Poll: All else being equal, what do you play as?

[The Dahaka]

I live in a country where dark skinned people are not a usual sight, so the race is kinda an obvious choice between pale or tanned (not like I have anything against darker skinned people, it's just not my usual choice.) Also I like to go with a character who either resembles me or who I'd one day might want to look like, just for the sake of immersion into the game. If I see myself in it, I can better imagine myself in the given game world.

 

[Risingblade]

I try to go with my gender and race since it helps me immerse myself into the game's world.

 

[FPLOON]

Go go "random character generator" option!

OT: I usually end up creating "myself" to the best of the game's ability... because I lack "originality" in the character creation department...

If it's during a second playthrough, I just do the same thing, but switch genders...

 

[Kingjackl]

I more or less flip a coin when it comes to sex, though I usually tend to play my own race. There were a few exceptions; my Skyrim character and my Saints Row IV Boss were both black and one of my Fallout New Vegas characters was Latino, but I generally stick to being white.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Always same race and sex. I don't mind at all if I have to play as another race or the female gender but hey, you work with what you know.

 

[Dragonlayer]

Same race and sex as me, because Yakobian racial superiority immersion.

Seriously though, given the chance I will try to recreate myself in a game to really allow myself to get sucked into that game's universe. It may be petty, it may be vain but damnit, I want my maginificant facial hair recreated in glorious high-definition graphics!

The only exception to this is in the Elder Scrolls games, where I always play as an Argonian as I have a soft-spot for lizardfolk.

 

[Avalanche91]

If its a roleplaying game I generally try to make myself, i.e. white male, the elder scroll series being an exception (Kahjit>White male). If I can replay said rpg I usually end up going all over the place with race, gender and absurd noses.

 

[Drummodino]

I always used to play male characters although I'd mix and match races. I've been black, white, brown, lizard, cat, you name it I've been it. Never used to feel comfortable playing as a female though, it always felt like it broke the immersion.

These days however I've been playing women mostly when I get the choice. I've stopped trying to play some variant of me, I like to roleplay these days. For example, my latest Dark Souls characters have both been female - an exiled sorceress obsessed with power and a cleric sent to find the rite of kindling.

 

[mysecondlife]

I (almost always) play the default setting. I can't be bothered with size of the nose, eyebrow placement, types of forehead, etc.

Default tend to be human male, so that's usually what I am.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

It really depends. In most of the times I tend to choose based on what bonuses the specific race they got.

Regarding my own character I tend to go towards my own gender and race and then change them (if allowed) in the other playthroughs as well as changing my party.

 

[Kipiru]

Highly depends on the romance options for me. If there is any romantic sub-plot I always play as male, otherwise I subscribe to the "if you're going to stare at someone's behind it might as well be an attractive one" school of character creation. That's why I'm always a dude in Bioware games, but almost always a female in Blizzard ones.

 

[OneCatch]

Depends more on stats than anything else for me. If I'm building a combat scout I'll play Redguard, if I'm building a battlemage I'll play Dunmer.
For statless choices I generally go for either an outlandishly caricatured appearance (playing a warrior? ALL OF THE SCARS. Evil mage? BLACK EYEBALLS), or try to get something that looks mostly like me.
In the case of the latter I near inevitably screw up and end up with an uncanny-valley monstrosity.

 

[Bat Vader]

I usually play a combination of every race and both genders to see if the story changes or if there is any unique dialogue. After I do that though I usually play whatever race and gender I like the most or gives the best stat bonuses. I don't mind repaying games that I love so that really helped when I played through all the races in Dragon Age: Origins.

 

[Vault101]

generally same race and sex as me...although I did make a black character in Fallout:NV and intend to perhaps in other games

 

[Frankster]

I tend to stick to caucasian males (so same as me) for my first playthroughs.

Sometimes I go black, every once in a while I'll play a lady and that's usually about as wild as I'll go.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

I put "equal variance of race but not sex" because I play about 2/3rds males but if there's an orc, beast or a dark-skinned option that tends to be my first pick along with my first build being a heavy melee, and I'm what passes as white (mainly because my first Monster Hunter was a black guy). But honestly I make so many characters where applicable that you might as well call it all of the above.

Come to think of it though, having played Dragon's Dogma, if I also get to create a supporting character I'll go for the bulky melee and explore something else myself.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

It really depends on what kinda game it is. If it's a self-insert RPG where you're supposed to be the protagonist then I go for the closest thing to myself. If it's something not like that, a fighting game or a Jrpg or something, I don't concern myself with sex and race and just go based on thematic elements, voice actor, style, personality, those things. Also, I have a predilection for dragons and ninja so these two factors would weigh infinitely more than if someone's white or male.

 

[GabeZhul]

I usually make white, brown haired heterosexual male character since I happen to be a white, brown haired heterosexual male. On second playthroughs I often make a female character just to see if there are changes in gameplay/story/etc. and for the romance options, but they are also white unless they are tied to in-game ethnicity (say, TES redguards). I consider this an immersion issue. I could most certainly make a black punk female character with green hair and piercing all over the place, but I have no idea how to identify with such a person and thus I get disconnected from my character, which hurts immersion and my enjoyment of a game.