Support NeoGAF

[Tohsaka]

The real test is Demon Gaze and Mass Effect for different reasons. In DG, the characters still refer to you as a male even if you choose a female character. In ME, it's on paper a bit strange to be romancing men as a straight man.

However, disregard abnormalities, acquire female MC.

I almost always play female characters given the choice, but I played as the default male in Demon Gaze since he seemed like the canon main character, due to being in all the official artwork and such.

 

[Cat Party]

I always choose a female character if possible, because it's more interesting to me to have females in these roles. I also don't want my kids (girls) growing up thinking they have to play as their gender just because, since their options for that will always be more limited.

 

[tokkun]

People do not mean just the butt literally. They are talking about preferring to see an attractive female figure in general when playing.

So you're telling me "I want to stare at female asses for 100 hours" is a euphemism for your appreciation of delicate feminine beauty?

 

[MegaMelon]

So you're telling me "I want to stare at female asses for 100 hours" is a euphemism for your appreciation of delicate feminine beauty?

Welcome to the internet.

 

[Dusky]

I choose female characters whenever I get the chance to do so as the vast majority of games feature a male protagonist without the option of changing gender. It's nice to change it up once in awhile.

 

[RangerX]

If given the choice I'll always pick a male character. They function as my proxy on the screen so I just find it easier to relate to. I have absoloutly no problem playing a game with a female lead if they are the main character though.

 

[The Illiterati]

Always play as females if given the chance(don't really play MMOs tho). Also give them bright red hair, cause it usually stands out nicely against whatever drab RPG backdrop it's set in. I guess Transistor is for me?

 

[angrygnat]

In ME3 MP I like to play the N7 Fury. Not only is she very easy on the eyes, she's also extremely powerful. I was always a Femshep in the ME campaign because I loved Jennifer Hales voice work. In DC Universe Online I always make a female character. In Skyrim, Fallout, EVE Online always male. Rule of thumb I guess, is if the females in the game are hot, I'll defer to the female. Otherwise I'll make a male character.

 

[Sami+]

Even in Pokemon X/Y, the female had tons more clothing options than the guy. I like customization, so that's my primary reason. Really just depends on whose design I like more.

 

[Xyber]

I just roll with whatever I think fits my character the best. In MMO's I just think it fits better with with female spellcasters and stuff.

I never go all the way and pretend to be a girl in mutliplayer games though.

 

[Puppet Shadow]

I always play as a female, preferably a sassy Latino.

 

[Adam_Roman]

I tend to play my gender, but lately I've been playing as a woman in some games, like Saint's Row IV.

 

[sqwarlock]

I play as a female whenever possible, but I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I don't identify with males that are exaggerated body-wise as a power fantasy, or maybe I just like flipping gender roles/norms on their head. Most of the time it's probably because I just find it more fun to play as a female. Sometimes I play games to distance myself from the realities of life, and what better way than to swap genders with my character?

 

[Zing]

What the hell? When playing MMOs such as Everquest and Dark Age of Camelot, I used a female character. Even in Quake 2 I used the female model. We didn't come up with some ridiculous term such as "gender swapping" to describe it. It was just playing the game. Who sits around thinking of this stuff?

 

[CookedChocobo]

If I have to play a certain character and for more than just a few hours, I want to make that character as appealing to look at as possible. In other words, as much as the game will permit you to customize/pick your character.

lol so if there's a female character option, I'd most certainly always pick a female character unless like if the story/playthrough really differs depending on the character.

 

[Chemo]

I have never even considered playing a female character in games where I could choose (beyond the occasional fighting game). My default move is to go with what I know, I always choose my own gender.

 

[ChiliManiac]

I am a male and I really enjoy well written female characters, for games like swtor I actually find the idea of playing a female character for a different perspective on the story. Really for no other reason than to immerse my self in the role playing aspect of the game. Not that I per say roleplay on chat as a female unless its RP and I have done so. Though for me it's interesting. Do I have male toons? Of course, but there's really nothing psychological about it imo. For me it's all about story angle.

 

[Respawn]

I did this in Ultima years ago. Dudes wanted to help all the time even give me gold

 

[KJRage]

Since I'm a man I always play as a guy simply because I would imagine that would be what I would be like in the game. Never got into playing as a female. It just feels weird to me for some reason, being a male and all.

 

[Concept17]

Most of my characters in GW2 are female. Why? I have to spend endless hours staring at the back of my character.

Also female animations and models are usually done a little more nicely than males.

 

[d0nnie]

I always plays as a male, even where there's a female available (ie Titanfall, Ghosts, etc.).

I don't judge males who play as females in video games, but I never understood it. The only person that I personally knew that did this, had a serious obsession with porn (seriously obsesses). I can see the tactical advantage to it (getting free stuff), but that's about it.

