In an interview with the Washington Post, the game’s manufacturer, Aya Kyogoku, said the decision to Animal Crossing Items eliminate gender restrictions from Animal Crossing was to“make a game where users did not really have to consider sex, or if they wanted to consider gender, they’re also able to.“
That explains why, at the start of the game, the player is asked to“select a fashion,“ but they can change their mind later and make their personality seem as gendered or androgynous as they want. But, there are marked differences between the Western variant and Western release.The Western release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons may be celebrated for its innovative take on gender as well as the LGBTQ+ community, but the Japanese release was criticized for its contrary.
Additionally, non-player characters that cite using a same-sex spouse (such as the beaver character, C.J.) rather refer to them as a“friend“ in the Japanese edition. This may explain why, despite being the most innovative game in the Animal Crossing franchise in terms of sex and sexual orientation, Animal Crossing: New Horizons developers hid a gender slider that the player is not meant to see.
Its inclusion speaks to the differences in LGBTQ acceptance between the East and West, though the sex slider has no impact on gameplay. Hopefully, the future Animal Crossing games will demonstrate greater gender acceptance in the Western and Japanese versions. Until then, secret sex sliders and regional differences in this way remind us of Animal Crossing Bells For Sale the battle for the LGBTQ+ community to be approved on a global scale.
