Ladies, how about you?

[RaphaelsRedemption]

It does depend on the game. If the game has built a character, and that character happens to be male, I'm ok with that. In this case, I'm not projecting my own personality on the game. Rather, I'm discovering this character's story. That's totally ok with me.

However, games that purport to have character customisation! These are a totally different kettle of fish. I get SO angry when a game provides all sorts of customisation options, but they all have to be male. Why? Why alienate me? Soon, my gender is going to be as interested in playing games as men. So don't piss me off! How hard is it to throw in a nod to us ladies by letting me pick an option that interests me? I don't even need to be able to create "hot" or "sexy" characters. I just want to have the option to create a simple, homely girl, should I feel the desire.

So, yes and no. It upsets me in some cases, but not others.

 

[Karoshi]

If there's a generic gruff dudebro on the cover, then colour me sceptical and less likely to pick it up. Uncharted is a charming game, but it feels like the same old thing I've been seeing for years.

Nevertheless, male lead characters are completely fine with me. Jack in Bioshock felt organic and good, Gordon was the right nerd in the right place and nobody in their right mind would refuse play Bastion cause Kid's a boy. Some stories need a fixed gender and I don't mind it being a male one.

All I really want is good and exciting characters. Female leads are unusual and unused, therefore they got a lot of potential. I would love to see more of them!

 

[Fappy]

Obligatory dude disclaimer!

I think this issue really boils down to how you immerse yourself in a game. There are three basic methods of immersion (that I can think of), some of which aren't applicable to every game:

A. Your character is an extension of yourself
B. You take on the role of a/the character (works best with RPGs)
C. You are controlling the character, but don't really identify with with him/her one way or the other

When playing an RPG I generally take on the role of the protagonist/PC. I take on their persona and my personal preferences, feelings and views rarely impact the way I play the character. The character has his/her own preferences, feelings and views after all. This can be a difficult method for many, but it is highly rewarding.

There are very few games I play where I feel the protagonist is an extension of myself. Maybe in an MMO or something, but as soon as the character begins voicing their own thoughts and opinions... well, they aren't mine. However, that doesn't mean I can't relate to the character. I recently beat the new Tomb Raider and despite the fact that Lara Croft is a woman I still felt heavily immersed in her plight. She was a compelling character with an interesting story to tell and I was just there for the ride. I didn't feel like I was the one making Lara do all these things, but rather I felt as if I was the little voice in her head pushing her forward. She was really the one doing all the work.

As long as it's a relate-able character I don't really have a problem playing any kind of person whether they be male, female, black, white or an alien.

 

[Mictarmite]

It's not surprising that most of the ladies in the thread have problems with how women are portrayed by games, while most of the guys don't seem to care. Interesting but down that road leads to the dark side of the internet...

No, I can play and enjoy a game regardless of the PC's gentalia and I've always found the complaint that you can't relate to the protaganist because they're of the opposing gender to be pretty stupid.

Please don't be so nasty and rude.

I then realised that it wasn't games in general - it was those specific types of games. The games that have a detailed choice system to help you sculpt your own perfect character - but where the game developers have already come up with their own version of an ideal.

That is really annoying. What I tend to do is, as soon as I hear that a game has the customisation option, is imagine the character i'm gonna create, also name it, try and flesh her out to create a connection. Cassie Shepard is still the biggest bad-ass in the galaxy to me.

 

[BeeGeenie]

As others have pointed out, I think the question is, "Do you want to play with a 'character' or with an 'avatar'?"

A "character" is the persona that the game developers came up with. An "avatar" is the persona that you create to interact with the game world.

As a guy, I would have no problem playing as Lara Croft, because she's the main character of that particular game, and plenty of women have no problem playing as Mario or whoever, because that's the main character of the story. (Although that is probably a bad example, since Mario isn't exactly a highly sexualized character, whereas Lara ... yeah, moving on)

In a game that lets you create your avatar, though, you want to create one that you can relate to, because the story is no longer about them, it's about you.

Games like Fallout, TES, DA:O etc. try to create a blank slate that can be whatever the player wants it to be, which is why they do well with characters of either sex.

Perhaps that's part of why DA2 and ME3 got everyone so upset: People thought they were playing with an avatar, when they had actually been playing with a character the whole time. "Oh, you thought this story was about you and your choices? LOL, no, this story was always about Shepard (or Hawke). All you did was give him a face-lift and a sex change."

 

[Auron]

I have the same opinion on the opposite gender. Games with female protagonists and no option are generally passed unless they're completely amazing. I see nothing wrong with the sentiment to be fair, you relate better if your avatar that represents your will(well there are lots of games that are basically movies but you get the gist.) is more relatable and gender identity can be a big thing, I don't particularly consciously project myself into every single game/character I play but it's still important to me.