 

[Fularu]

Sometimes we don't have a choice. Male trolls are ugly, same with make undeads (in WoW).

Otoh I exclusively roll male characters for Taurens or for Gobelins

Same with barbs, otoh i prefer female models for every other d3 class.

 

[Socky]

I usually play a woman now and name it after my daughter. No other reason.

I also, given the choice, tend to pick a female and name her after my daughter, although I also try to role-play it like her, if that makes any sense. She's six, so much of that goes out of the window, but in my mind the character is her. She was a bitchin' shot in Fallout but had sympathy for some of the survivors she found in the wasteland. In FFXIV she's a lalafell, as befits her real-life size... whatever, it works for me.

EDIT: I played females mostly pre-having kids BTW, I think I just find them more interesting aesthetically and as characters in dramatic and often violent situations.

 

[Cloudy]

I started FF14 as a guy but I switched to a girl when I got Fantasia. I usually play as guys given a choice but I guess I prefer the Hyur female design in FF14

We didn't come up with some ridiculous term such as "gender swapping" to describe it. It was just playing the game. Who sits around thinking of this stuff?

Seriously, I never gave it much thought till now.

 

[Jobbs]

I nearly always play a female character when there's a choice, and generally prefer games that star female characters. I just find it more interesting. This could be in part because male characters in games tend to be boring and predictable, (kinda tired of being an angry brooding masculine male out for justice/revenge/whatever) but it's also because video games are a visual medium and I prefer looking at women, given the choice. I don't play games as if I am the protagonist. I play games for the escape from being me.

I liked Tomb Raider 2013 quite a bit (especially the PS4 version -- which is gorgeous) and I think if it were the same game mechanics and story with a typical male character I'd have not liked it very much at all. I like a female presence and thought Lara, while not a pitch perfect character, was certainly far better than a lot of video game characters. She looks great, but is also determined, courageous, and compassionate. All of the best qualities of your typical male game character, but with another layer or two of other qualities that you don't usually see in male characters because, uh, male video game characters.

P.S. I've always found this odd disconnect when it comes to Mass Effect games, because when I look at the media, the internet, other people, or the box art, it's made to seem like male Shep is the canonical, true Shep, but if you play the game as "Fem-Shep" it's just a better experience. She just fits the role and universe better, and on the VO side the performance is far more complex.

 

[clemenx]

I choose mainly on design and what I like.

imo there's much more variety in Women characters in videogames which is why I choose them a lot of times.

 

[Bogus]

For me, part of the fun of playing an RPG comes from creating a character -- their appearance, sure, but also their personality, their history, their goals. There's more to playing a role than hairstyles and physique sliders. How does my character fit into this world? What drove them to pick up a sword, a shield, or a staff? What are their motivations? How do they tend to act and react? How might other characters perceive them?

I like to write, I like to draw, I like to create. But I don't like to create copies of myself. If I'm presented with a huge palette of races, genders, and classes to choose from, I'd rather not select an assortment that I'm already familiar with in real life. I'd prefer to live out a digital adventure in someone else's shoes, because that gives me a chance to see this new world through a different frame of reference. Maybe my overactive imagination is to blame.

Honestly, I just love having a chance to experience and try something new. Sometimes that means bouncing around as a mustachioed gnome with a fondness for drink (and a corresponding bar tab) that far exceeds his stature, or saving the world three times before breakfast as an overworked and disgruntled amazon who's grown a little tired of being asked to smile and flex for photos when she's out grocery shopping. It's all in good fun!

 

[KojiKnight]

If given the choice I'll always pick a male character. They function as my proxy on the screen so I just find it easier to relate to. I have absoloutly no problem playing a game with a female lead if they are the main character though.

I think that's my biggest problem... I'm a male, but I do not relate to other male characters because they tend to be strong burly do everything type guys... that's not me. I'm a quiet, nerdy guy that likes to build computers and read books.

Something just tells me that Commander Shepard for the most part has a hard time spending a weekend building a new PC and then going back and tweaking every setting for every game he owns.

While I have just as much of a problem with that as FemShep, it's easier to enjoy the story for the story. I don't feel as tempted to insert myself into the character.

You can be completely immersed in a game or story without having to insert yourself into it, but often times when gaming you feel compelled to do so if you share some common traits with a character (gender is a big one) and then when they do or act like you wouldn't it's really immersion breaking.

 

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

Well... no objectification is debatable as it started with someone wanting to (jokingly or not) just stare at an ass. I didn't just insert that for fun. There's a pun in there somewhere.

Yes, I think that someone picking a female character for the sole purpose of just looking at them is pathetic. That was the main point. If that means I'm in the 2% then fine.

If you have genuine reasons for liking to play as a female character other than that, I take no issue with it of course.

