Wow, what a topic. I didn't bother to read most of the responses, because, frankly, I don't care.
Half my toons are female. Some of my girlfriend's toons are male. Most, if not all, of her daughter's toons are male.
I really don't see what's to get worked up about.
Though I remember a time: When I first started playing EQ, I was shocked to think that that female avatar was not played by a girl. My roommate was ofter pissed off by gamers stalking her in game. But then she enjoyed tormenting them. We were playing EQ2 when my roommate was deployed and I started playing her female avatar. That was kinda wierd, but fun.
Then it became a way to remember her.
So, I realized how much I like playing and watching tough chicks. Maybe I am in love with them. I certainly like their characters. I don't want to be them. I think of my avatars as friends. I enjoy visiting them. Though I enjoy the company my three-dimensional friends more, hence I don't play much.
And, my "main" avatar is male, and I enjoy roleplaying him, but I play my roommate's toon more. Both those characters have been projected into several game worlds now.
Sorry if that creeps you out, but that's the way it is.
Guys who play girls and who like to cybersex with other guys are indeed creepy (I never really got the cybersex thing at all, particularly in MMOs).
People who play a MMO without roleplaying on the other hand is not really anything. People aren't orcs or undead IRL either but still play them.
No sex = fine. I will not complain on whatever avatars anyone else play. I never got why people play gnomes but that doesn't mean they creep me out.
Most guys who RP and play girls are not cybersexing. If you think there is a lot of that going on, that's your hangup.
I believe the core of this issue is homophobia on the part of men who get their panties in a bind over someone playing a character the way they want to. And by homophobia, I mean it in the way that they are in denial about some homosexual aspect of their own sexuality. Bashing it is a defense mechanism.
I also think some percentage of the men upset with this are pedophiles who get upset when they discover it's a man and not a child playing the female character.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
For me, a character I play must represent something of *me*, some part of myself externalized. (Is that a word?) For instance, I loved my EQ2 Sarnath and my Fae Ranger. Both represented character traits of me. Both where a part of me, in a way I could not describe. Or my dark skinned characters I make in most MMOs as main. He is me, for reasons I can not explain. But he is FAR from the type of guy I want. I mean, I know some people would even play any random char because they don't care at all. But when you play a char so many hours as you do in a MMO, does it not evoke *some* feeling within you?
And that is what I don't get, how can you play a char months or even years which is your "love interest"? That sounds just so... bizarre. So it gives me more than a little doubt in players who do this. I know from experience with female gamers who talked to me, that female chars are usually treated better. If they enter older MMOs, they are WAY more likely to get help, money and other stuff. And that, shall we say, ulterior motive is what I also kind of suspect. Like they know, ok with a girl char people will be more helpful and nice. Which is the case. Female chars DO get more help.
So what do you think about it? And to you guys who play girls, how do you feel doing that? I wonder.
I couldn't agree with this more and I've never been able to articulate why I've never wanted to play as a female avatar. I'm a straight guy (my girlfriend just confirmed this when I asked) and I've never had the desire to play as a female character because it wouldn't be "me." Not that the avatar is ever really "you", but it isn't an extension of you if it has a different gender.
I wonder how transgender players feel about their character selection though. That sounds like an interesting anthropological/social study.
You know what's really spooky? Real-life humans creating characters that are elves, dwarves, or various anthropomorphic animals.
More seriously, if a guy creates a female character so he can ogle it, then yeah, that's creepy. But to just play the game? What about single-player games with only one character? If it's a female character, does that mean guys shouldn't play the game? What if you find out after playing the game for a while, as happened in Metroid?
I see my character as "me" in the game, so being a male and playing a female character feels weird
I play for just the opposite reasons. I see "me" all day long and every time I look in the mirror. When I play a "Fantasy" game I want to be just about as far away from being "me" as possible. Sometimes that is a big ugly neanderthal... Sometimes its a dainty little female... but it's never "me". I see any "Fantasy" game as a chance to get away from being "me" for a little while.
I think it's creepy. But I do enjoy calling a man with a deep voice in vent by their female character's name and their resultant frustration at being called Jenny.
