But there were no signs
When I was a kid I was really into Infocom text adventures, and the game Beyond Zork had some very strong tabletop RPG elements, much moreso than other Infocom games. One of the things about it is that when you started the game you had to roll a character, and you could choose the gender of the player character.
The gender of the player character had literally no effect on the gameplay.
I always chose “female” for some reason.
But there were no signs.
I also used to be really into fighting games (Street Fighter et al), until I had to stop due to RSI issues.
I always chose the female fighters for some reason.
But there were no signs.
When I was 7 I was really into The Last Unicorn.
My parents thought I identified with Schmendrick the magician.
I identified with the unicorn.
But there were no signs.
When I was 10 and Super Mario Bros 2 came out I was infatuated with the game. Especially because the manual described Birdo as “thinking he was a girl.”
I wanted to hug her so bad, and say, “me too.”
But there were no signs.
Every time I wrote a story that had a self-insert character, it always just felt natural for that character to be a girl.
But there were no signs.