Poll: Guys playing girl characters

[swift tongued]

I've actually had people think I was a girl because evidently no one else finds female trolls as friken awsome as I do... So yeah I like making interseting fantasy charecters that I've never seen before and that often means crossing the gender line.

In anycase what does gender really mean anyway? I mean biologically speaking there are a few differences, but even there the gap isn't that large and in videogames not even that gap exists.

 

[Aiden Rebirth]

its all an escape thing. this is your chance to be whoever you wanna be, male or female.

 

[toxic_waster]

i like to have myself in the game and not some generic female character. so no i dont switch characters cause i cant think of a good reason too

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

While I honestly don't care, I'll make a post anyway. Men typically play as women online because it is more socially acceptable to. It's more normal to be a female fire mage in WOW than to cross-dress in real life. There are women who play as male characters, but there are so few female gamers out there online that the number of cross gender characters is much less. I'm not sure about percentages.

 

[Social Pariah]

I do occasionally, for many reasons, be it psychological, role reversal, things like that, but predominantly it would be because firstly, I feel a bit weird about trying to create an attractive male character, never works, so I make a female, and secondly because I know that I'll have to stare at the rear end/portrait of this character for the next misc hours or so of gameplay, depending on the appeal of game.

Not in forums though, that would just be a tad odd.

 

[TheTygerfire]

I do any intro online as my normal typing, but I do assume that they think I'm a girl. you'd be shocked how many people in the past have assumed I was a girl. But if they ask I tell the truth, I don't lie about it. I just play with people's assumptions.

I did know a person who claimed they were a girl this whole time, so that's a weird one.

 

[Nivag the Owl]

I have occasionally gone for a female character.

My logic, is that I'm going to be playing an RPG for several months maybe. I could choose to watch the back-side of some buff man running around, or a slim and curvy female. Seems like an obvious decision.

 

[honeymonster]

I don't know why but for some reason the idea of playing a female character on a game dosn't sit right for me its probably some deep seated psychological issue but I doubt any one wants to delve into that and I don't want to listen so everyone wins.

 

[PsiMatrix]

I've noticed that if there are guys playing as girl characters, it is usually for one of three reasons.
1) They want to mooch off of the guy populace that want to supply the "girl" with stuff to make "her" life easier and to steal the one "girl" off the internet from the other female-starved men of the gaming nation.
2) They don't want to stare at a man's derriere for the entire duration of their play-time.
3) Sometimes playing a girl character is more fun (i.e games where the class the player wants is strictly female).

Actually that does pretty much sum it up except for reason four which came up as one of my wittier comebacks:

Female Player: "MMORPG - Mostly Men Online Role Playing Girls"
Me: "Only cause we're better at it"

Many lols appeared in the chat window after that one.

Reason 2 has never been put better than in PVP Online - "If I'm gonna be staring at an ass all the time, it might as well be a nice ass"

I have occasionally been the recipient of reason 1 myself but usually I say thanks and just pass on the generosity to others when they need it


Sometimes it is fun to pretend to be the other sex too. Most of the time people can never tell.

 

[Clashero]

Well, my only female character in an online game is my Assassin in Guild Wars. Honestly, the male characters in Guild Wars either look too pretty boy-ish, or like some crazed war veteran whose only purpose in life is to bash skulls.

 

[mark_n_b]

Female lead characters in video games tend to be more dynamic, sophisticated, interesting... just generally better characters. This is because game designers, as a rule, have to work harder to justify a female lead, with male characters it is an "of course they are awesome because they are big and tough guys".

As such I generally prefer female video game personas and almost always play as a female character.

Whether it is a girl playing or a guy playing I never extend assumptions of gender past the avatar, and never invite conversations into real life scenarios. So unless you make it a point to tell me you are a boy or a girl, I'm going to attach the gender to your screen name of that of your avatar (which a lot of people don't, I remember one guy screaming about at me about how he wasn't gay, he stopped when I pointed out that his avatar was a female and that neither one of us actually knew the others gender)

He of course assumed I was a guy until I said that, then he assumed I was a girl... he never did ask, it was kind of funny. If anyone ever asks me if I'm a guy or a girl online (and I will point out that I have never once been asked my real life gender by a female "avatar") I generally ask "why?" before I answer the question. I mean, does it really matter?

I suppose if you are cyber-sexing it up... but that's never been an issue with me.

 

[Dancingman]

I do it for RP mostly, since I'm making a new character, I may as well give the opposite sex a try, and even though I did make a woman with ridiculously large breasts one time, I did give her a backstory. I'll do it for RPGs just for fun, like in KOTOR II when I played the Female Exile.

 

[gamebrain89]

On City of Heroes, I like to put some effort into my characters, so I have a variety, and some of the back stories I come up with fits female characters better. I haven't made a female character in a while though.

 

[jackanderson]

I nearly always play as a female, i just seem to find it more enjoyable, not sure why really.

Sort of sums me up. Unless it's Saint's Row 2; where you can't change your gender, I normally play male online. But at home on single player, I do normally play as a girl if the game let's you. The one exception is Fallout 3. Don't ask why.

 

[TheIceface]

I have this problem with the reality and imaginary realms. While I have a good grasp on them myself, many people don't.

Assuming I'd actually want to, would it really be a good idea for me to play as a female character in an online game like WoW, where so many people are so involved in the game that they can't differentiate reality from the imaginary?

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

If the player editor system allows, I do make myself in the game. However, most of the time it doesn't so I can't and I make whomever I want and they usually look bizarre and are sometimes female.

I find it bizarre that some players assume that everybody is some representation of their real life self. I think these people need some therapy.

 

[ZombieFace]

Im just curious as to how many guys that were about to click "Yes", Didn't because they felt they lost a bit of masculinity

 

[Gamer101]

On City of Heroes, I like to put some effort into my characters, so I have a variety, and some of the back stories I come up with fits female characters better. I haven't made a female character in a while though.

Agreed. Some characters powers and background just demand female, some demand male. Especially if you really put thought into your characters storyline. Wolverine fits a male. Storm fits more a female. Batman is better as a man. A cat character as a man doesnt seem as right as a female, thus Catwoman. It's common sense, and really not a problem to me unless your playing these games as a pickup bar.

Which is what I truly believe is at the core of those that have a problem with it. Some use it as a dating service and demand you play a man if you are a man so they can know for sure the woman character is a woman, so they can feel confident that they are not ending up hitting on guys. Sorry.....too bad.

Don't play to pick up chicks, log off, sharpen those social skills, and find yourself a gal. And check for adam's apples IRL, too.

It is scary playing with the better-half, and seeing the kind of stuff that gets sent to her w/her female characters. Which I think adds to the fun when I play with one of my female characters for the night, or even better we switch and I play as one of her characters, I weed them out or clean up the server a little.

 

[Sloprano]

I know a girl that have most of her characters in wow set to male. As for myself it usualy depends on what I'm playing as. Considering it's often a role-playing that let you choose gender you shouldn't feel constrained to mimic your own ego for your character, unless you of course are a Space Marine or a dual-wielding barbarian in real life and want to play as one.