Guys That Play Girls In Games. Why?

[TheTaco007]

I only do it in 3rd person games. (MMOs, or TPS. Doesn't matter.) I figure, if you're going to have to spend hours staring at someone's rear end, it might as well be one you enjoy.

 

[cthulhumythos]

I was just trying to think of a reason why guys so often seem to play women in video games.
My brother plays almost exclusively female characters, and I know he isn't alone. I honestly can't think of single good reason to, for me, all it would do is spoil the immersion as I'm NOT a girl. So, anyone who does play as a woman in games, why? Feel free to speculate even if you don't play a woman, but please try not to just descend into "COz ThEy ARe PerVS LoL!".

TLDR: Why do men play as women?

EDIT: Women who play as men also feel free to reply as to why you do.

This is not about sexism, I am NOT saying you can't play as a woman, I just want to know why you do.

Reasons so far:

To see if it changes anything on the second playthrough.

More aesthetically pleasing.

Access to certain classes.

Distance yourself from the character.

Free stuff from online perverts.

For a change.

EDIT EDIT: The amount of idiotic replies in this thread is making me want to start a thread titled "Why does nobody ever read the first post properly before posting unfounded and offensive comments?"

Thank you to all those people who have actually been helpful.

i think it's just how some people are? some people say "Why not"

i say "why would i want to play the opposite sex"

i don't know the answers. i think it's just who ya are. (to restate my opening statement.)

 

[FernandoV]

One thing I've noticed is that female characters tend to be smaller and thus have a small hit-box in games that feature such a mechanic. It's easier to play a girl because of this.

That is REALLY a negligible difference. I'm sure they will receive the same amount of damage.

I beg to differ. It's a small amount of damage, no doubt, but it's still noticeable.

Prove it.

 

[Caligulove]

If I have the option, I usually pick Male first, cos its natural, though if a second playthrough is warranted or desired, it'll always be female to get more out of playing the game again. To me, I rarely pick a female character first if I have that kind of character-create option, since I have the tendency to make an avatar of myself, rather than role-play something I'm not used to, at least when I start.

I also don't play any MMO's so I guess I could see your point about some guys doing it to make others think theyre girls and exploit that. Very crafty, and I can respect that.

 

[The_Amazing_G]

It doesn't really effect gameplay, but it spices things up a bit. There is not much difference in my eye unless they are well charecterized.

 

[Zechnophobe]

I wasn't saying you can't, I was just saying that it ruins the immersion for me because I'm not a girl. I can't understand why you would play in a way that makes the game less fun. Maybe that's just me.

If you play a game as spiderman, does it ruin the immersion for you, because you aren't spiderman? If you play Link, who is left handed, does it ruin the immersion for you because you aren't left handed?

Considering the large number of possible differences between your character and you, I am surprised you ever get immersed.

You would ask 'why' I would do this, but that is about as interesting as asking why I would make the character's hair black, their past shady, or their favorite dessert ice cream.

Name one immersive spider-man game. I can imagine being left-handed, I can relate. I know nothing about what it's like to be a woman, it's more difficult to relate.

Also I hate Legend of Zelda.

The point is that it seems like you aren't really asking the right question, or are going about it the wrong way. You can't relate to the opposite sex well, but others can. Some do it for specific reasons (As mentioned here) others simply because they don't have a hard time relating... or better yet like the mystery of it.

I couldn't relate to being an agile assassin. Partially because I don't kill people normally. But partially because I have a disability that makes me very NON agile. And yet I *love* playing agile characters in games because they let me experience things differently.

I'm not asking for a reason why I should play as a woman, I know there isn't one, or I would already be playing as women (except when they have bonus content) I'm asking why other people do.

I realize that, and I'm telling you that it is as silly a question as 'why do people that are right handed play left handed characters in games?'

 

[Blitzkrieg64]

Because, I just like to play as a girl. There may be a small reason behind that motivation but that's the simple fact, I feel more comfortable playing through as a girl than as a guy when there is a choice.

 

[Towels]

I am a man that plays as a woman sometimes mostly to flesh out fictional feminine characters in stories of mine. Its is interesting practice to see how feminine yet realistic I can play my character. Most of my friends think that's weird, but I find it to be a healthy human balance.

