I suppose the distinction is sentience. Humans are the only conscious, self-aware species that we're aware of in the real world, and so we use different language to refer to sex in species that are not self-aware, but by convention when dealing with fictional races of humanoid sentients in sci-fi or fantasy, which are usually also sexually dimorphic, there is a convention of using the same pronouns we use for humans.
Realistically, they're only cosmetically different from other races.
The Hylians, Gorons, Zora etc may have some significant physical differences but they operate under basic assumptions like hierarchy, communal living, and concern for each other. They even speak the same language.
I think it's fairly easy to classify them all as people, as opposed to something like a hive-mind which possessed sentience as a group but not individually, or something even further from our experience.
I suppose the distinction is sentience. Humans are the only conscious, self-aware species that we're aware of in the real world, and so we use different language to refer to sex in species that are not self-aware, but by convention when dealing with fictional races of humanoid sentients in sci-fi or fantasy, which are usually also sexually dimorphic, there is a convention of using the same pronouns we use for humans.
Realistically, they're only cosmetically different from other races.
The Hylians, Gorons, Zora etc may have some significant physical differences but they operate under basic assumptions like hierarchy, communal living, and concern for each other. They even speak the same language.
I think it's fairly easy to classify them all as people, as opposed to something like a hive-mind which possessed sentience as a group but not individually, or something even further from our experience.
That's a great series. Really fun sci-fi romp, I would recommend it to anybody.