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[Kai Dracon]

In games with create-a-character where the character is supposed to be "me" I make it male more often.

But when the character is not a player avatar, has their own set look, personality, and story, I go with either male or female. Especially in stuff like fighting games where I play absolutely anyone regardless of gender expression.

 

[ATXAlchemy]

Absolute worst excuse I've ever heard.

Do you play for some political/evironmental cause or something?

Some people play games because they want to have fun.

And if having a male ass stare at them for hundreds of hours somehow reduces their enjoyment of the game, what's wrong with trying to remedy it?

 

[Black Door]

Female characters tend to be better designed in most games (chainmail bikinis aside, most designers tend to either not make male characters flashy enough or overdo it and give them plate armor on top of plate armor or make them look like hoboes. And sometimes there's gameplay differences, such as with Final Fantasy Tactics and its female-only equipment that makes them invincible.)

As for identifying with the characters, I have no idea why people do this. I am not a 500 year old elf princess that splits peoples' heads open with scythes. She's just an avatar in a fantasy story.

 

[m0t0k1]

I play the character that i like the most. Sometimes that is a guy sometimes it is a girl.

 

[-MD-]

Considering that's the exact excuse that's usually made fun of, somehow I get the impression that what he said was tongue-in-cheek.

I thought as much at first but then I saw like 4 people quote him and agree so I had to say something.

 

[Kelegacy]

I'm a guy and play only as guys for the most part. Just don't care to play as a female. I am fine with female characters, but if I am creating a character, it's a guy every time.

I also am not attracted to digital characters so I won't choose a female just to stare at her "assets". Those excuses are a bit creepy to me.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

Female characters tend to be better designed in most games (chainmail bikinis aside, most designers tend to either not make male characters flashy enough or overdo it and give them plate armor on top of plate armor or make them look like hoboes. And sometimes there's gameplay differences, such as with Final Fantasy Tactics and its female-only equipment that makes them invincible.)

As for identifying with the characters, I have no idea why people do this. I am not a 500 year old elf princess that splits peoples' heads open with scythes. She's just an avatar in a fantasy story.

Wow for example had shoulder pads that looked like VW bugs strapped to the body for it male characters. It was so gross and ugly, I was glad I rolled a female character.

I will say though, that getting hit on by men (real or game script), is a bit strange, but at least with real people, it's easy to state my gender.

 

[Evil Monkey DTT]

I always play as a woman when I'm given the chance in any action title. I think it makes games like mass effect and dark souls even cooler from a story and character angle. And if it's not action I guess it depends on my mood, I spend hours trying to choose for animal crossing.

 

[KojiKnight]

Straight male, married for 5 years, 2 beautiful daughters... in games where you create your own character, I play female the majority of the time. Commander Shepard? Female. My (original) main character in WoW? Female.

In WoW, I never pretended to be a girl, if anyone asked I'd tell them straight up I was a guy... It's not about (in my case anyways) sex change role play or anything like that... I've only briefly thought on the reasons why and the only thing I come up with is that it's aesthetically more pleasing to play as a female than a male... especially in a game where you're going to be staring at your character in 3rd person for extended periods of time (in WoW's case, hundreds of hundreds of hours).

That said, if I play such a game with my wife, I play a male character and my wife a female just so it isn't too awkward when I "love on" her in-game.

That that said... games are supposed to be fun and fantastical... it seems really weird to me to possibly judge people on their choices in games... I often played "make people jump off a cliff" evil in Knights of the Old Republic, but I don't think anyone would give me a second thought in real life.

(edit) As an unforeseen "bonus" to playing a game as a female character in games, if my daughter is watching me she gets to see a woman in a game kicking ass which is never a bad thing

 

[Tamanator]

I always play as Simply Red's Mick Hucknall. What does that say about me?

Who doesn't? Mike Hucknall is in the top 5 most recognized people in the world. It's hardly surprising that you want to emulate him.

 

[Tye The Czar]

They theorized, then, that women are more shy about being guys because most games feature male avatars designed to empower men—not appeal to women. Female avatars in games, meanwhile, often play to stereotypical male ideals of beauty and sexual appeal.

And this, of course, extends to pre-defined characters in most games.

Every stupid justification("Men are sexualized too!" "Her sexiness is empowering/used to distract enemies/makes it easier to move around in!") I hear after my experience of talking with other developers is rendered null. We just parrot these justifications in interviews to make sure we don't piss off entitled fans. Many female characters are designed primarily for pandering to guys. Period.

The only exception I can think of is Bayonetta, in which her sexiness is both used in a tongue-in-cheek fashion but also fits the character and game in a way nothing else can compete in.