In the name of equality I'd be in favour of more choice in that regard in games that support it, it would further complicate writing for lots of games though.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

Yes! Absolutely! it's something that I've been bothered by recently. It might have something to do with coming off a streak of Oblivion, Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2, Fallout New Vegas, Skyrim and Mass effect 3, only to go right back to Skyrim. Then I decided what the hell, that Dishonored thing sounds awesome, let's try it, only to be completely weirded out by everyone in the game refering to me as a 'he'. I did play the game through, so it's not like I won't play a game if they can't designate me as a female.

But yeah, it's a bit of a nag.

That's exactly the game list I've been puttering around in for months now (mostly b/c when school is on I try to keep to games I've already played at least once so I can drag myself away to do homework etc.) and it's had the same effect.

Again, it's not like I'm boycotting non-female offered games at all - you would miss a ton that way - I'm just feeling lackluster about them in a way I haven't before. It isn't as though I'm deeply troubled by playing games with male protagonists - my enthusiasm for those titles has just fallen off from where it would have been say, a few years ago.

I don't think this is specifically a gender thing. Some people like to play games with an avatar that represents them, that lets them directly interact with the world. Gordon Freeman is a mute, blank slate - no-one "identifies" with Gordon Freeman, rather, they fill his shoes. You are Gordon Freeman in Half-Life and its sequels. You do not play as Gordon Freeman.

Conversely, I am not Riddick. I do identify with Riddick. So when I play Chronicles of Riddick, I do not associate with the character, I'm not taking over for the character, I am merely controlling the character. This is usually the case with most games that have a written protagonist though. And like I said, it isn't a gender thing - I can fill in the character of Samus in Metroid Prime, because she's a mute vessel for the player to project upon. But I sure as hell can't associate or fill in Lara Croft, or Samus in Metroid: Other M.

Now, I don't have to play as an avatar representing me, or a blank slate, or what have you. But for many people that's what gaming is for - to interact personally with a virtual world. It is definitely not just because they're male and you're not. Probably. I'm making severe assumptions about what you play videogames for. I might have missed the mark completely. I'm not qualified to say these things, I mean. I'm just a dude on the internet. If I've said anything out of turn... assume I have zero intelligence.

No, that's pretty on the mark. Again - I am fine playing Assassins Creed and other games that I'm not doing an insertion thing with if that's what I fancy that day - just to climb some tall things and stab some folks, but my enduring love for games comes from being able to make them my stories and be part of another world - like one might when reading a good book - and that's something I am finding harder and harder to do when put into a male form.

Sounds like my wife and books. Oh she'll read a book if it does feature a male character. But the books she likes to read the most are from the perspective of a female character.

Yes, very similar - although I've not had trouble with male characters in books after my long years of being an English major I seem to have lost my insertion entry ability there in pleasure reading, which is possibly why it's become so dear to me in video games.

 

[IndomitableSam]

I prefer the option to play a female, too. If given the option, I will pretty much always choose to be a female. Not to say I won't play games with male leads, but I grew up playing RPGs and the one that influenced me the most aas FFVI. The main characters (even if it was an ensemble cast) were Terra and Celes - both very flawed and strong characters. When I played, Terra was always at the head of my party. Celes for my sister. In IV, Rydia for me, Rosa for my sister. In VII, we stuck with Yuffie (now I prefer Tifa, but I was a teenager when VII came out).

Anyway, yes, I prefer to play as a woman. And in this day and age, I do expect the character to be a choice. A ton of developers have switched to that medium. I understand if you're telling a story - The Witcher is based on a book series, so Geralt is fine. But in original games not based on a book/movie/etc where gender would not change the whole concept of the game? (Aliens, anyone?) Give me the option or you don't get my money. Like Deus Ex: HR - couldn't I have played it as a woman? It wouldn't have changed the story - change the genders of a couple characters depending on your gender choice (or don't if you're ok with same sex relationships) and you're good to go. Yes, you have to record extra lines and have another main character voice actor, so it adds to costs... but it also enhances the game for many people.

So, developers, unless you can give me a really good reason why you can't have a female lead or at least the option, I'm probably not going to buy your game. And I'm the person you want money from - gainfully employed adult with a lot of free time and money and the willingness to become loyal to your brand if you pay attention to what I want.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

snip

So here's my question: Do you find yourself not feeling a desire to play games that do not offer a male or female protagonist choice, the way others do i.e. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Fallout 3/NV, Skyrim and so forth?

Personally I get the fact that you ask this question but the question itself is sorta odd in itself. I mean the games you just listed are certainly successful franchises with the exception of DA(had potential but the sequel made that crash due to lazy developers) are also probably the most mundane video games ever developed. Sure they have the "feel" of that amazing adventure but honestly in terms of gameplay and the limitations of narrative are what held the game back.

