Stardew Valley enthusiasts have passionately voiced their desire for greater inclusivity within the beloved game, urging the developer to introduce additional pronoun options for players.
According to a report by Polygon, Atmos Fierce, a prominent Canadian content creator, initiated a petition on Change.org titled “Pronoun Options for Trans and Non-Binary Players in Stardew Valley.” The petition earnestly calls upon Eric Barone, the mastermind behind Stardew Valley, who is known as ConcernedApe online, to incorporate more pronoun choices specifically catering to non-binary players within the forthcoming 1.6 update. As of the time of writing, the petition has garnered over 4,000 signatures.
Lack of Non-Binary Representation in Stardew Valley
Ever since its release seven years ago, Stardew Valley has only provided “he/him” or “she/her” pronouns based on the player’s selected body type during character creation. Fierce highlighted the fact that a PC mod offering additional pronoun options has amassed a staggering 40,000 downloads to date. Unfortunately, these options are not available on certain other gaming platforms.
Fierce expressed hope that Eric Barone would recognize the significance of this movement, emphasizing that rectifying this issue should precede the introduction of new content such as expanded dialogue and festivals in the game.
Numerous Stardew Valley fans have lent their support to this cause, sharing personal anecdotes of their experiences with the game’s misgendering. One of Fierce’s supporters, a non-binary gamer named Mika, detailed how the current gender options provoked feelings of dysphoria while playing the game. Mika explained, “Stardew Valley using the wrong pronouns for me feels very alienating and distant. I tend to create characters that reflect my own identity in many ways, so when NPCs use ‘she/her’ pronouns to refer to my character, it makes me feel extremely dysphoric and diminishes the joy of playing the game. However, ‘he/him’ pronouns don’t feel right either, as if they are referring to an entirely different person.”
Historically, similar petitions have yielded positive results. Fierce drew inspiration from a successful petition for The Sims 4, which led to the addition of non-binary pronouns and other inclusive gender features. A year after streamer MomoMisfortune initiated the petition, developers at Electronic Arts, creators of The Sims 4, announced these pivotal updates.
Stardew Valley is not limited to PC; it can be enjoyed on various gaming consoles, including PlayStation 4.
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