Ludography
Gender Wars cover

1996 · Action · Real-time tactics

Gender Wars

Gender Wars is a real-time tactics action game for DOS developed by The 8th Day and published by GT Interactive Software and Sales Curve in 1996.

Released
1996
Platforms
MS-DOS
Genres
ActionReal-time tacticsScienceShooterStrategy
Developers
—
Publishers
Atari, Inc.
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
ActionScience fictionComedy
Country
United Kingdom
Age ratings
USK 18ACB MA 15+ESRB M
Languages
English (UK)

About

Gender Wars is a real-time tactics action game developed by The 8th Day and Sales Curve and published for DOS by GT Interactive and Sales Curve Interactive in 1996. The game is set at an undetermined point in the future in which humanity is divided into two warring societies based on gender.

›Story

In the future, after an era of "political correctness and equality", humanity is divided into two warring factions based on sex and enters a brutal conflict known as the "Gender Wars". Each faction is a caricature of conventional gender stereotypes. The Male faction are crass jocks obsessed with alcohol and other "manly" things while the Females are vapid Valley Girl archetypes preoccupied with fashion and other stereotypically feminine interests. Both factions conduct raids against the other to steal cloning material and capture the other's leader.

The player has to choose between the Male or the Female faction. Regardless of the player's choice, the victorious faction will put the remaining members of the defeated sex into servitude. The game ends with the narrator mentioning the player's faction was overthrown by rebellion caused by men and women working together, taking place a few years after the end of the Gender Wars.

Keywords

  • future
  • satire
  • controversial
  • pick your gender

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player controls a squad leader and any of their members, as they kill enemies, destroy enemy facilities, or retrieve devices. However, the player will have to control each member at a time, as they have difficulty navigating by themselves.

Story

In the future, after an era of "political correctness and equality", humanity is divided into two warring factions based on sex and enters a brutal conflict known as the "Gender Wars". Each faction is a caricature of conventional gender stereotypes. The Male faction are crass jocks obsessed with alcohol and other "manly" things while the Females are vapid Valley Girl archetypes preoccupied with fashion and other stereotypically feminine interests. Both factions conduct raids against the other to steal cloning material and capture the other's leader.

The player has to choose between the Male or the Female faction. Regardless of the player's choice, the victorious faction will put the remaining members of the defeated sex into servitude. The game ends with the narrator mentioning the player's faction was overthrown by rebellion caused by men and women working together, taking place a few years after the end of the Gender Wars.

Reception

GameSpot gave Gender Wars a "Fair" review score of 6.6/10, opining it is "a solid arcade strategy game that doesn't require lots of concentration, and has enough depth to keep things interesting. This basic premise, along with the game's original story line, good video and sound, and surprisingly good gameplay, make for a very engaging title." A retrospective by Richard Cobbett of PC Gamer called it "a rubbish Syndicate wannabe," one which still handles its subject "better than Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender."

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
MS-DOS1 March 1996North America · Europe 31 December 1996

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Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.