When making a character in MMOs or other RPGs, I do so on the basis of constructing a personality around the character type. The gender is determined primarily by my opinion of which would fit the character, with a secondary concern for aesthetics. (one game for instance had a stance for females wielding pistols that made me wince in pain every time I saw it, and I refuse to play characters that have costumes that a hooker wouldn't be willing to wear on the street)
Yes, I identify with the character I play, yes I tend to see a little bit of myself in them, but they are not me, nor even truly an extension of myself. Neither do I see the character as a love interest/freind/companion/etc. A kindred spirit might be the best term.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Hemingway
I am straight guy and mostly pick to play a female character. Some of the reasons the OP have stated but there is a lot more to it.
In RPG's I will do the same take ME1,2,3 for example my first choice was to make a female Shepard and run with it through the series. I do have a male Shepard but I will never play that character as much. I find male leads or characters in MMO to be boring and bland.
Female characters in MMO's are often treated better by the community.
Get better looking items and armour
I like to write back stories to the characters I play and I find it easier to write for female leads than male ones. The male ones tend to up being 2 dimensional and brainless. With a female I can explore the character in much more depth.
If you play a female character in a MMO random people will just give you stuff they dont need usualy the higher level ones.
In Eve Online I play a male as my main the reason is when it was released I couldn't get the female look right how I wanted it to be. And even now we all know that 90% of the female avatars in the game are male in real life so everyone is a target. I do have a female industry pilot as well though and people often comment on how she looks. I just seem to be able to make better looking females than male. See for yourself.
I think it's creepy. But I do enjoy calling a man with a deep voice in vent by their female character's name and their resultant frustration at being called Jenny.
Doesn't bother me. Been called worse names in real life, so fill your boots kid.
To be honest Who cares if a guy plays a female character in a video game. Don't you have anything better to worry about then to worry what someone does in a video game? How old are you 5?
I am male and I primarily play female characters. I do it because so many games have male characters that it is just fun to play as something different when given the chance. Plus, I do fall into the ass argument and the better looking argument.
Frankly, games are entertainment and I would rather be entertained by playing a game starring Lara Croft than Nathan Drake. Lets face it, as a straight man, I like women in all forms.
That said, when there are romance options my female characters are always lesbians (Mass Effect, Skyrim, Dragon Age, etc) as I am not interested in men in the least. So in a way my straight male sexual preference still gets passed on to female avatars.
Usually, I will also have male characters in games with romances since most games don't allow lesbians (SWTOR) .
I don't get these "I don't like it when other people don't choose the characters gender according to their real one."
Why does the gender of a random person on the internet matter to you? Whether I'm female or male, what business is it of yours? I never got that. Except if some horny teens fap to every pixel-boob (or whatever they're into) they see, and don't like the thought of doing that to someone who is of the gender that's not preferred. Now, aside from me thinking that using MMORPGs for cybersex is totally out of place, even then it wouldn't matter, because it's just on the internet. You won't see or meet that person in real life. Who cares what that person looks like, or the age, or gender? And if you DO plan to meet random strangers from MMORPGs, and use it as a weird type of dating service: then that's simply out of place too. It's not meant to be that. People just want to game. Stop trying to have sex with them.
I mean: what happens when you are a guy, and you read a book or watch a movie, where the main protagonist is female? As you watch the movie or read the book, your mind will automatically try to put you into that persons point of view. And now you are suddenly a perv? Or gay or whatever? How stupid is that? If you'd have the power, would you enforce a law, saying "people shall not read books where the main character is of a different gender than the reader"?
I choose the gender of the character same as that characters hairstyle or body size or skin color or whatever: it depends on my mood, and I like variety. I play a male character in one game, I play a female one in another. I play black characters, white characters, asian characters, characters fitting to the current ideals of beauty, and others which might seem very ugly (though sadly that's rarely possible on MMORPGs). Why should I care? "They're a part of me" is not making any sense. As you play the game, you will automatically immerse with it, no matter that characters looks. If the characters gender puts you off, then you are unsure of your gender (oh god, what will the other people think when they find out? Will they think I'm gay? Or hetero? Or whatever? I'm so scared!), or you simply live in the middle ages and haven't arrived in the present.
People who are "spooked off" by this are simply... narrow minded. Immature. Intolerant. Unsure of themselves. Not realizing when something is a game and when it ain't. They're imprisoned by their limited way of seeing things. I don't want to insult you, but it's simply plain stupid.
