The Word of Notch:
Gender in MinecraftJuly 28 2012
by Markus "Notch" Persson, former lead developer on Minecraft
http://notch.tumblr.com/[The former lead developer of Minecraft had this to say about gender in the original development and planning of the game:]If it wasn't for the fact that the default Minecraft character is referred to as 'Minecraft Guy' and that I once jokingly answered 'Steve?' when asked what his* name was, Minecraft would be a game where gender isn't a gameplay element
The human model is intended to represent a Human Being. Not a male Human Being or a female Human Being, but simply a Human Being. The blocky shape gives it a bit of a traditional masculine look, but adding a separate female mesh would just make it worse by having one specific model for female Human Beings and male ones. That would force players to make a decisions about gender in a game where gender doesn't even exist.
All the other mobs in the game are genderless and usually exhibit the most prominent traits of both genders....
Obviously, I'm not saying this is a good way to deal with gender in all games, as the better your graphics are, and because of how quickly the human mind tries to identify the gender of other humans, you are going to have to make a decision as a developer about gender, but I felt we could get away with it in Minecraft.
Notch: Minecraft is Full of HermaphroditesJOHNATHAN GREY CARTER | 28 JULY 2012 4:30 PM
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118769-Notch-Minecraft-is-Full-of-HermaphroditesHow women are represented in games is a hot topic as of late, but perhaps a more pressing issue is why, sometimes, they're not represented at all. Minecraft creator and former lead developer, Markus "Notch" Persson, has decided to weigh in, and explain why there's no boobs in Minecraft.
The game's no-gender, or perhaps pansexual, policy even extends to the various other creatures inhabiting the universe. Notch points out that all the animals in the game have both male and female characteristics. The cows for example, have both horns and udders. He also notes that every animal can breed with any other member of its species.
Notch concluded the post with an apology for using gendered pronouns - hence the little asterisk in that first quote - and a charming little barb aimed at bigots.
"Also, as a fun side fact, it means every character and animal in Minecraft is homosexual because there's only one gender to choose from," he wrote. "Take THAT, homophobes!"
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Official site for Minecraft:
http://www.minecraft.net/Current version of the game is a commercial product from Microsoft, but gamers on limited budgets may enjoy the original game that has always been free of charge. Original version can be played successfully on older computers due to low graphic demands. -MadelineBOriginal Minecraft Classic game (FREE):
Single player version -
http://www.minecraft.net/classic/playMulti player version -
http://www.minecraft.net/classic/list
