Store Page
The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories
All Discussions Screenshots Artwork Broadcasts Videos News Guides Reviews

The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

Store Page
View Stats:
Global Achievements
Pebbles Oct 18, 2018 @ 1:03pm
We need more games like this - discussing gender and sexual identites
I can't say how much I relate to both J.J. and Emily at a personal level. Their confusion with their sexual and gender identities, their struggle with family and society, and their love for each other are just making me cry internally with pain and joy at the same time.
The game wasn't lying when it said it "was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being who they are." I wish more people would play this game and pay attention to the J.J.s and Emilys in our real lives.


If you have played through the game, you should know by now that J.J. is a biological male who identifies as a female, while Emily is asexual.
Last edited by Pebbles; Oct 19, 2018 @ 9:44pm
The author of this topic has marked a post as the answer to their question.
Click here to jump to that post.
Originally posted by SpeakableCassie:
So... I'm a transgender woman who is also pansexual. My name's Cassie, I'm 21 years old as of a couple of days ago and I've been a fan of SWERY and his games for as long as I can remember. When I went into this game I was in a fairly bad place...

I've always known to accept who I am, but living in a very conservative part of the UK I face a lot of transphobia and hatred every day, sometimes from my own mother and step-father, just for being who I am. Sometimes it's hard to like myself in the face of these things. Sometimes I feel like I'm a problem, or should feel ashamed of who I am.

It's been particularly hard for the past couple of weeks as there's a Gender Recognition Act Reform going on in the UK. The reform is simply trying to make it easier for trans people to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate after a certain amount of evaluations, assessments and months on Hormone Replacement Therapy, as the current process is very invasive, very expensive and very difficult. The current process even includes a one to two year "reconsideration" period, as my Gender Identity Clinic doctor so 'elequently' put it, where they give us a large amount of time between requesting (and paying for) a GRC and actually giving us one in order for us to contemplate if we're wrong and are just mentally ill, despite already having been evaluated thoroughly to confirm we're trans before-hand.

Anyway, with the reform coming up there is a consultation going on and it's brought many transphobic people out in droves, who are attempting to stop us from having a slightly less difficult process to go through. The thing is, they've been taking it a step further, with petitions being made and signed enough times for the government to discuss, regarding rolling back our rights from the Equality Act 2010. All this exposisition is to say that the last few weeks have been extremely emotionally strenuous, painful and difficult to cope with...

When I first heard SWERY had just released a new game I got excited, I thought I'd be receiving my key for The Good Life which I'd supported on Kickstarter (and Fig before that), and that I'd have it as a nice game to take my mind off of day to day life for a few hours. I was surprised to find that it was The Missing instead, a game that I'd never heard of before, but the idea of a completely new game only got me more excited so I bought and downloaded it instantly.

I didn't know what to expect as I progressed through. I thought, based on the opening text, (that the game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being who they are), that it would be a progressive piece giving lesbians a spotlight which they are rarely given in media. I loved the idea and was happy that a minority group was getting such positive representation, but the story regarding it was very light in the first half of the game so it slipped my mind about a third of the way through.

When it first started to dawn on me that J.J. was actually a trans woman like myself I couldn't really believe it. I was certain I was wrong as trans people are so rarely represented and, from my experience, hated by huge chunks of the populace. My heart was racing as I tried my hardest to solve various puzzles to progress and find the truth of the story out for myself but... When it became clear in my mind that J.J. was a trans woman, I just broke down crying. I just couldn't help myself, it's pretty much the first positive representation I've ever seen of my community in a video game and it brought me to tears and moved me to my core. I ended up crying through an awful lot of the last couple of chapters of the game and...

Well, I've rambled a lot here, but my overall point is that this game meant everything to me. I related to it on so many levels... It made me so happy, it made me feel so cared about and given I've been having such a difficult time recently: It's helped reassure me and has helped me accept myself despite all the difficulties and hatred in day to day life at the moment. I truly cannot thank the developers enough and I will never forget this game for as long as I live. Thank you if you've stuck around to read this far. I wholeheartedly agree with the OP: I really hope others play this game, whether they're transgender or not, and find what they're looking for. <3
< >
Showing 1-15 of 30 comments
Zhnigo Oct 19, 2018 @ 2:35am 
When you said "games like this", at first I thought you were talking about the delightful weirdness and dreamlike atmosphere, or about Swery's games in general.
#1
Rachet20 Oct 19, 2018 @ 1:10pm 
Originally posted by Zhnigo:
When you said "games like this", at first I thought you were talking about the delightful weirdness and dreamlike atmosphere, or about Swery's games in general.

Does that even need to be said?

I know the answer is yes because otherwise we just end up with more D4s :*(
#2
The author of this thread has indicated that this post answers the original topic.
SpeakableCassie Oct 20, 2018 @ 7:07am 
3
So... I'm a transgender woman who is also pansexual. My name's Cassie, I'm 21 years old as of a couple of days ago and I've been a fan of SWERY and his games for as long as I can remember. When I went into this game I was in a fairly bad place...