 

[BRocknRolla]

Depends on the game I'm playing, but I definitely enjoyed playing a female character at times. I like the differences in armor style (Assuming they aren't stereotypical midriff-bearing styles), and really enjoy it when the world recognizes the gender and things play out differently as a result. (Fallout was fun in that regard with scenarios where discrimination or just generally different treatment takes place.) To me, I'm playing a character, not an avatar for myself, so I never have any hang ups.

 

[ChosenPredator]

I always play a male as well I can't get into playing a female character unless it has some sort of game changing effect like in mass effect but other then that i prefer using a male character as i try to make it an alternative universe me.

 

[molnizzle]

I thought as much at first but then I saw like 4 people quote him and agree so I had to say something.

What's wrong with it, again?

To me, I'm playing a character, not an avatar for myself, so I never have any hang ups.

Same here.

 

[Hollycat]

I always play as a female character if I have the choice.

 

[KojiKnight]

"The researchers found that all the men in their study moved around in a very different way than the women. The men moved backward more often, stayed farther away from groups, and jumped about twice as much as the women did. When it came to moving around, the men behaved similarly whether they gender-switched or not".

You know... I see that in my actions in general in online games. I'm not a super social person so I think it's just an extension of that. The bouncing around bit is just because I'm also restless in raids

 

[Muchi Muchi Pink]

I love to play female characters if there is an option. But honestly I don't really pick my fg characters like that. RPGs however I always pick female. Started that with wow because female rogues look cooler.

 

[SaggyMonkey]

Definitely always played female in SSX games to get a better view.

In most games I try them both pretty interchangeably, as there's usually very few differences. I don't really identify with a game character as "me." I'd be more interested in one or the other if the gameplay changed meaningfully between the two states.

 

[Schweinehund]

Word. I don't want to stare at a dude's ass for 100+ hours.

Never understood this, unless you're joking, which is kind of overused at this point. Try zooming out or paying attention in combat. Very rarely do I actually get the chance to look at my character .

 

[genjiZERO]

I sometimes play as a female character. But I have to admit that it's for cliche sexualized reasons. I don't ever role-play as a female in a game though. I usually pay as a male character though.

Interestingly though I usually pay as a female character in fighting games. For some reason I prefer the way they play -they tend to be faster.

 

[Ommadawnyawn]

Why would you stare at the ass for any length of time?
Is there more important things you should be doing like, like saving the galaxy or something.

And it's not like a lot of games even make you do that (stare).

 

[-MD-]

What's wrong with it, again?

It's only the most ridiculous reasoning ever is all.

 

[NervousXtian]

I think some of it stems from the teenage fantasy of boys thinking if they were a girl, how easy it would be to get laid all the time.. so the fantasy of being a woman happened to a lot of guys.

I've never met a woman who really imagined in the same fantastical way what it'd be like to be a man.

I'm honestly not all that surprised by these findings.. my wife chooses female avatars when she has a choice. I do typically choose male avatars though.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

It's only the most ridiculous reasoning ever is all.

Perfectly reasonable to me. I like playing dress up with my female characters, it actually makes me look forward to getting new gear for cosmetic purposes.

When I roll a male character, the armor aesthetics are uninteresting, and that aspect is lost on me.

Regardless of what you're actually doing in these games, you will pay attention to a characters looks, and in that aspect, I too would rather look at a females butt

 

[molnizzle]

It's only the most ridiculous reasoning ever is all.

I dunno. Sure, you don't stare at your character while playing an MMO. That doesn't change the fact that one way or another, that character's backside is facing you for 99% of the hundreds of hours that you'll play. Is it really "ridiculous" that people prefer for said backside to be one that they find appealing to look at?

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Depends on the type of game for me. The last time I made a woman character was when I played Lord of the Rings online because I wanted a character that emulated the look of Arwen/Tauriel because I like them! But not for any moment throughout it when talking to others did I give the impression that I was a girl lol.

Some JRPGs I'll pick a girl if there is the option and her moveset is better? My gender choices are more practical. There really isn't some deep meaning behind them. Most of the time I'll just pick some dude though.

 

[Seiru]

Word. I don't want to stare at a dude's ass for 100+ hours.

I've always found this response to be extremely, uh..."defensive." In a super awkward way.

I don't personally do it, but theres nothing wrong with playing as women, guys. Just embrace it.

 

[The Devils Mouthpiece]

I play one play through as a man, and a second play through as a woman. Alternatively, if they let me be a nonhuman I always pick that option. I'm hoping the new Mass Effect let's me play as the alien races, love to be a turion or salarien. In the end it doesn't matter to me, because, videogames.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

I always roll out dudes. Idk why, I just do.

My character in Monster Hunter is always male, so is in most in character creation games. Pokemon is an exception since they are precreated, and I hate some of them. Like the ones from RSE and Platinum, yuck.

