Arachnarok_Rider: You are assuming that classic gendering existed in the game at some point. I am not sure that is the case. It wouldn't fit very well with the world and what we know of it if it was.
You also seem to have this idea that gender is irrelevant if it isn't binary. That is not the case. Gender is still gender, even if it is less a binary option and more of a spectrum.
Gender is also not the same as biological sex and it really is not helpful that you try to confuse the two. And seeing as "gender" is generally a reference to the norms and roles related to sexes withing a particular culture or society rather than a direct reference to the biological sex, it is pretty much true by definition that gender is indeed just a social construct. Or an aggravating aspect of languages, which in turn is also a social construct.
In other words, what sounds like a really obvious joke is actually only funny because you don't understand what the words you're using actually mean.
Finally, what did CDPR actually change? Have they really changed anything in the actual game or just changed some elements in the character creation menu?
Sounds like Cathy Neuman with all those " You are assuming that(...)", "You also seem to have this idea that(...)" ;)
I assume that classic and any other genderizm is animal that never existed ;) its just political ideologist tool.
And i have idea that gender is presented as irrelevant, because its replaced by body type. And i have nothing against spectrum.
Also funny(or not) trivia. In Polish language - with is a first one for most CDPR devs, and me as well, gender and sex translate into same word 'płeć'. In some more specialized materials gender sometimes is translated as social - culture gender identity 'społeczno-kulturowa tożsamość płciowa' , but otherwise there no difference between sex and gender in Polish.
And to answer your final question. CDPR probably did not change anything in actual game. Its hard to tell, as im not on devs team. Personally im concerned, but we have to hold judgments till final product ready. Im hoping that great story line will make up for all fans currents upsets. Paweł Sasko and his team already proves that they have masterclass potential in creating great and engaging stories. Just hoping for the best.
The same linguistic oddity would happen in my language, where the term for biological sex and the cultural perception of the sexes are both the same. Which isn't to say that we cannot distinguish between the biological and the cultural aspect, but we either do it through context or through adding supporting words that clearly establish which one we're talking about.
But that is a sidetrack. In English, it is quite valid to say that gender is a social construct. It gets potentially weird when translated but that's just language at work. The underlying thought, that our understanding of what "man" and "woman" means is not inherent to being man or woman but rather something society has developed over time, is still valid regardless of language.
Regarding the story, I agree. I also do not think they actually changed how the story bits work. That just sounds like way too big a thing to get into this late in the development. More likely they just figured that if they change how the menu refers to male and female then boom, inclusiveness achieved. Which works because the underlying game already is very flexible in terms of interpreting who the player character actually is.
But yes, I do worry a bit too. Not so much because of the gender nonsense but because the aim is so high that it seems almost impossible to achieve. But one can hope.
