In the Korea MMORPG Black Desert it seems that the gender lock is not set in stone. Images of a female version of the new class “Wizard” have now appeared.
“Gender Lock” – Normality in Korea, a nightmare for some Western players
In Korea, the perspective is this: Turning a warrior into a warrior woman without changing anything but the gender is considered boring. A warrior is a warrior, a warrior woman is a whole new class.
In the West, the view is different: It is seen as “normal” to have the choice to play a class with these abilities as a “woman” or as a “man.” Without this choice, one feels restricted, there is a lack of decision.
The first 7 classes in the Korean MMORPG “Black Desert” were all either male or female and nothing else. So a class like “Giant” (The Giant) was defined as a “man” right from the start – and as a giant, there is no choice of race. This already deterred some Western players from giving the Korean hopeful Black Desert a chance.
The situation is still unclear at the moment
Now the first images have emerged that this could change. The next class up is the “Wizard,” originally planned as a man, a classic wizard like Gandalf. Now it looks like this class will also come in a “female” version. The question will be whether it is one class or then indeed two classes. At the moment, initial reports suggest that it could indeed be one class, the first without “gender lock.”
The new “9th class,” a female warrior, will likely not serve as a counterpart to the warrior already in the game, but will be a “new” variant of the class. Yet this is still unclear. Not to mention the problem: How Black Desert could introduce a male Valkyrie to satisfy the West.
Classes with gender choice would surely be a sign from Black Desert that it is adapting to Western wishes. We will see how the currently unclear circumstances develop. In Korea, they simply do not think in these gender lock dimensions.