 

[Seik]

I play always play the guys because, well, I'm a guy and if I have the choice I'll take the character that I will identify to the most.

But hey, it's not like people need to justify themselves, they don't give the choices for nothing.

 

[G-Fex]

I like playing as females cause I want to. There's not some sort of deep methodical meaning behind my decision. I just want to.

 

[styl3s]

I usually do, especially in MMOs, but for the most part if I can choose a Woman I will. Most of my Diablo 3 characters are women as well. No real reason, I just prefer it.

Pretty much.

in WOW my Rogue and Hunter were both female night elves. In Diablo 3 all my characters are female and in Wildstar i play a female. I don't know why, it's not "i dont want to look at a mans ass all day" because i am gay. Whenever someone uses that like some sort of argument it makes me feel the person is embarrassed and has to come up with some excuse because who stares at their character for 50,100,200 or 300+ hours? In MMOs or ARPGs you never look at your character unless you are in town and even then you aren't eyeballing the ass.

I honestly couldn't tell you why i play a woman in games, i just do. It doesn't change my behavior one bit and i don't always play women, i have a male barbarian in D3 and a male Wizard and a male undead Warlock in WOW. I just prefer playing a female.

I like playing as females cause I want to. There's not some sort of deep methodical meaning behind my decision. I just want to.

Yeah i don't know why people have to come up with some deep meaning behind why you play a male or female.

Sometimes i just go with what is chosen for me when i go to create a character on some games. You know how a lot of MMO's will just randomly pick male or female when you click a class and sometimes i just go with that gender.

 

[Goldenhen]

I'm one of them who enjoy playing female characters.

 

[insert_username_here]

I usually always play male with the exception of Dragon Age 2. I thought default Hawke looked weird and strangely homeless, so I chose fem Hawke.

 

[Linkark07]

Any game that gives me a choice: female character. Especially if the avatar can be customized.

Started this in 2008 back in WoW with a female BE Mage.

Of course, I still pick male sometimes, for example, a male Troll Shaman. Or a male knight in Demons Souls.

 

[DrunkDan]

I'm a man who plays a man in Video Games, usually with some effort to try and make them resemble me.

Exactly this. I enjoy playing games where the main character is a woman too, games like Tomb Raider or TLOU for example, but given the choice I'd always create a male character.

Was funny watching 'female' avatars getting absolutely hounded in PS Home sometimes too, although some of the comments were horrific at times. Some people love the attention though!

 

[masud]

Yeah I play as a woman most of the time when given the option. Started when I was a kid with fighting games, I would always choose the fastest characters to suit my play style (rapid button mashing) and it just became kind of a tradition. If I can create my own character in a game I'll usually make someone that looks like me but my main in wow was a female blood elf lol...

 

[G-Fex]

Pretty much.

in WOW my Rogue and Hunter were both female night elves. In Diablo 3 all my characters are female and in Wildstar i play a female. I don't know why, it's not "i dont want to look at a mans ass all day" because i am gay. Whenever someone uses that like some sort of argument it makes me feel the person is embarrassed and has to come up with some excuse because who stares at their character for 50,100,200 or 300+ hours? In MMOs or ARPGs you never look at your character unless you are in town and even then you aren't eyeballing the ass.

I honestly couldn't tell you why i play a woman in games, i just do. It doesn't change my behavior one bit and i don't always play women, i have a male barbarian in D3 and a male Wizard and a male undead Warlock in WOW. I just prefer playing a female.


Yeah i don't know why people have to come up with some deep meaning behind why you play a male or female.

Sometimes i just go with what is chosen for me when i go to create a character on some games. You know how a lot of MMO's will just randomly pick male or female when you click a class and sometimes i just go with that gender.

Don't need a deep study on me cause I want to play as Tauren.

It's a cow man, that's cool ^_^

Spoiler

Plus females get some really awesome outfits that look rad.

 

[Night Angel]

Absolute worst excuse I've ever heard.

Truth. I play women to promote equality and diversity.

Oh wait no I fucking don't. They're video games, dude. You don't need an excuse to do anything.

How's the air up there, anyway?

 

[kswiston]

I wasn't even aware that this was a big deal. I usually just pick the character I think looks the coolest when given a choice of gender. In some games, female character models look better than males. In some games the opposite is true. I usually play a male in Bethesda games, but have played females in WoW and Final Fantasy XI. In Pokemon I have played both.

 

[molnizzle]

I always roll out dudes. Idk why, I just do.

My character in Monster Hunter is always male, so is in most in character creation games. Pokemon is an exception since they are precreated, and I hate some of them. Like the ones from RSE and Platinum, yuck.