Does this apply to women who do the same for male characters and homosexual men/women as well? Or just straight men?

 

[Madao]

i can never imagine myself inside a game's world when playing it so i don't mind playing as either gender.

most of the time i just play as characters i like. i pick the women more often than men in games with the choices.
there's few games with choice where i still go with the male character. Animal Crossing is the only game i recall that has the option and i still chose the guy. in most of the multiplayer games that i play, i pick the girls since it is more fun to play as them.
other games like Pokemon X and Y, the girl trainer has way more options in the clothes area. i found myself trying a lot of combinations in the cart where i picked her (in my second cart i picked the guy and i think i only changed his outfit like 2 times)

 

[Basketball]

 

[The Broken Ska Record]

I always play as a female character in any game. It feels, comfortable , I guess? The only series that I don't is Pokémon.

 

[CambriaRising]

When given the choice, I mostly play as a female as well.

 

[direct_quote]

Really depends on the design of the characters for me. In VtMB i played females because they were designed better in my opinion.. Most fighting games I play males, but I liked Ibuki's design so I gave her a whirl in 3rd strike and SSF4.

 

[The Wheel of Fortune]

For some weird reason, I really like making female avatars in the Souls games. I also say fuck my defenses and pick armor/clothes that look good together, usually having no headger.

Other than that, I don't think I deliberately pick female reps instead of male ones (exceptions being pre-made characters, like Zero Suit Samus in Smash Bros.).

 

[Kazerei]

I'm part of the 7%. Rather than creating avatars who look like me, I go for the opposite extreme. I like to create the most far-out, crazy-looking characters possible. So I choose male because that's less similar to me. If that makes sense.

 

[orborborb]

I always thought the fun of role playing games was playing a different character every time, I'm just as likely to be male or female as a mage or paladin or thief or barbarian. In fact I would be a little wary of someone who always wanted to play one type of character.

 

[googleplex]

I mostly play female characters because I rather look at an attractive woman, particularly if I'll be spending a long period of time with that game then some dude.

 

[theprodigy]

That's because you play a Lalafell

lolololol

Spoiler

seriously though who does that

 

[inm8num2]

I prefer to play as females when I can because it's simply a nice change of pace. I don't care about gender per se, but I've found that some of the more interesting characters are females because the writers of those games are the ones who try to go further outside of the box than just having the typical archetypes like underachieving, aspiring hero.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

I'll play as whatever seeing as I don't feel like the character I'm playing as is me. I'll never use a female character in an mmo again though, more trouble than it's worth because of people who do think like that.

 

[Paracelsus]

Depends on how the character looks within the context. RE1? I liked to play as Jill. RE3? I rushed to get the boutique key to unlock her original outfit. It's the apocalypse, come on.

 

[Vlade]

I'll play as whatever seeing as I don't feel like the character I'm playing as is me. I'll never use a female character in an mmo again though, more trouble than it's worth because of people who do think like that.

This too, I do not think of the character as me.

 

[styl3s]

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.

I have a Tauren Druid named HassleHoof.

It continues to be my main whenever i slip up and go back to WOW.

 

[block tower]

yup. i'd much rather play as an attractive girl for hours on end then some generic male character.

 

[MrKnives]

I like playing as the chick, unless the male character is cooler (outfit etc).
Does this mean I secretly want to be a woman?

 

[Pau]

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.

I don't have to play as people like me, but I don't get to play as a character who is the same gender as me very often, so yeah, if given the chance I'll almost always play as a female character. Usually change it up for the second play-through.

 

[televator]

I play females in games because I want to be as detached from myself as possible.

If that makes sense.

This is what I find appealing too lately. Its another layer off steping into another charscter's shoes.

 

[Maligna]

I usually pick a female character for multiple reasons.

1. I like how they look.
2. I'm usually forced to play as a male in story driven games. If given the chance, I like to mix it up.
3. I find a strong female who can kick ass very sexy.
4. I don't see the character I'm playing as a representation of me.
5. I like games because of escapism, so I usually try to play something as far away from the real me as possible. This is also the reason that I usually play a different race other than human if given a choice. It's also the reason I usually make my human females black. No one ever seems to do that. It makes my avatar unique. I've played with thousands of people on GTA online and I'm the only black female I've seen.
6. In my teen years in real life, women never payed attention to me. They held a power over me because of that. I wanted a girlfriend very badly and so I would basically fawn over any woman who paid me any attention. I would do anything for them and I spent so much time fantasizing about them. I'm intrigued by what it must be like to have that kind of power over men. I always find it very enjoyable in an RPG when you can use your womanly wiles to manipulate male NPCs.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

I play as male when I feel the game will reflect my choices in a great way. Female if there is a same sex option in romantic subquests or the female custom options are better.