The problem if there is one is that having this expectation to give the player a certain part of control greatly affects what exactly you can do with the narrative. Sure it works sometimes but at the same time there is that major con. Even older games would radically be different if it was actually capable with the limited space to have every video game have a male/female choice. It would honestly change the video game industry into "pick your own adventure" books and last I checked they don't exist anymore.

Video games need some sort of basic narrative, that is what made games like Mario, Zelda, and heck even Battletoads stand out. As wacky as those old instruction booklets were they actually provided a narrative on what type of adventure or at the very least a reason what is motivating the characters. To which you can't just simply give gender choice in all games because it would be bad game design.

It's interesting that I can agree with what you just said and disagree with it at the same time. Let me elaborate a bit and maybe I'll work out my own confusion.

Yes, the games I listed have serious issues with narrative because of lending the player agency to make up a gap (there has to be a gap then for them to make up), so I agree. I disagree with this being bad game design. It's bad narrative design maybe, for a book or movie or television show etc, but since players can fill the gap that's left, it isn't a bad design for games as a whole - not all games should go this route of course either.

On the other hand, the games I listed are my classic replayables that I will never, ever sell because they give me the choice I crave and the agency I am happy to do something with and I don't find them a poor shadow of games with stronger narrative for those reasons alone. However, I am saddened, as I think my OP relates, that I find myself always roaming around in those same backyards because when I go to the games with that strong narrative you've lauded I find myself so under represented that I'd rather not be there.

 

[Rainforce]

Male here.
I prefer to play male characters in RPGs, but I don't mind playing either gender.
Especially in games that are really not in that genre (think MassEffect) it matters more how well-written the character is. (all variations of shepard are pretty lame in my opinion, though - doesn't stop me from enjoying the game itself, of course)
Either way, I agree that females are underrepresented in the current state of the industry, and would like to see more female protagonists that are not merely a customizing option. Also I could really do with less flat "manly" protagonists, while we're at it.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

I'm usually okay with playing the protagonist they give me, even if I wish it was someone else, or someone I could have made. Though the more grizzled, crotch-grabbing, testosterone and steroid pumped the male character is, I find myself doing a lot of eye-rolling and muttering "Okay then, that was something. Let's just get to the next part and see what comes out of my mouth, shall we?"

I do really enjoy games with character creators though, much more actually. I do love creating my own character, whether male or female, and making it ...well...me.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

So what's your take? Where are you at? I'm sure I'm not "alone" in this (no one ever is) but I'm having trouble identifying when exactly this shift in my gaming philosophy took place and maybe hearing some perspectives on it might help me identify an "ah-ha" moment.

Personally I think you're being ridiculous. In games where the character is a specific person as defined by the developer there is no need to "represent half of the population" as you put it. The only reason you've begun to think this way is because it's been said over and over and demanded that this be a staple for games and everyone that has disagreed has been vilified as a bigot and their motives belittled into "trying to keep the boys club alive."

I know of no guy who has trouble playing Portal or Beyond Good and Evil or Tomb Raider or any other game, however few they are, simply because the PC is a woman. It's at least something that is never complained about on any website that I browse nor is it even mentioned on them.

 

[Jenvas1306]

when ever i can i play female characters, especially for rpgs. In dragon age 2 my hawke sure was female (and couldnt get it on with varic). for DnD my characters are female. it simply makes it easier to identify with them, to get immersed...
In fable 3 I was quite proud of my heroines look, I aged her over the course of the game so she started princess but ended as a queen.
tera gave me a bit of trouble there , due to their designs (they are ridiculous and male aman look so much cooler)
I liked being able to play pokemon with a female trainer. I even play P-body for portal 2 coop, just looks more feminine than atlas.

so when ever I can I play female characters, but I wont discard a good game cause I have to play a male one, like bastion or bioshock

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Heck, I'm a guy, and I prefer games with a female character. When given the option to make a blank slate character, they will unerringly be female. And not for any "hurr durr virtual ass" reasons either, I just prefer it.

The primary exception is well developed characters that are already a fixed gender. Someone mentioned Batman earlier in the thread, which is a good example. The new Thief game will have Garrett, and that's alright. I wouldn't want a female Geralt any more than I'd want a male Lara Croft. It would just be weird.

Come to think of it, I prefer female singers as well, and always enjoy female characters in books.

Good lord, maybe I'm a girl. MAYBE I'VE BEEN A GIRL ALL ALONG.

(checks for penis)

Nope, still there.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

So what's your take? Where are you at? I'm sure I'm not "alone" in this (no one ever is) but I'm having trouble identifying when exactly this shift in my gaming philosophy took place and maybe hearing some perspectives on it might help me identify an "ah-ha" moment.

