Cross gender roleplay

[nomotog_v1legacy]

I want to maybe talk about cross gender roleplaying. So, right off the bat, is this still a thing? I mean is it still an issue. In my younger days, I recall there was a fair amount of debate and controversy surrounding the act with most of it leaning towards the negative. Now, I don't see much talk about it, and I am wondering if things have changed.

 

[Kopikatsu]

I do it almost constantly.

I mean, why bother trying to experience a fantasy world if I'm going to do it as a white cisgendered male? That seems silly. Unless you're going for a self-insert thing, I guess.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

I think that in the early days of the internet the anonymity afforded was unsettling, which meant that cross gender roleplaying was frowned upon because it was an implicit breach of trust, you weren't who you pretended to be online. Your avatar was meant to give a fair representation of "you" in real life. Today it is much more established that your online avatar is just a compilation of pixels and that it does not represent who you are offline, and as such cross gender roleplaying is more accepted. Probably because people realized that you can pretend to be whoever you want to be on the internet and also learned to deal with that fact.

 

[Zhukov]

Hang on, when you say "roleplay" are you talking about roleplaying in RPG computer games, tabletop roleplay, or bedroom roleplay?

(I'm guessing it's one of the first two, but hey, might as well cover all the bases.)

Because each of those could get you very different answers.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I tend to play as a dude, just preference really.

Unless it's Rosalina in Mariokart 8.

Mmmf.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I think there's probably still some stigma attached to it, but it's certainly far less than there used to be. I tend to almost exclusively play female characters in MMOs and I'm very frequently at least a part time RPer. I very rarely run into any particular issues. The only time I have is when the person I was interacting with had designed on getting to know the lady behind the avatar on a more personal level and I had to tell them that it wasn't a lady at all. Even in those cases, however, I've never personally had any real backlash. It's been more of a "Oh..' and that's about.

 

[Lilikins]

I personally always go after what I deem 'best' for the class/character/race etc Im playing.

Take for instance emm, for an online mmo, lets take the poster child, WoW. If I want a priest, Draenei Female. If I want a warrior, Orc Male. Or for instance Skyrim, if I have my caster its an Elf female, on the other hand if I have my melee chap its my Nord Male. (The Rogue one was difficult Ill admit...so I tossed a coin between Khajit Male and Dark Elf Female).

Basically, I just always go for what I think would look/fit the best in my own opinion.

 

[Nieroshai]

In video games, no one cares anymore. At the RPG table, I still get awkward looks for playing a female.

 

[Ramzal]

I do it almost constantly.

I mean, why bother trying to experience a fantasy world if I'm going to do it as a white cisgendered male? That seems silly. Unless you're going for a self-insert thing, I guess.

Is there something wrong with white males in fantasy? Why are you self-shaming for who and what you are?

 

[Elijin]

Well, this is probably the most moderate responses for this topic in a while. Seen the same thing discussed in a few other forums, and....its just cringe worthy. Between the 'u must be gay if u play a girl' and the dozens of questions about manliness and statements lack of it. Not to mention the 'why would anyone want to be a girl?' crap.

Its so common its hard to pick which are serious and which are shit stirring..


Anyway, on topic, I dont see the issue with it. Pick a character which matches the story you're telling for your time with the game. If that character isnt a reflection of yourself in person....who cares?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Bro, I roleplay girls like all the time

I'm currently in a few RPs right here on the Escapist, of six characters I'm using, spread across four RPs, only one of them is male.

Ain't nothing unmanly about playing someone with a vagina. My most favourite person has a vagina.

 

[Rosiv]

I do it almost constantly.

I mean, why bother trying to experience a fantasy world if I'm going to do it as a white cisgendered male? That seems silly. Unless you're going for a self-insert thing, I guess.

Is there something wrong with white males in fantasy? Why are you self-shaming for who and what you are?

I think its more for variety in my opinion, not to sound rude. I mean in MMO's i want to have multiple characters. Making them all men, i get certain armor types(Heavy, spikey looking sometimes). With female options the armor has a nice aesthetic. That is just me though.

 

[Chessrook44]

It's varied. And amusingly enough, some groups I've seen out there seem to actually have an entire blanket feeling about it that I've seen. One group finds absolutely nothing wrong with people RPing characters opposite their gender, while another has often adopted a "Join as your real gender or GTFO" stance in almost every chatroom for that group I've been in, while a third part has people playing opposite genders as an intricate part of the RPs so that it's pretty much expected.

It all varies and depends on where you look.

 

[white_wolf]

If I want to play most games in genres other then RPG yeah I have to play a guy and find some reason to want to be there if not for the hero or his cause then the world but I do prefer to play as a woman especially if she has the same respect as the male hero part of why I love playing fshep.

I can't say on the whole is it a big deal studies say no not really men will switch genders when given the option more so then women. My nephew's friends question his choosing to pick heroines in games and when I questioned his friend as to why I got the," I don't know it just is," and the ever popular, " girls can't be adventurers." really he said that so its still out there and when we tell him I game and have my own console he goes, " Can I play yours?" and I go , " Nope, cuz its mine." However the game publishers and some developers tend to agree with my nephew's friend no one wants to be a woman so the very idea of having one in most games is never thought of, too much effort to implement, it was an option till they had to cut corners to bring the game to market, or she must be changed into a he so we can sell copies.

 

[Lilikins]

[sub]*It should be noted that extreme sexual deviancy is totally ok for characters if you're playing FATAL. Though if you're playing FATAL, then what the fuck is wrong with you you sick bastard?[/sub]

out of curiousity? whats FATAL? Is that a term in tabletop RPG's or something? (Or Im just being dense haha...) checked it up online and all I get is the definition of the word fatal.

 

[Piorn]

I don't specifically RP as females, but in MMOs I usually play females, just because if I have to look at a character for hours and dress it up and stuff, I don't want to look at a man.
I generally see characters as someone else than me so I don't like dressing up men, it feels like I'm helping a man look better than me and it makes me slightly frustrated. With female characters, I just want them to look nice.

Feel free to diagnose several mental disorders on me now.

 

[Windcaler]

For RPGs which is where you usually get the choice of gender Ill do it if I think it fits the character Im playing as (I actually roleplay in RPGs). I think a lot of people are still uncomfortable with Transvirtuals (a term coined by one of the Paizo publishing editors I believe) but I think its more tolerated today.