How Animal Crossing helped me explore my gender - The Verge

Nintendo’s Animal Crossing franchise, from New Leaf on the 3DS to New Horizons on the Switch, provides a way to explore gender expression in a digital realm.

It’s 2013, and tonight my friends and I are getting together to wish on falling stars during a meteor shower. Like many young teens meeting up with their pals, I want to show off my sense of style, so I spend a solid amount of time trying on different skirts, dresses, and accessories in order to find the cutest look. Luckily, I don’t have to worry about how comfortable the outfit will be or whether the fabric will chafe against my skin since the clothes aren’t going on my physical body but, rather, on my villager in the world of Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS.

In real life, I’m a tall, slightly chubby, pubescent boy with the acne and self-esteem to match. Even though I go to a fairly liberal high school and have been publicly out as gay for nearly a year, there’s no way I could go outside in any sort of feminine attire without attracting the attention of every classmate and teacher, something I wouldn’t wish upon any 13-year-old. However, in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, I can be whoever I want to be — within the confines of New Leaf’s binary gender system, skinny player models, and light skin tones, that is.

It’s not perfect by any means, but New Leaf is the first game in the Animal Crossing franchise that lets male villagers wear feminine clothing and vice versa. So, for people like me who have masculine bodies but want to explore femininity, it’s a blessing. When I visit my online friends’ towns during our weekend Skype sessions, I can present myself in a way that makes me feel cute and confident. It’s almost like that digital version is a more accurate depiction of who I am than the person I see when I look in the mirror. I have no desire to dress like that in real life — or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. And even if I did, I feel like my body is much too large and masculine to pull it off. But that’s okay because dressing up in Animal Crossing is good enough for me… for now.

It’s 2020, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch just came out. Woo-hoo! Also, there’s a global pandemic.

I’m back to wishing on falling stars with my friends online as a way to hang out without risking COVID. I’ve grown a lot since the last mainline Animal Crossing game: I’ve started wearing skirts in real life; I pierced my septum and my ears; and I recently began painting my nails. However, I still can’t bring myself to wear dresses or try earrings that are larger than studs. I’m at the beginning of the process of figuring out my gender identity but still have yet to really work things out. Now that I can’t go outside to see people, I don’t have the desire to work on my physical gender presentation because the only thing people will see is my face on Zoom. However, in New Horizons, I’m able to get back to the exploration and excitement of dressing up for fun.

https://www.theverge.com/23279040/animal-crossing-new-horizons-gender-expression

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