I've always known to accept who I am, but living in a very conservative part of the UK I face a lot of transphobia and hatred every day, sometimes from my own mother and step-father, just for being who I am. Sometimes it's hard to like myself in the face of these things. Sometimes I feel like I'm a problem, or should feel ashamed of who I am.

It's been particularly hard for the past couple of weeks as there's a Gender Recognition Act Reform going on in the UK. The reform is simply trying to make it easier for trans people to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate after a certain amount of evaluations, assessments and months on Hormone Replacement Therapy, as the current process is very invasive, very expensive and very difficult. The current process even includes a one to two year "reconsideration" period, as my Gender Identity Clinic doctor so 'elequently' put it, where they give us a large amount of time between requesting (and paying for) a GRC and actually giving us one in order for us to contemplate if we're wrong and are just mentally ill, despite already having been evaluated thoroughly to confirm we're trans before-hand.

Anyway, with the reform coming up there is a consultation going on and it's brought many transphobic people out in droves, who are attempting to stop us from having a slightly less difficult process to go through. The thing is, they've been taking it a step further, with petitions being made and signed enough times for the government to discuss, regarding rolling back our rights from the Equality Act 2010. All this exposisition is to say that the last few weeks have been extremely emotionally strenuous, painful and difficult to cope with...

When I first heard SWERY had just released a new game I got excited, I thought I'd be receiving my key for The Good Life which I'd supported on Kickstarter (and Fig before that), and that I'd have it as a nice game to take my mind off of day to day life for a few hours. I was surprised to find that it was The Missing instead, a game that I'd never heard of before, but the idea of a completely new game only got me more excited so I bought and downloaded it instantly.

I didn't know what to expect as I progressed through. I thought, based on the opening text, (that the game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being who they are), that it would be a progressive piece giving lesbians a spotlight which they are rarely given in media. I loved the idea and was happy that a minority group was getting such positive representation, but the story regarding it was very light in the first half of the game so it slipped my mind about a third of the way through.

When it first started to dawn on me that J.J. was actually a trans woman like myself I couldn't really believe it. I was certain I was wrong as trans people are so rarely represented and, from my experience, hated by huge chunks of the populace. My heart was racing as I tried my hardest to solve various puzzles to progress and find the truth of the story out for myself but... When it became clear in my mind that J.J. was a trans woman, I just broke down crying. I just couldn't help myself, it's pretty much the first positive representation I've ever seen of my community in a video game and it brought me to tears and moved me to my core. I ended up crying through an awful lot of the last couple of chapters of the game and...

Well, I've rambled a lot here, but my overall point is that this game meant everything to me. I related to it on so many levels... It made me so happy, it made me feel so cared about and given I've been having such a difficult time recently: It's helped reassure me and has helped me accept myself despite all the difficulties and hatred in day to day life at the moment. I truly cannot thank the developers enough and I will never forget this game for as long as I live. Thank you if you've stuck around to read this far. I wholeheartedly agree with the OP: I really hope others play this game, whether they're transgender or not, and find what they're looking for. <3
Last edited by SpeakableCassie; Apr 9, 2021 @ 1:52am
#3
TemmieNeko Oct 20, 2018 @ 9:17am 
Originally posted by Novalex:
I can't say how much I relate to both J.J. and Emily at a personal level. Their confusion with their sexual and gender identities, their struggle with family and society, and their love for each other are just making me cry internally with pain and joy at the same time.
The game wasn't lying when it said it "was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being who they are." I wish more people would play this game and pay attention to the J.J.s and Emilys in our real lives.


If you have played through the game, you should know by now that J.J. is a biological male who identifies as a female, while Emily is asexual.
how come timespinner gets it's video game butt ripped open by ppl hating on these things, and this one is completley untouched... I don't get it.
#4
Ashabel Oct 20, 2018 @ 10:52am 
Originally posted by TemmieNeko:
how come timespinner gets it's video game butt ripped open by ppl hating on these things, and this one is completley untouched... I don't get it.

Because the alt-righties are too busy making Timespinner: The Bigot Edition mod that cuts out all the LGBT content to notice that this game exists.
#5
sdarigan Oct 25, 2018 @ 8:02am 
Originally posted by Novalex:


If you have played through the game, you should know by now that J.J. is a biological male who identifies as a female, while Emily is asexual.

I must have missed Emily being asexual. When did that come up?
#6
Chika Ogiue Oct 25, 2018 @ 11:39pm 
@sdarigan Personally I don't think it did. The way I see it is that Emily in the "dream world" is not Emily. She is the female aspect of J.J. The text messages from her only indicate, to me, that Emily in the real world cares deeply for J.J. I saw no indication of anything else.

