I've figured out what bothers me about #Cyberpunk2077 's attempt at trans representation: it focuses on all the things that don't matter. Beauty, body, genitalia, voice.

Yes, it's a step forward from absolutely no representation at all. (cont'd)

But I can't help but feel it's to our detriment. Many gamers that have previously had no contact with trans folks will discover in this game that they can run around as a woman with a massive penis and a deep voice being referred to as "him", and they will enjoy that. (cont'd)

They'll enjoy that specifically because it's the exact joke and caricature of trans women that people have spun since the 80's and 90's. There are also a dozen issues with their attempt at gender subversion (cont'd).

Pronouns are attached to voice, so if you wanna be gendered properly, you better sound like a cis woman. The game's fixation on sex isn't surprising, but disappointing. The glamorization of drug use is disturbing as well, as a person who has escaped that lifestyle.

If the game does not offer criticism of these things, of hypercapitalism and an observation and analysis of transhumanism, it isn't cyberpunk. It's the same stuff we've seen for years dressed up in a cyberpunk aesthetic (cont'd)

Transhumanist and gender subversion co-opted by folks who have had no experience actually encountering these concepts in their own lives or any time spent really reflecting on what they mean. It reads flat and quite frankly, unfortunate.

I really wanted to be excited about this game. I hope that folks that looked forward to it enjoyed it, but I also hope they keep a keen and analytical eye on the content. That isn't to say you can't enjoy something with flaws, because everything has flaws: (cont'd)

But let's not dress something up as progressive, groundbreaking, and as positive representation when it just isn't. If there are story elements that deal with these subjects in interesting ways, that's great - but that remains to be seen.

This is by no means an attempt to "cancel" Cyberpunk. It's just my thoughts and opinions. You're welcome to your own.