Fantasy Worlds, Real-Life Impact: The Benefits of RPGs for Transgender Identity Exploration

The current research explored the influences of role-playing video games (RPGs) on the development of gender identity among transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals. In Study 1 (N = 10), we used a Consensual Qualitative Research approach to interview TGNC individuals and identify common themes regarding the perceived impact of RPGs on gender identity development. TGNC individuals highlighted the influence of character customization, exploration, and the function of RPGs as safe spaces. In Study 2 (N = 100), we quantitatively explored the influence of RPG avatar customization on TGNC gender identity development. Although avatar customization was not associated with gender identity commitment, those playing RPGs with highly customizable avatars were more likely to report an impact of RPGs on their gender identity development. Content analyses reinforced Study 1 findings, indicating that RPGs, especially those with customizable avatars, can shape the gender identity journey for TGNC individuals.

Seeing Gender: Perceptual Representations of Transgender Individuals

In four studies, we explored perceptual representations of the gender-typicality of transgender individuals. In Studies 1a and 1b, participants ( N = 237) created an avatar based on an image of an individual who disclosed being transgender or did not. Avatars generated in the transgender condition were less gender-typical—that is, transmen were less masculine and transwomen were less feminine—than those created in the control condition. In Study 2 ( N = 368), using a unique visual matching task, participants represented a target labeled transgender as less gender-typical than the same target labeled cisgender. In Study 3 ( N = 228), perceptual representations of transwomen as less gender-typical led to lower acceptability of feminine behavior and less endorsement that the target should be categorized as female. We discuss how biased perceptual representations may contribute to the stigmatization and marginalization of transgender individuals.