From The Last of Us to Baldur’s Gate: Cultural Tensions in Gaming

As society evolves and cultural norms are challenged, efforts to embrace inclusivity and diversity often face intense scrutiny from an oftentimes very vocal minority. Entertainment media, and especially the world of video games, have not always been the most inclusive when it comes to character representation. A recent paper by TSRB’s Anne Sullivan, PhD, and coauthors Mel Stanfill, PhD, and Anastasia Salter, DCD, from the University of Central Florida, takes a closer look at the backlash and controversy when three significant games released in 2023 introduced nonbinary pronouns into their character creation options.

Released during the summer of 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios), Starfield (Bethesda), and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (Marvelous) all included some form of a third gender option during the initial character creation process of the games. All three games also come from companies or series with a history of enforcing binary gender. Including nonbinary pronouns in these games marked a significant step toward greater inclusivity in video games. However, the reactions to these changes revealed a persistent cultural divide rooted in the history of gaming as a contested space for identity and representation.

A Legacy of Resistance

The backlash against inclusivity in gaming is not new. Movements like Gamergate in the mid-2010s highlighted how segments of the gaming community perceived efforts toward diversity as threats to the “default gamer” — often characterized as young, heterosexual white men. This fueled harassment campaigns against women and queer creators in the industry, laying the groundwork for the scrutiny faced by games today.

This historical resistance continues to echo today. “Hardcore games typically involve genres with a strong emphasis on violence and expertise in play, often focusing on reflexes, controller mastery, or strategy. These games are considered central to gaming culture. In contrast, while they may feature violence, casual games tend to present it in more abstract or arcade-like forms. Casual games are perceived as requiring lower expertise and often adopt cartoony graphics, distinct color palettes, and lighter aesthetics. This difference has led to hardcore games being coded as masculine and casual games as feminine, even though both are played equally across all genders,” notes Salter.

Abby’s muscular physique sparked debate among critics of Naughty Dog’s character design. (Image: @dpruttz_vp)

Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield, which cater to more "hardcore" audiences, faced significant backlash on platforms like Metacritic, where vocal minorities labeled inclusive features as “woke” or “unnecessary.” By contrast, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, a life-simulation game with a more casual audience, received widespread praise for its nonbinary and same-sex relationship options. “The audience for Story of Seasons and similar casual games may be more receptive to these features due to demographic differences and the sense of being ‘othered’ within the broader gaming community,” Sullivan notes. The difference in reception underscores how these audience demographics shape the acceptance of progressive design choices.

These patterns of resistance are not confined to gaming alone. HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, which garnered acclaim for its faithful storytelling, is set to tackle the events of The Last of Us Part II in its upcoming second season. Released in 2020, The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog), a blockbuster title praised for its gameplay, storytelling, and complex characters, was targeted by a vocal minority for its inclusion of a transgender side character and its focus on female protagonists, one of them being queer. One of the game’s main characters, Abby Anderson, became particularly divisive due to her muscular physique — a feature some critics deemed “unrealistic” for a female character in a post-apocalyptic setting, while others outright labeled it “undesirable” to see in a game. Naughty Dog’s decision to portray Abby with a muscular physique aimed to reflect the physical demands of surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. However, some critics latched onto this portrayal as a departure from traditional feminine norms, sparking heated debates about womens’ roles and appearances in games.

Despite the controversy, the game became one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 titles, won over 320 Game of the Year awards, and solidified its place as a landmark in storytelling. It remains to be seen whether the TV show’s broader audience will embrace these narratives or if they will echo the criticisms voiced by segments of the gaming community. Notably, the first season of The Last of Us tackled controversial subjects regarding queer sexuality, earning both acclaim and resistance. “The first seasons of The Last of Us didn’t shy away from controversial subjects regarding queer sexuality, and so it is also entirely possible that some of these fans have already stopped watching the show,” Stanfill notes. This groundwork may mean the second season faces less backlash — or it could reignite old controversies as it delves deeper into progressive storytelling.

A Reflection of Broader Cultural Tensions

Gaming controversies also mirror societal conflicts over gender and identity. As the paper notes, the backlash to pronoun options arises at a time when pronouns have become a flashpoint in cultural and political debates. Laws restricting gender expression in schools and workplaces have amplified conservative rhetoric against inclusivity, which spills over into digital spaces like gaming.

Streamers and online communities have weaponized terms like “woke” to rally opposition against inclusive features, painting them as ideological threats rather than minor progressive design choices. This resistance, however, represents a minority of players — just 1% of user reviews from Metacritic for Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield mentioned pronouns, and most gamers embraced these titles​.

Inclusivity and Commercial Success

Despite the vocal minority's outcry, the commercial success of these games contradicts the “go woke, go broke” narrative. As Stanfill notes, “For all of these games, negative reviews about pronouns and gender weren’t even what the majority of negative reviews were about, nor did they prevent any of these games from being incredibly successful.”

In 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 became a bestseller and a cultural phenomenon, while Starfield marked Bethesda’s first chart-topping launch. Similarly, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life demonstrated that inclusivity could enhance the player experience, with many reviewers praising its gender-neutral character creation as long overdue.

These successes highlight a growing appetite for representation and inclusivity in gaming. Rather than alienating audiences, progressive design choices are helping expand gaming's appeal to broader and more diverse communities, challenging the exclusivity and toxicity that once dominated gaming discourse.

The second season of The Last of Us series will serve as a litmus test for the future of inclusive storytelling. Will its progressive representation resonate with a broader audience, or will it reignite old controversies?

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