Personally I think you're being ridiculous. In games where the character is a specific person as defined by the developer there is no need to "represent half of the population" as you put it. The only reason you've begun to think this way is because it's been said over and over and demanded that this be a staple for games and everyone that has disagreed has been vilified as a bigot and their motives belittled into "trying to keep the boys club alive."

I know of no guy who has trouble playing Portal or Beyond Good and Evil or Tomb Raider or any other game, however few they are, simply because the PC is a woman. It's at least something that is never complained about on any website that I browse nor is it even mentioned on them.

Well thank you for your opinion. I think you may want to keep reading as I elaborate on my feelings if you haven't already. I'm more referring to games where you make yourself than games where you're given a person to play - although I do believe I could stand to be a little better represented in those as well for my own comfort and pleasure. However, please feel free to excuse yourself from my ridiculous discussion at any time, it's a big internet, I'm sure there are other things going on.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

My fiancé and I.

I don't know if it's still an offense to propriety to play opposite your gender, but I tend to play a female character when given a choice. Chun-li, Nina Williams, Katarina, Templar Assassin, whatever. The same goes for 'create-a-character' games. Witcher 1 was a fine fantasy outing but I felt similarly; I didn't want to be that old ruffian. This is most likely for different reasons than a female would pick a female character, but I grew tired of the gristled semi-shave brunette long ago, and avoid it if possible.

 

[COMaestro]

As a male, I have no problem playing games featuring male or female protagonists. However it is impossible not to notice the dearth of female protagonists in video games.

The new Tomb Raider is a step in the right direction, showing a strong competent female who is more than T&A (unlike most of the original Tomb Raider games. And please note I have not played the new one yet, but this is how I have perceived the game from reviews and previews). I enjoyed Heavenly Sword, but the story was lacking a bit. I enjoy all the Metroid games, although I have not yet played Other M. I could never get into Mirror's Edge after playing the demo. Going back to the beginning of PS2, Oni featured a pretty good female protagonist. I should really go back and try to finish that game.

Sadly, these are the only games I can think of with singular female protagonists that seem to offer more than just T&A, though admittedly I have not played every game out there. I am looking forward to Remember Me after seeing the demo a few months back, and hope

There are some games that feature multiple characters, notably the Final Fantasy series (or nearly any JRPG really), where the numbers of each gender seem pretty balanced. Heavy Rain had the female reporter, who I felt was one of the strongest characters in the game. The Tenchu series was pretty good, having both a male and female character to choose from, though the characterization wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been.

When it comes to games like Fallout or Oblivion, I typically create a male character, as this is the character I am most likely going to project myself into. In the above games, the characters (usually) already have a personality all their own, and I cannot affect it. In these kind of games though, it's mostly first person silent protagonists, so I can pretend it is me wandering the wasteland or exterminating demons. However, Dragon Age: Origins had so much character creation choices and interaction between you and the NPCs I ended up making multiple characters of both genders to see how things change from one to the other.

Then there's the female protagonists that just don't work for me. The earlier Tomb Raider games, for instance. I played the first one, and it was okay, but the over-sexualization of Lara in the following games just turned me off. Never played Bayonetta because of how it looked. Played a little of Bloodrayne and though the gameplay was okay, didn't care for the character. Don't care about Dead or Alive, or any game where the work put into the breast jiggle physics outweighs the work put into everything else. Wow, that's actually all I can think of with female protagonists. If we look at side characters though, there's too many females who wear what I can only assume to be dental floss (the woman in Ninja Gaiden, and some from the Devil May Cry series come to mind).

TLR - Being a male, I am comfortable playing as characters of either gender, though I recognize there are not many female protagonists in video games at this point, but hope things change for the better soon. The new Tomb Raider seems to be a step in the right direction.

 

[nekoali]

I wouldn't say that I won't play a game that only has a male protagonist... There are some great ones out there. And they make sense since the games where character driven for a particular character... Though in some cases they could just have easily made the character female as male, and I do wish they had given us that option. But I'll still play games like Batman Arkham X, Deus Ex, Infamous and the like because they are good games.

But on the other hand, I prefer games which do give me the option to make my own character more. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, pretty much every MMO ever... And when I do play those sorts of games I make exclusively female characters. It gets weird when I get addressed as a guy in games. In fact, playing through the first parts of RAGE especially I kept wondering who they were talking about when bandits kept shouting 'he's over there! Get him!'....

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

If the main character is a good character, I don't care about the gender one way or the other. I actually prefer a well crafted protagonist with a fully thought out back story and character development. I don't often like open ended games that allow me to customize the experience (Like Dragon Age: Origins) because I feel like the character you're playing isn't as interesting as those the staff bothered to write about.

The Witcher tries to find a happy medium between these two, where your given options that are all characteristic of Geralt and it's up to the player to decide what path they want him to go down.

In games where gender is just an option and doesn't really affect anything (Like Pokemon Games), I usually go with the female option, unless the male option looks cooler.