Gender locked race?

[redcurrant18]

You'll excuse me for not thinking that something as relatively minor as an aesthetic implementation of a race (which is, ultimately, what gender differences are when jobs/classes are not locked behind them) is going to generate significant amounts of internet outrage.

That is a massive oversimplification of what we are discussing. An entire race is nowhere near a "minor" aesthetic add on. Your character's race is and appearance is what you'll see on the field, in dungeons, and in the many cutscenes in the game. People choose their character's race for a variety of reasons: wanting to play a character they feel looks like them, one they are attracted to, one that is their opposite gender, one that has a really unique feature that isn't in other games, etc. When only one gender is unlocked for that race, half the interest and potential players of that race disappears. Anyone who was planning to to transition to that race will keep their money, and go play one of the other races begrudgingly. It is an irritating and frustrating point that we even have to be discussing whether or not they will be gender-locked due to how open and free this game is in terms of customization, with the only thing worse than this being gender-locked classes.

[Berethos]

An entire race is nowhere near a "minor" aesthetic add on.

Relatively minor.

There is a damn good reason I chose that exact word, and responses like yours are why. Compared to the game play systems, server tech, etc., what your character looks like is a minor element, and since I was comparing hypothetical outrage from potentially getting only one gender (in a game where gender is an aesthetic element) to the previous months of backlash against gaming companies when said backlash has been based on game play systems, server issues, duping, poor upper level management decisions, etc.,?

In that context, aesthetics are minor...relatively speaking.

[Lacan]

Relatively minor.

There is a damn good reason I chose that exact word, and responses like yours are why. Compared to the game play systems, server tech, etc., what your character looks like is a minor element, and since I was comparing hypothetical outrage from potentially getting only one gender (in a game where gender is an aesthetic element) to the previous months of backlash against gaming companies when said backlash has been based on game play systems, server issues, duping, poor upper level management decisions, etc.,?

In that context, aesthetics are minor...relatively speaking.

I think you're underestimating how seriously people take the races in this game. Even in 11, there was a lot of uproar over genderlocked races. It was just as cosmetic there and people still cared. There is a reason Yoshi made undoing the genderlocked races from 1.0 such a priority. Character race is one of the foundations of the game, it is the point you start your character with. Getting new options for that is huge and lots of people care about it. It is a bigger deal than you think.