Poll: Does playing a female character bother you?

[Hollock]

why would you not play a game if you had to be a girl? Does he not watch movies with female leads? Does he have no girls allowed on his bedroom door?
I really don't care, but will more often than not pick a guy. The last time I played as a girl was fable 2.

 

[xDHxD148L0]

I don't mind, most of the time I end up making a chik avatar in character creation anyways.

 

[Slayer_2]

As long as she's not a bimbo with beach balls taped to her chest, I have no issue with playing as a female character. Whenever I play a game with an over-sexualized female character, I sometimes feel a bit insulted that the industry thinks that all teenage males will buy a game, as long as it has boobs in it.

 

[Chaos Bringer]

I'm notorious for playing as the girl when my friends and I play together. Nobody ever wanted to play as the girl so I just played as them.

 

[dreadedcandiru99]

In Mass Effect, for example, female Shepard just seems far more intriguing. Male Shepard just felt too generic, whereas the female Shep seemed slightly out of place and more disadvantaged, which made her a fantastic character to play as.

Also, Jennifer Hale is a better voice actor.

 

[CheckD3]

Sometimes I actually start of as females, because in life I'm a guy, and this is the closest to being female I can get (I actually have a girlfriend, so I've actually touched a girl I know, crazy right?)

What makes video games fun is that you can literally become the anything that they tell you you can be when you were a kid. Want to be in the army but in RL you're overweight or out of shape? There are games for that. There are games for everything and they let you be what you can't be normally. That's why the best games are unrealistic in a lot of ways.

But back to being a girl, I like to choose them sometimes because it lets you sometimes see what it's like to be a girl, when you're a guy it's hard of course to do that in real life, but you get the point. It's another way to let you take control and be something you can't be in RL. Plus I like feeling pretty ^^ (In Saint's Row 2 I made a male character with huge breasts and hooker make up and a colored Mohawk, something you couldn't be unless you were playing video games or rich, and as a gamer, I'm obviously the opposite of rich...)

 

[veloper]

Not at all. I've never understood why this is an issue for some people. It happens in pen & paper RPGs too sometimes.

I'm not a genetically engineered space-marine, Wizard, halfling or female in real life, why should it be an issue for only one of the four options I gave as examples?

Depends, if the group is 100% gamist, then it doesn't matter, since all you'll be doing is rollplay.

If instead you're with a bunch of thespians playing a narrativist game, then yeah I can see the difference right there. It's easy to do a human that is short (halfling), or a geek (wizard), but it's impossible for most guys to do a convincing female act.

I don't know, I've seen at least a couple guys who could roleplay a female just as well as some women I've played with. Though admittedly these two were probably better roleplayers (than the women) in general.

Mostly though I was refering to those who might play Dragon Age or WoW (for example) but refuse to play a female character. So my point was you might not be a female in real life, but your not a dwarf or elf either.

Dragon Age I can agree on. Playing DAO I just click the responses that I hope will result in the most entertaining or optimal reactions. Not so much roleplaying as choose your own adventure.
In WOW most people will just control their toons and chat OOC, so that's ok too. The only icky part is those individuals who try to cyber.

I would like to venture slightly off-topic for a moment though regarding races in PnP games though. I would argue that it is not easy to play a halfling (or any non-human race) because they are not "short humans" they are a unique race with their own culture, philosophy and way of thinking, that when presented with a problem, would probably come up with a different solution than a human would. To this day I have yet to see what I would consider a convincing elf (including those that I have played).

I still reckon it's easier for most to familiarize with the halfling culture (or fantasy human culture, opposed to ours) and play that, than to play as the opposite sex in a narrativist game. When you do get there it also depends on fellow thespians who are decent enough to go with it.

 

[elricik]

Dosn't matter to me

As long as she isn't Tomb Raider

Lara Croft?

I'm male, but I actually prefer to play games as a female, and do so if I ever have the opportunity. I don't know why, its not really a sexual thing, I just like girls more than guys. The thought of a girl operating a gun and kicking ass is just cool.

In spite of what you may think, that is a sexual thing.

I play as a female (as that is what I am) but I don't often enjoy it.
Nearly every female avatar I have played to date shows every single curve they have.

Is it so hard to have a neutral-gender/modest looking female avatar?
I just want to play the game, as a female, without being called 'babe' all of the time.

Well, virtually all female video game characters are male-defined -- which means that even if Beyond Good & Evil's Jade is acclaimed as "deep" by the game's (male) fans, the problem of oversexualization won't likely be solved until more female game designers enter the fore.

It can't be a sexual thing, because I'm sort of gay and not really attracted to girls at all. I'm not really sure why I prefer to play as a female character, I just do.

 

[Flamezdudes]

If i can choose, i always choose Boy. It makes me feel more comfortable, i don't care if there's no choice.

 

[bismarck55]

Not at all. I've never understood why this is an issue for some people. It happens in pen & paper RPGs too sometimes.