Yeah, I don't think I'd switch to female in MH. That's one series where the male armor is actually pretty cool to look at, mostly just because it's physically larger.

 

[Raptor]

This is a very easy thing to answer for me, I prefer to use female characters simply because I like to look at their models, looking at a great ass and boobs on a character is great.

Also there is very little things more hot than a powerfull hot woman kicking ass, The Bride in Kill Bill, Bayonetta, etc.

Superficial? yes, but this are videogames not real life simulators, I will not ever relate to the main character, I will relate to histories, situations, main character motivations etc, not main character looks.

 

[Levyne]

I change it up often, different for each game. I don't really think about it a lot more than that. I just pick one.

 

[pelican]

I think some of it stems from the teenage fantasy of boys thinking if they were a girl, how easy it would be to get laid all the time.. so the fantasy of being a woman happened to a lot of guys.

Eh?

I think you are reading far too much into it.

 

[Mr_Antimatter]

I'll often play as a female just for the eye candy, but I don't roleplay so it's really is just eyecandy.

Also, sometimes just because I like the female voice acting better, such as the case with the mass effect series, or even GW2 at times.

 

[Kintaro]

I thought as much at first but then I saw like 4 people quote him and agree so I had to say something.

Whats the problem? The statement was crude but the meaning behind it wasn't. For many male MMO gamers (seen in this thread or, hell, check out some of the older XIV threads), if you're going to spend an absurd amount of time and effort building up a character, it might as well be a visually pleasing one. Majority of the time, your view behind the character (aka their ass). While you run, jump, fight, explore, or raid. They tend to be animated better as well.

Myself, I tend to choose males in MMO since I mentally throw myself into the role and try to figure out what I would be and do were I within that world. XIV was a bit different in that I played a Female Roegadyn because I thought they were adorable She Hulks. =D

 

[Soonri]

I play whomever. The only exception is if there's 2 characters that have very similar moveset and weapons, seemingly only separated by gender. Then I'll pick one and never the other.

 

[Dahbomb]

I generally play a female character if given the choice due to the following reasons:

*Female characters usually are more agile in some games.

*In some games they take up less of the screen (I always play Sheva in RE5 over Chris for this reason)

*In some games they don't have an absurd amount of armor making them look like giant walking tanks (especially true in MMOs)

*For variety purposes as I have played as male characters countless times.

*Female characters are generally better to look at.


I don't feel like I play differently as female compared to male. If I play my female Monk in D3 I am going head first into crowds of enemies to kill them rather than trying to play carefully. My playstyle with a character is dictated by the mechanics not by the gender.

 

[Some Nobody]

I'm not sure whether I like your style of posting or not, OP. Part of me does, part of me doesn't. So... keep it up/don't keep it up!

I will say that the red looks pretty eye-gouging against the black of GAF's dark theme.



I've always been weirded out by the "I can't play people who aren't me" argument.

I like playing as people who aren't me. That's fun.

But reading that, I find myself wondering, just a bit, if men are somewhat more tolerant of playing people who aren't them than women. The people I hear making the "I can't play if it's not me" complaint the most are, by and large, women.

Generally, we take this complaint as ammo to go "oh, we should totally have more diverse protagonists in games," but... I mean, if a guy says it, we go "that's dumb, you're a jerk, we should have more diverse protagonists!"

I find that position, regardless of the gender making it, to be creepy. I think you're a weird person if you can't play people who aren't you. I think it's good to want to be someone else for a while. I think it's valuable. But maybe my personality's just skewed by the whole "I hate being me because I'm in pain all the time and want to escape my body." I dunno.

Seems weird that men are more willing to gender switch than women, though.

It might be the tolerance thing mentioned above, but it could be other stuff. For instance, not that many games feature women, and if the norm really is "I have to play people like me," maybe what we're seeing is women glomming on to the few games that let them play women and not changing because there aren't enough games with female protagonists.

The argument here is that, because of the way society is set up, men naturally feel more trapped by the gender roles they've created for themselves, and so playing as a female is freeing. Now while I don't necessarily believe that (which could be because I don't feel trapped), that's the argument that could be made.

Now, personally? I can't do it. I'll play as female characters in SP games all day. SP RPGs that let you roll a character? Insta-female. I think it's fun! I'm naturally the type to be the Big Damn Hero so I figure, why can't that be a lady?

But online? I feel like that's a representation of myself that I'm showing to other people, and I don't want to trick anyone. Now, there are a ton of people that will say "Well, that's on them for treating women differently than men". And you know, I suppose that's fair or whatever, but I happen to disagree. That's all.

 

[MannyToons]

Even when there's an option between male and female, I normally play as a male. It just... feels better.

Spoiler

I'm a female, by the way.