Sadly, I don't care about those people. As long as it's just all in their head, and they're just imprisoning themselves mentally, I don't give a crap. Just don't try to extend your narrow minded view on others.
In addition, while I'm really in the game, I simply forget that characters gender. I don't pay attention to that. When I see a rocket flying in my direction, then I will think "crap, a rocket" and try to dodge. I won't think "my character is female, crap a rocket, female, I'll try to dodge, stupid female character".
People who care about who plays a character with what gender are simply insecure.
I think it's creepy. But I do enjoy calling a man with a deep voice in vent by their female character's name and their resultant frustration at being called Jenny.
No intelligent mature person who is sure of himself/herself would ever be annoyed by that. If I play a female character named "Bentate" or something, and you call me that in voice chat, then I'm not the slightest annoyed. People who'd try to tease me with that are just immature. It's like running around a person in real life, shouting "nanananana you wear a purple t-shirt! nanananana it's a womans color! lalalalalalalala! you are a woman hahahahaha!". I'd not be annoyed by them saying that, I'd just be grossed out by their stupidity.
It's been a while since we've had this topic here. I suppose it was time to start it again.
I believe there are two different type of gamers (this is just a broad brush here). One sees their character as an extension of themselves. I suspect the OP is in this category. The other just views their character as a video game character. So if you see your character as representing yourself then I can see it being uncomfortable to play something you are not (guy playing a girl). While the second type of gamer just doesn't care and usually will pick the character that is most pleasing to their eye.
When I first started playing MMOs in early 2000, I only rolled males also.....It bothered me at first too when I found out a female character was a male IRL, but then after enough time passed I got used to it and it really didnt matter anymore...... Also there are quite a few games now (mainly some f2ps) where the classes are gender locked and if yo uwant to play a certain class you have to have a female character.....
For me, a character I play must represent something of *me*, some part of myself externalized. (Is that a word?)
I found this comment interesting. As an old-school pen-and-paper roleplayer myself I feel completely the opposite. In an RPG I always want to play something as far away from me as I can imagine.
I prefer my MMO characters to be small as I've always found it easier to follow combat, particularly group PvP if I'm watching my opponents rather than myself. For this reason I almost always these days play female characters.
Comments
Wow, what a topic. I didn't bother to read most of the responses, because, frankly, I don't care.
Half my toons are female. Some of my girlfriend's toons are male. Most, if not all, of her daughter's toons are male.
I really don't see what's to get worked up about.
Though I remember a time: When I first started playing EQ, I was shocked to think that that female avatar was not played by a girl. My roommate was ofter pissed off by gamers stalking her in game. But then she enjoyed tormenting them. We were playing EQ2 when my roommate was deployed and I started playing her female avatar. That was kinda wierd, but fun.
Then it became a way to remember her.
So, I realized how much I like playing and watching tough chicks. Maybe I am in love with them. I certainly like their characters. I don't want to be them. I think of my avatars as friends. I enjoy visiting them. Though I enjoy the company my three-dimensional friends more, hence I don't play much.
And, my "main" avatar is male, and I enjoy roleplaying him, but I play my roommate's toon more. Both those characters have been projected into several game worlds now.
Sorry if that creeps you out, but that's the way it is.
TSW, LotRO, EQ2, SWTOR, GW2, V:SoH, Neverwinter, ArchAge, EQ, UO, DAoC, WAR, DDO, AoC, MO, BDO, SotA, B&S, ESO,
Most guys who RP and play girls are not cybersexing. If you think there is a lot of that going on, that's your hangup.
I believe the core of this issue is homophobia on the part of men who get their panties in a bind over someone playing a character the way they want to. And by homophobia, I mean it in the way that they are in denial about some homosexual aspect of their own sexuality. Bashing it is a defense mechanism.
I also think some percentage of the men upset with this are pedophiles who get upset when they discover it's a man and not a child playing the female character.
[mod edit]
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
I couldn't agree with this more and I've never been able to articulate why I've never wanted to play as a female avatar. I'm a straight guy (my girlfriend just confirmed this when I asked) and I've never had the desire to play as a female character because it wouldn't be "me." Not that the avatar is ever really "you", but it isn't an extension of you if it has a different gender.
I wonder how transgender players feel about their character selection though. That sounds like an interesting anthropological/social study.
