Am I less likely to play them? Yes, because a chance exists there's no combination I want to play.
The reason I have no problem with them is because developers have to make choices on a vision of the game. Size (of the budget) doesn't matter, as there are always ways to improve the game. If you have a set budget, and you are not under-budget (yeah right), what you spend on NOT crotch-locking has to take away from elsewhere.
So if a team doesn't choose to "waste" money on two of everything for gender parity, then the rest of their game better show out.
Alternatively, by today's definition, the notion of gender is not tied to physical...appendages...the whole point is that you can be born with a dong but identify as female. So everything is fine!
A world where every culture has the same modern progressive values of Western Europe would be a like a world where the only flavor of icecream was lima bean.
It is amazing, but you already live in this world. And this is good. As alternatives are Islamic State or North Korea feudal totalitarianism. China for example is far from democracy, but in general have the same western values and very competitive capitalism. Russia is a bit more democratic and less competitive. But both countries are very westernized. And this is not a new process. It started in XIX century. For example the Meiji reforms in Japan.
I don't think he is advocating that we don't live in a progressive world. The roleplaying game examples he gave and the real world examples you gave have one thing in common. An opportunity for drama, conflict, stories that sweep nations up in their telling. That's why you don't want your fantasy world to be like our modern progressive one.
Gender locking isn't the right thing to do, even though it reflects the real world with nuns and monks they both are from two different religion so they can't be seen as equality with genders.
I don't think that the goal should be to emulate real world situations, far from it.
One of the most interesting settings in D&D is the Drow elf society.
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One of the most interesting settings in D&D is the Drow elf society.