The most satisfying emotional experience I had was playing Dragon Age Origins as Denise, good female mage.

Spoiler

She fell in love with Alistar, but she was sensible enough to know he'd make an awful king. She accepted that she couldn't live with him after the war though. She was a peacemaker also, always prefering negotiation to violence. After besting Loghain in a duel, she agreed with recruiting him into the Grey Wardens because he had respectable motives. However Alistar made a huge *****-fit over that and threatened to invoke his royal birthright if Loghain wasn't executed. I personally wanted to tell Alistar to get over it, but begrudgingly, and strictly out of loving loyalty to Alistar, Denise conceeded to his demands. (And Loghain took it like a champ.) Then afterwards, like a total deutchbag he dumps Denise anyways, and even started flirting with Morrigan. Then Denise originally just wanted to martyr herself on the Dragon, but when Morrigan offered a way to spare everyone by allowing Alistar to impregnate her. The idea made Denise sick to her stomach, but Denise was afraid there was no gaurantee that Alistar wouldn't be possessed. She heroically stuffed her feelings to garuantee Alistar's safety. What made her even sicker was that Alistar jumped into Morrigan's paints like a horny stripper without thinking twice about it.

I was so disgusted by his enthusiasm I couldn't even finish the final boss fight. (But I should one day.) God, Alistar is a King Deutche. I had plans in mind, and then emotional reasons caused me to totally change my decisions. That is excellent conflict.

I liked my female Mass Effect character, but I definately liked my male character a lot more though.

 

[SovietX]

Its aesthetically pleasing most the time. Lets you experience different situations in the story. And in games like fallout, being a female can actually have advantages 'Cant get some information out of someone? Just have sex with them. Done.'

Also in games like Saints Row 2, I play myself then a second playthrough with a girl. Its cool to see chicks kick ass. (I do this with Fallout aswell [1 serious playthrough, 1 fun]

 

[Siege_TF]

In most games it's a matter of my playstyle matching the agile character better, and that's usually the (or a) female. In a 2 player co-op I'm often second player, which, again, is usually the female. If this is not the case then I don't have much of a preference.

 

[Cantrix]

On the flipside, I'm a girl here who recently made a male character. It was for my second run of Dragon Age, just to see what changed. I rarely give games second playthroughs (I have so many waiting on my to-play list), but games like Fallout, DA and anything else by Bioware are worth getting the most out of. If I have the time, I like to try all the options

 

[warprincenataku]

The main reason I put is the same one I always put. If I want to be staring at the asset-end of a character, especially RPG's for some umpteen hours, I at least want it to be an asset I enjoy looking at. Unless it's in FP perspective then... erm... it's to hide my Buffalo Bill tendencies and live viacariously through my character.

 

[Nukey]

One thing I've noticed is that female characters tend to be smaller and thus have a small hit-box in games that feature such a mechanic. It's easier to play a girl because of this.

That is REALLY a negligible difference. I'm sure they will receive the same amount of damage.

I beg to differ. It's a small amount of damage, no doubt, but it's still noticeable.

Prove it.

Alright then.

Let's say you and I are playing an online, multiplayer shooter, one that supports the use of different characters but they all have the exact same stats. I'm going to use Quake 3 Arena as the game just because I know that one best. They're are roughly 5 characters, not including reskins, each with different dimensions, but they all have the same jump height, HP and movement speed. Out of all of these, the female is taller than average by maybe a handful of inches, but much thinner than the rest, most of the other's being about twice her width. As such, she is a smaller target, and requires more concentration and accuracy, where as the others are typically far easier to remain focused on. The game's added speed makes this far harder, because she is a rather small target moving at a fast speed, rather than a larger character moving at the same speed. As a result of this, you are less likely to get hit if playing as the female, and your chances of winning are improved, if only by a relatively small amount (you still have to be good at hitting other's, obviously, but it's an edge over the rest if they have a harder time hitting you).

Make sense?

 

[Composer]

>.> because i didnt have to chase benny down
black widow perk let me sleep with then kill him =DDDD
also its more entertaining

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

Different gameplay options, or a different atmosphere... thinking of the choices you had playing a female Toreador or Malkavian in Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines...

 

[FernandoV]

One thing I've noticed is that female characters tend to be smaller and thus have a small hit-box in games that feature such a mechanic. It's easier to play a girl because of this.