As for what the game is about, Swery has mentioned on Twitter that it's not just about one specific aspect of humanity or gender. It's about people being themselves and accepting themsleves for who they are.
#7
Pebbles Oct 26, 2018 @ 9:03pm 
It was never directly mentioned, but based on what Emily says to J.J. (or J.J.'s memory of Emily), especially in the clocktower, it could be assumed that Emily is either asexual or doesn't feel strong sexual attractions to people.
#8
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ °) Oct 27, 2018 @ 2:30pm 
Originally posted by Novalex:
It was never directly mentioned, but based on what Emily says to J.J. (or J.J.'s memory of Emily), especially in the clocktower, it could be assumed that Emily is either asexual or doesn't feel strong sexual attractions to people.
I've gotten the impression Emily was mirroring what J.J. might've said to Emily in real world, she even says "I'm Jackie" in that part.
"I told her my secret. She seemed really confused" - J.J. coming out to mother as a transgender woman (wasn't mentioned anywhere that Emily herself had some sort of a secret). "What does it mean to live" and "Were we just born to have sex?" - imo it's about that idea that a person's entire worth is based on their ability to reproduce and their role in the process, probably something J.J had heard a lot.
Something like that.
Last edited by ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ °); Oct 27, 2018 @ 2:30pm
#9
aj Nov 9, 2018 @ 11:29am 
God hand did it best.
#10
SpeakableCassie Nov 10, 2018 @ 5:52am 
Originally posted by aj:
God hand did it best.
Reset the clock, it has been zero days since someone mentioned God Hand.
#11
Danielle Nov 10, 2018 @ 8:57am 
Originally posted by mork yorg★n:
Originally posted by Novalex:
It was never directly mentioned, but based on what Emily says to J.J. (or J.J.'s memory of Emily), especially in the clocktower, it could be assumed that Emily is either asexual or doesn't feel strong sexual attractions to people.
I've gotten the impression Emily was mirroring what J.J. might've said to Emily in real world, she even says "I'm Jackie" in that part.
"I told her my secret. She seemed really confused" - J.J. coming out to mother as a transgender woman (wasn't mentioned anywhere that Emily herself had some sort of a secret). "What does it mean to live" and "Were we just born to have sex?" - imo it's about that idea that a person's entire worth is based on their ability to reproduce and their role in the process, probably something J.J had heard a lot.
Something like that.
I agree, a lot of what spooky emily says doesn't make sense if it's actually coming from her perspective. We don't really get a hint of emily having her own secret from the texts she had sent you.
#12
BearBee Nov 11, 2018 @ 3:20pm 
Originally posted by Danielle:
Originally posted by mork yorg★n:
I've gotten the impression Emily was mirroring what J.J. might've said to Emily in real world, she even says "I'm Jackie" in that part.
"I told her my secret. She seemed really confused" - J.J. coming out to mother as a transgender woman (wasn't mentioned anywhere that Emily herself had some sort of a secret). "What does it mean to live" and "Were we just born to have sex?" - imo it's about that idea that a person's entire worth is based on their ability to reproduce and their role in the process, probably something J.J had heard a lot.
Something like that.
I agree, a lot of what spooky emily says doesn't make sense if it's actually coming from her perspective. We don't really get a hint of emily having her own secret from the texts she had sent you.
Yeah, it took me a while to get it, but the backwards-talking clocktower version of Emily makes the most sense interpreted as JJ's own thoughts. I don't think Emily ever mentions having told any particular secret to JJ in the text message conversations (which seem likelier to be transcripts of things the "real" Emily said). As far as I can tell there's no indication Emily had any particular secret to hide, in light of this. Regarding asexuality, remember JJ mentioning in a text message conversation that she doesn't really "have a type" romantically speaking - so who knows, maybe JJ's asexual too in light of that. It would jive with that interpretation of Emily's comments, just rotated around to apply to her instead.
#13
Queen Jobber Dec 16, 2018 @ 9:35pm 
Originally posted by SpeakableCassie:
So... I'm a transgender woman who is also asexual. My name's Cassie, I'm 21 years old as of a couple of days ago and I've been a fan of SWERY and his games for as long as I can remember. When I went into this game I was in a fairly bad place...

I'm a trans woman also in the UK. I don't face as much abuse as you do I wager, though.

I'm super happy that we got such an accurate and positive representation, certainly not where I expected it. I had it spoiled for me, but I wouldn't have played it otherwise- and it still floored me with the frankness and sincerity that it deals with topics that I've never even seen touched upon in games before relating to queerness.

<3
#14
SpeakableCassie Dec 17, 2018 @ 4:53am 
Originally posted by Jobber:
Originally posted by SpeakableCassie:
So... I'm a transgender woman who is also asexual. My name's Cassie, I'm 21 years old as of a couple of days ago and I've been a fan of SWERY and his games for as long as I can remember. When I went into this game I was in a fairly bad place...

I'm a trans woman also in the UK. I don't face as much abuse as you do I wager, though.

I'm super happy that we got such an accurate and positive representation, certainly not where I expected it. I had it spoiled for me, but I wouldn't have played it otherwise- and it still floored me with the frankness and sincerity that it deals with topics that I've never even seen touched upon in games before relating to queerness.

<3

It's absolutely wonderful isn't it? Hopefully it leads to more positive representation for our community to further counter the UK's hateful media climate. Stay strong, Jobber, it's a hard time for people like us at the moment, but things'll work out in the long-run. Equality always wins in the end. ^_^
#15
< >
Showing 1-15 of 30 comments
Per page: 1530 50

The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories > General Discussions > Topic Details
Date Posted: Oct 18, 2018 @ 1:03pm
Posts: 30

Discussions Rules and Guidelines