answer to you title, conviction and courage. lovely art. well done.
Reviews for "What Makes You a Man?"
For 30 minutes, I didn't get this game. I couldn't the pink shitheads to do what I wanted to them to do, I kept mixing up their controls, the physics felt so unnatural and out of control to me, my hands kept twitching from the stress of potentially falling incredibly far and losing everything (and that of course caused me to fall down many times). Movement in most games is meant to be as intuitive as possible. To make your autonomy in game an extension of your autonomy in real life, and in so doing make the character(s) of the game an extension of yourself in some small way. What Makes You a Man finds this very idea hilarious, which it made very clear to me as it watched me struggle up this stupid mountain only to softlock me and force me to restart. Twice.
My intent and action were forcibly divided as the fuckers who were SUPPOSED to be representing me in game continually went their own way against my wishes. My limbs separated from my soul as it desperately screamed commands at that which was supposed to be me, the only vessel through which I could actually interact with the world, but which so clearly wasn't.
Then, partway through the second level (for the second time, because, as I have said, I had to restart after a softlock) I just... got it. The pink guys stopped messing with me. I figured out the controls. The physics started making sense. My hands gained stability in their confidence. I gained control over that which was supposed to be me, and in so doing, it actually adequately represented me. I don't remember what learning to walk felt like, but I imagine it probably felt something like this.
Was this intentional? Trying to emulate the experience of gender dysphoria and later euphoria upon the achievement of a cohesive self through gameplay? If so, you're a genius. Either way, it worked that way for me.
I'm sorry I write like such a pretentious bitch. My point is that I liked your game.
plufmot responds:
The softlocks were my bad, I totally missed them when making this. The controls being difficult but later making sense was also not intentional ahaha. But let's just say it was, so I look like a genius bahaha. Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it in the end!
its made me so mad playing this by myself so i asked a cousin for help. pretty good game :)
playing this alone is so frustrating
You climb a mountain, but it's really about being trans. That's an extremely original concept for a game that has literally never been done before