far-left’s sacred cow, gender ideology.”
Starfield has received mixed reviews so far, with complaints about lack of accessibility as well, so the inclusion of pronoun options seems to be the last thing that gamers should be worrying about, if you ask us. In the age of being chronically online, we’ve got a piece of advice for everyone feeling worked up about selecting pronouns that you undoubtedly use every day: It’s really not that deep.
(featured image: Heel vs Babyface via YouTube)