Re: SWTOR
"Remember, remember - Kakk says 'December.'"
You know what's really spooky? Real-life humans creating characters that are elves, dwarves, or various anthropomorphic animals.
More seriously, if a guy creates a female character so he can ogle it, then yeah, that's creepy. But to just play the game? What about single-player games with only one character? If it's a female character, does that mean guys shouldn't play the game? What if you find out after playing the game for a while, as happened in Metroid?
Games that create female avatars that wear skimpy clothing and have massive boobs are made for the guys.
What kind of girl says 'Yeah !, I wanna be a whore with a gun !'
So... Tomb Raider was as popular as it was because they were going after the gay male demographic? That makes so much sense! /sarcasm
"When I get my bits cut off thats the chic I wanna look like " said the gay male demographic
I play for just the opposite reasons. I see "me" all day long and every time I look in the mirror. When I play a "Fantasy" game I want to be just about as far away from being "me" as possible. Sometimes that is a big ugly neanderthal... Sometimes its a dainty little female... but it's never "me". I see any "Fantasy" game as a chance to get away from being "me" for a little while.
Bren
while(horse==dead)
{
beat();
}
I think it's creepy. But I do enjoy calling a man with a deep voice in vent by their female character's name and their resultant frustration at being called Jenny.
My theme song.
Cut out the hate related comments. Stay on topic. Do not personally attack another user in any form.
Thanks.
You'd actually be surprised. I've gamed with more than a few females who made some racey avatars.
This thread grew fast...
Regardless, my two cents.
When making a character in MMOs or other RPGs, I do so on the basis of constructing a personality around the character type. The gender is determined primarily by my opinion of which would fit the character, with a secondary concern for aesthetics. (one game for instance had a stance for females wielding pistols that made me wince in pain every time I saw it, and I refuse to play characters that have costumes that a hooker wouldn't be willing to wear on the street)
Yes, I identify with the character I play, yes I tend to see a little bit of myself in them, but they are not me, nor even truly an extension of myself. Neither do I see the character as a love interest/freind/companion/etc. A kindred spirit might be the best term.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway
I am straight guy and mostly pick to play a female character. Some of the reasons the OP have stated but there is a lot more to it.
In RPG's I will do the same take ME1,2,3 for example my first choice was to make a female Shepard and run with it through the series. I do have a male Shepard but I will never play that character as much. I find male leads or characters in MMO to be boring and bland.
Female characters in MMO's are often treated better by the community.
Get better looking items and armour
I like to write back stories to the characters I play and I find it easier to write for female leads than male ones. The male ones tend to up being 2 dimensional and brainless. With a female I can explore the character in much more depth.
If you play a female character in a MMO random people will just give you stuff they dont need usualy the higher level ones.
In Eve Online I play a male as my main the reason is when it was released I couldn't get the female look right how I wanted it to be. And even now we all know that 90% of the female avatars in the game are male in real life so everyone is a target. I do have a female industry pilot as well though and people often comment on how she looks. I just seem to be able to make better looking females than male. See for yourself.
Doesn't bother me. Been called worse names in real life, so fill your boots kid.
I pick neither a guy or a girl because a cat is fine too.
To be honest Who cares if a guy plays a female character in a video game. Don't you have anything better to worry about then to worry what someone does in a video game? How old are you 5?
My wife won't allow me to play girls anymore...
unless she's real hot.
YEEEEEEEAH!
I am male and I primarily play female characters. I do it because so many games have male characters that it is just fun to play as something different when given the chance. Plus, I do fall into the ass argument and the better looking argument.
Frankly, games are entertainment and I would rather be entertained by playing a game starring Lara Croft than Nathan Drake. Lets face it, as a straight man, I like women in all forms.
That said, when there are romance options my female characters are always lesbians (Mass Effect, Skyrim, Dragon Age, etc) as I am not interested in men in the least. So in a way my straight male sexual preference still gets passed on to female avatars.
Usually, I will also have male characters in games with romances since most games don't allow lesbians (SWTOR)
.
Playing: Tera, BF3, ME3
Waiting on: Guild Wars 2
I don't get these "I don't like it when other people don't choose the characters gender according to their real one."