That is REALLY a negligible difference. I'm sure they will receive the same amount of damage.

I beg to differ. It's a small amount of damage, no doubt, but it's still noticeable.

Prove it.

Alright then.

Let's say you and I are playing an online, multiplayer shooter, one that supports the use of different characters but they all have the exact same stats. I'm going to use Quake 3 Arena as the game just because I know that one best. They're are roughly 5 characters, not including reskins, each with different dimensions, but they all have the same jump height, HP and movement speed. Out of all of these, the female is taller than average by maybe a handful of inches, but much thinner than the rest, most of the other's being about twice her width. As such, she is a smaller target, and requires more concentration and accuracy, where as the others are typically far easier to remain focused on. The game's added speed makes this far harder, because she is a rather small target moving at a fast speed, rather than a larger character moving at the same speed. As a result of this, you are less likely to get hit if playing as the female, and your chances of winning are improved, if only by a relatively small amount (you still have to be good at hitting other's, obviously, but it's an edge over the rest if they have a harder time hitting you).

Make sense?

Eh, I can see what you're saying in theory but I really don't see it making much of a difference in practice.

 

[Ossian]

Okay, I'm a 21 year old straight guy and I ALWAYS play a female character in the latest RPG games. Reasons? I thought about it for a moment and it was really hard to define. I'm not secretly wishing to be a woman or anything, but there a few things that come to mind.

#1, I've never been able to exact my likeness into a video game, EVER, I've tried and failed. Games just don't cater to underweight guys with my body type. They are macho men-2000 sterotypes. As a slender guy, I like slender forms. (Example I selected the tiny frame perk on fallout new vegas with EXTREME GLEE)

#2, Woman give a more interesting story, rarely is the lead in a movie a female saving the world, rather, tis always Christian Bale, hugh jackman, or other bloke. A big plus is when characters treat you differently as a woman, I always find it interesting as I'll never experience what it is like to be a woman, which is also #3

#3, Experiencing what I am incapable of, IE, dudes treating me like crap, hitting on me, (its weird lol, but I find it funny) etc. I loved Dragon age when your being dragged off to be raped, I was like "Woah" because that would of been horrible.

Spoiler

I cheered big time when your cousin comes in the room, guards trash talk him and he slides the sword to you. "Oh sod.." was priceless.

4#, Who doesn't like looking at the female form in video games? Seriously though I enjoy hearing a female talk (sheperd) much more then the manly man voice. Unless its Kiefer Sutherland, James earl jones or some other nice voice actor, I'd rather have a delicate soothing voice telling a man that she is going to cut his balls off and feed them to a Krogan.

#5, I'm more of a reserved man and am probably a lot more emotional then a man should be. I don't fit into the normal male role so I don't pick that role while I'm playing games. So I like to sneak, trick, dodge, fire, not smash, block, grab, charge.

Thats all for now, I might come up for more reasons later, and I've earned a couple of questionable sexuality points. Oh well, off to play My female sheperd some more.

EDIT: Oh yeah! I even remember telling my brothers in Rainbow Six Vegas 2, that I preferred female characters in that game because they are smaller hence they'd be harder to shoot/see. I think they bought it but they still ribbed me for it.

 

[CroutonsOfDeath]

Why? Well, this may sound weird but I'm just more comfortable around women and that combined with my feminist ideals and like of strong female characters - I often prefer playing RPGs as the opposite sex. I remember playing through the Mass Effect games with a female character, though I will admit I'm tired of people going "Herp derp yu did that cuz of Lesbians." And I mean REALLY tired. Part of it was the fact that I couldn't think of a single sci-fi action game that had a female protagonist.

 

[IndianaJonny]

Curiosity as to how the game-narrative plays out.

It's far too common in leading (action-adventure)film or television narratives to have male principal characters with women often relegated to eye-candy or minor-character-with-sparks-of-creativity and this channels into the gaming medium as well. Which is why it's so attention grabbing to have a hardy, intelligent female protagonist act and interact within an action-adventure domain generally reserved for men. Imagine how engaging a 'Princess of Persia', a female 'Dr Who' or a young Ms Flynn on the Grid would be simply by adopting leading female characters instead of the, frankly worn, idea of default male heroes.