A new study led by Monash University researchers has revealed how thoughtful video game design can help create gender euphoria for transgender people, offering new pathways to joy, identity affirmation and inclusive design.
Recently presented at the prestigious ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’25) in Japan, the research identified key themes and patterns to support game designers in understanding how particular combinations of design choices can be a source of trans joy and identity affirmation.
The study was conducted by four game design experts, whose lived experiences as trans women helped shape its insights.
The research looked at experiences of gender euphoria – the joy and comfort a person feels when their gender identity is seen, felt or expressed in a way that truly fits who they are – and how this can come out through game play. Gender euphoria is a key source of wellbeing for cis- and transgender people alike, yet it is often unremarked and unremarkable to those who experience it regularly.
The researchers analysed 25 games, including specific case studies from four popular games Cyberpunk 2077, Celeste, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and One night, hot springs, to understand how specific design elements and storylines can lead to gender euphoria for trans players.
The study found video games can create gender euphoria through thoughtful and inclusive design elements. Game developers can explicitly design for de-stigmatisation, de-othering, self-expression and self-disclosure and, in so doing, drive valuable dynamics and experiences for players.
Games design expert and coordinating author of the paper, Associate Professor Phoebe Toups Dugas from Monash University’s Exertion Games Lab at the Faculty of Information Technology said often trans experiences in games are framed around trauma or exclusion – a trap she and her team felt they fell into with their earlier research. This time, they were driven by hope.
“This work focuses on what joy looks like for trans players – how games can help us feel affirmed, empowered, and even euphoric,” Associate Professor Toups Dugas said.
“Our study shows that games can create joyful, gender-affirming experiences for trans players when they include authentic, non-stereotyped trans characters, integrate them into gameplay rather than treating them as exceptions, and offer tools like character customisation and safe exploration.”
One of the research’s central case studies is the character Claire Russell in the video game Cyberpunk 2077 – a trans woman non-player character (NPC) who forms a gradual, meaningful relationship with the player.
Rather than making her identity the focus, the game presents Claire as a confident, capable character who shares her story on her own terms. Her presence, the study found, enables players to experience “parasocial” gender euphoria – a feeling of developing a relationship with a fictional character who is being supported and reflected in a world that accepts them.
“Designing for gender euphoria doesn’t just benefit trans players, it also helps build richer, more inclusive worlds for everyone,” Associate Professor Toups Dugas said.
The research offers practical guidance to game designers and HCI (human-computer interaction) researchers on creating digital spaces that support mental well-being, identity exploration, and authentic representation.
Looking to the future, the researchers hope this study gives game developers and other human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers a headstart and the right tools to further delve into exploring diverse ways of creating gender affirming spaces for everyone.
The study was led by Monash University researchers from the Exertion Games Lab in collaboration with researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, USA.
Coordinating author of the research Associate Professor Phoebe Toups Dugas from Monash University’s Exertion Games Lab at the Faculty of Information Technology, is available for interviews.
To read the full open-access research paper, visit: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3714081
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