Why does the gender of a random person on the internet matter to you? Whether I'm female or male, what business is it of yours? I never got that. Except if some horny teens fap to every pixel-boob (or whatever they're into) they see, and don't like the thought of doing that to someone who is of the gender that's not preferred. Now, aside from me thinking that using MMORPGs for cybersex is totally out of place, even then it wouldn't matter, because it's just on the internet. You won't see or meet that person in real life. Who cares what that person looks like, or the age, or gender? And if you DO plan to meet random strangers from MMORPGs, and use it as a weird type of dating service: then that's simply out of place too. It's not meant to be that. People just want to game. Stop trying to have sex with them.
I mean: what happens when you are a guy, and you read a book or watch a movie, where the main protagonist is female? As you watch the movie or read the book, your mind will automatically try to put you into that persons point of view. And now you are suddenly a perv? Or gay or whatever? How stupid is that? If you'd have the power, would you enforce a law, saying "people shall not read books where the main character is of a different gender than the reader"?
I choose the gender of the character same as that characters hairstyle or body size or skin color or whatever: it depends on my mood, and I like variety. I play a male character in one game, I play a female one in another. I play black characters, white characters, asian characters, characters fitting to the current ideals of beauty, and others which might seem very ugly (though sadly that's rarely possible on MMORPGs). Why should I care? "They're a part of me" is not making any sense. As you play the game, you will automatically immerse with it, no matter that characters looks. If the characters gender puts you off, then you are unsure of your gender (oh god, what will the other people think when they find out? Will they think I'm gay? Or hetero? Or whatever? I'm so scared!), or you simply live in the middle ages and haven't arrived in the present.
People who are "spooked off" by this are simply... narrow minded. Immature. Intolerant. Unsure of themselves. Not realizing when something is a game and when it ain't. They're imprisoned by their limited way of seeing things. I don't want to insult you, but it's simply plain stupid.
Sadly, I don't care about those people. As long as it's just all in their head, and they're just imprisoning themselves mentally, I don't give a crap. Just don't try to extend your narrow minded view on others.
In addition, while I'm really in the game, I simply forget that characters gender. I don't pay attention to that. When I see a rocket flying in my direction, then I will think "crap, a rocket" and try to dodge. I won't think "my character is female, crap a rocket, female, I'll try to dodge, stupid female character".
People who care about who plays a character with what gender are simply insecure.
Let's play Fallen Earth (blind, 300 episodes)
Let's play Guild Wars 2 (blind, 45 episodes)
No intelligent mature person who is sure of himself/herself would ever be annoyed by that. If I play a female character named "Bentate" or something, and you call me that in voice chat, then I'm not the slightest annoyed. People who'd try to tease me with that are just immature. It's like running around a person in real life, shouting "nanananana you wear a purple t-shirt! nanananana it's a womans color! lalalalalalalala! you are a woman hahahahaha!". I'd not be annoyed by them saying that, I'd just be grossed out by their stupidity.
Let's play Fallen Earth (blind, 300 episodes)
Let's play Guild Wars 2 (blind, 45 episodes)
It's been a while since we've had this topic here. I suppose it was time to start it again.
I believe there are two different type of gamers (this is just a broad brush here). One sees their character as an extension of themselves. I suspect the OP is in this category. The other just views their character as a video game character. So if you see your character as representing yourself then I can see it being uncomfortable to play something you are not (guy playing a girl). While the second type of gamer just doesn't care and usually will pick the character that is most pleasing to their eye.
When I first started playing MMOs in early 2000, I only rolled males also.....It bothered me at first too when I found out a female character was a male IRL, but then after enough time passed I got used to it and it really didnt matter anymore...... Also there are quite a few games now (mainly some f2ps) where the classes are gender locked and if yo uwant to play a certain class you have to have a female character.....
I found this comment interesting. As an old-school pen-and-paper roleplayer myself I feel completely the opposite. In an RPG I always want to play something as far away from me as I can imagine.
I prefer my MMO characters to be small as I've always found it easier to follow combat, particularly group PvP if I'm watching my opponents rather than myself. For this reason I almost always these days play female characters.
My toons race/gender is normally based on class.
Warrior-type: I play a larger race, male or smaller race, female.
Mage-type: Normally female, any race
Warlock/Necro: Normally male, humanoid average sized race
Ranger/hunter: Anything goes, just whatever I feel like
Dr00ds: Same as ranger/hunter