I'm not a genetically engineered space-marine, Wizard, halfling or female in real life, why should it be an issue for only one of the four options I gave as examples?

Depends, if the group is 100% gamist, then it doesn't matter, since all you'll be doing is rollplay.

If instead you're with a bunch of thespians playing a narrativist game, then yeah I can see the difference right there. It's easy to do a human that is short (halfling), or a geek (wizard), but it's impossible for most guys to do a convincing female act.

I don't know, I've seen at least a couple guys who could roleplay a female just as well as some women I've played with. Though admittedly these two were probably better roleplayers (than the women) in general.

Mostly though I was refering to those who might play Dragon Age or WoW (for example) but refuse to play a female character. So my point was you might not be a female in real life, but your not a dwarf or elf either.

Dragon Age I can agree on. Playing DAO I just click the responses that I hope will result in the most entertaining or optimal reactions. Not so much roleplaying as choose your own adventure.
In WOW most people will just control their toons and chat OOC, so that's ok too. The only icky part is those individuals who try to cyber.

I would like to venture slightly off-topic for a moment though regarding races in PnP games though. I would argue that it is not easy to play a halfling (or any non-human race) because they are not "short humans" they are a unique race with their own culture, philosophy and way of thinking, that when presented with a problem, would probably come up with a different solution than a human would. To this day I have yet to see what I would consider a convincing elf (including those that I have played).

I still reckon it's easier for most to familiarize with the halfling culture (or fantasy human culture, opposed to ours) and play that, than to play as the opposite sex in a narrativist game. When you do get there it also depends on fellow thespians who are decent enough to go with it.

I can agree with that.

 

[Pegghead]

Well if it comes down to no difference in stats I go by the character. If I have the choice of playing as a determined, flawed but ultimately relatable woman or as a completely unlikeable douchebag of a man then I'm going to pick the woman. Though let's say it's an RPG I'll normally go as a male.

Though say I'm playing left 4 dead and the game makes me play as Zoey I don't really care.

 

[UPRC]

I don't think of this much at all. If I get to choose what gender my characters are in games, I usually choose whatever my current mood feels like playing. I play female characters just as much as I play male characters.

 

[sephiroth1991]

Dosn't matter to me

As long as she isn't Tomb Raider

You know that's not her actual name, right?

OT: No, why should it? As long as the character's interesting then I don't mind.

Yeah i know her real name it was just in case some people had heard of the game but not know her name

 

[Strife17O7]

I too especially admire the view...
Plus when you get done with that part, there's always an actual character underneath..unless whoever built the title was too dumb to realize such a thing was necessary.

That said...I think I could actually prefer games with Female PCs/protagonists..

Which makes me wonder why if Bungie insists on making everyone continue to play Halo games revolving almost entirely around Spartans and the UNSC(Covenant/forerunner game now, please), that they don't at least give us a more well known/interesting Spartan to kick ass with...say...Linda. Who I'd personally pick over John-117 about any day of the week.

Sorry..kindof hijacked the topic for a sec..As you were.

Oh, and on the topic of Halo, how the hell do the Covenant have little merderous offspring?
THEY'RE ALL MEN! OR WHATEVER THEY ARE THAT ACT LIKE MEN!
Or is there something we should know about?
And playing as another Spartan apart from John would have been pretty damn fun.
Or even Johnson, remember, he's a Spartan-I.

Well..on the latter point, again agreed.
On the former...actually, there supposedly are female Elites, if you've played Halo3 you should be aware of that. It's just unknown whether or not Bungie would intend them to show any sexual dimorphisms such as those evident in humans and most other mammalian species...Nevertheless, inquisitive minds have somewhat prevailed in that regard.. Not that you'd be interested, but there are several over at Deviantart with some concepts of their own..try a search there of 'female Sangheili' and see if you approve what turns up...or there's this one here..http://indigowolf514.deviantart.com/art/Mother-and-Daughter-110150159
Anyway, the perspective on their appearance varies some. I just kindof liked that one generally.

 

[Yokai]

I usually prefer playing characters of my own (male) gender, but honestly, I'm far more concerned with the portrayal of the character. Whether they're male or female doesn't matter in the least if they're interesting and original.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

Hell, no. I'd actually rather be playing as female characters, especially when there's an option to make one.

 

[TriggerHappyAngel]

i always base it on the class..
Axe wielding Warrior: Male
Priest in a robe: Female

 

[Kaltazraza]

Dont mind, never minded.

 

[KingTiger]

Has to be a male character or else I wouldnt even buy the game.

As I always have felt if I use a female character, it will be weaker in fighting and have to always have armor which doesn't cover ANYthing. As well as that, every male in that particular game will be wanting to...urm do stuff to my character...which is annoying/insulting.

Space Marines from 40k are an example. Mighty power armored killing machines who move around like tanks.