LIMiNAL

LIMiNAL is a game prototype about going to get your groceries. Sort of.

The majority of people, in general, do not consider their gender. When your gender matches up to the way society thinks you should present yourself, you are--even if you don't realize it--rewarded with the ability to move freely and without harassment. But for many people, gender and gender presentation is far larger than just society's definition of 'male' and 'female.' Looking a way that the binary doesn't recognize can open a person up to taunts, assaults, violence, and worse, just for walking down the street--making getting from point A to point B a much more complicated issue than most people recognize.

LIMiNAL puts the player in this role, in order to reveal privilege and create empathy. The player--naturally a purple star--must accomplish their goals in a world of pink and blue squares, which turn hostile if they see the player in their natural form. The player has the ability to "pass" as a member of the gender binary, but will always tend to revert back to their shape. Whichever way the player decides to play the game, they must exert much more work and feel much more anxiety about their decisions than anyone else on screen, just for looking different.