Poll: Is this a common thing for most gamers?

[MetalDooley]

If the story and gameplay are good enough then the gender of the character doesn't bother me

 

[Plurralbles]

I loved metroid, tombraider, m looking for beyond good and evil, Eternal darkness, aand Okami. I dont' care about the sex of the protagonist.

 

[Flames66]

I have no problem with female protagonists. I just don't paly as them. When I play any game my character is me, therefore cannot be female or anything else that is not me.

 

[Shepard's Shadow]

Given the choice, I prefer to play as a female main character. But overall, the protagonist's gender doesn't matter to me.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Gender means nothing.
A protagonist is made a good one by way other factors, at least for me.

 

[Meatfish]

On topic... If given the choice I'll play as a make character because I am male and it feels odd to choose a female one.

But If the protagonist of a game is female (e.g. bayonetta) I don't mind playing as one. As long as they still kick ass it doesn't matter wether they have a penis or vagine

 

[keillord]

As long as the main character can kick ass is style I like them. As for Bayonetta... hard to find many guys who wouldn't play the game for one reason or another.

 

[Yoshemo]

I prefer males, but girls can kick ass too

 

[shadow skill]

I usually play as a female because I already know how male characters will react seeing as I am one. I'm not particularly bothered one way or the other.

 

[SturmDolch]

I don't mind if it forces me. I always choose male (which I am) when I have the choice, but I love having a female main character just as much if I'm not given a choice. But don't be like Bayonetta and over-sexualize her. Treat her normally. Perfect Dark had one of the strongest female characters in a game. I also liked Faith, even though I wasn't a big fan of Mirror's Edge. Two great female characters I loved playing as.

 

[Bloody Crimson]

Either one. I really wouldn't mind being a woman when I am a male. And if you think I like the woman in a sexual way I'd tap the protagonist male or female.

I personally enjoy female characters that lack body but kick ass. The body....whatever.
As for male characters as long as they have more personality then a brick wall with a voice [aka I will never play Gears of War] I like them. Also they can't be to muscly.

 

[sean.A7x]

I prefer male, because im male but ill cope with a female if the games good

 

[Superhyperactiveman]

I really don't care. I've never been the kind of guy who projects himself onto the character he's playing. Even in games with a silent protagonist, I pick up whatever details about their personality I can from their basic reactions, and go with that instead. I can see the problem for people who do; gender is a pretty big part of your self-image, and it's tough to settle into a persona that doesn't share yours.

Although the concept itself is evolving, sort of. Bioware games, which leave the main character as a blank slate and let you call the shots, allow the depth of customization they do for more or less that purpose. games like Bioshock and Metroid feature a silent protagonist which is definitely one gender or the other, but then they get you so involved in the atmosphere of the place you're in that you find it tough to fixate on which parts your avatar has. Other RPGs are slowly eliminating silent protagonists entirely; jRPGs in particular have started giving their main characters speaking parts (and if you're lucky, motivations and personalities of their own), and Final Fantasy leads haven't been able to shut up since number four.

The "damsel in distress" thing strikes me as a little weird. A person needing to be rescued is hardly a gender-specific thing anymore, and hasn't been for at least a decade -- it's just left the paradigm completely.

Perhaps I should qualify that statement. When I say damsel in distress, what I mean is a female character who is helpless or reliant upon the aid of other charcters to a point that seems ridiculous, unrealistic, or like she's a dumb-ass. So... I'm trying to think of a really good example... Well, the best example I can think of is an anime, not a game, but the fandoms overlap, so if I say her name, you'll probably think of a few female characters who fit the profile: Sakura from Naruto. She's actually both. She's a complete and utter ***** most of the time, and then when any fighting starts, the most useful thing she'll do is sit on the sidelines and cheer for whoever happens to be protecting her from people ten times stronger than her anyway, which would be forgiveable (somewhat) if she were not a ninja (I.E. in a position in which someone who knew nothing about her would expect her to be able to handle herself) But usually she'll just cry about how it isn't fair that she has to deal with something and make the situation worse.

What I'm trying to say is that I've rarely seen a female character that I can honestly call both strong (Independant and capable) and likeable (not complete a *****)

The exception seems to be the few bioware games I've played (Dragon's Age and the two KOTOR games). I can honestly say that, as a whole, I found the female characters to be very likeable (Morrigan got a bit bitchy at times, but I forgave the game that because she displayed a more vulnerable and emotional side.) Though they weren't protaganists and the level of character development they were given was a bit shallow. (Especially Juhani. All she would ever do is talk about how afraid she was of being evil... Seriously, shut the fuck up...)

 

[Ham_authority95]

If its fun, I'll play a game with either gender.

 

[quantum mechanic]

Given the choice, I play as a female because I'm female. Apart from that, I don't really care. I do wish more games had female protagonists who just happen to be female, as opposed to being idealized or more sexual caricatures of women. More like Mass Effect, less like Tomb Raider. In general, I don't have a strong opinion.

 

[Biri]

If a game offers the chance to play as either a man or a woman, I usually play as a woman.

I like playing as a badass chick.

Pretty much this.

But either way, as long as the main character isn't a total unlikeable lump of annoyance, I don't mind.

 

[Chipperz]

If I have a choice, I'll make a female character. Hard arse, emotionally stunted male killing machines are done to death, and it's nice to have a bit of a change. If I get the option, I'll also make them as small as I can get without crossing the border into midget, because it makes them far cooler when they start killing shit twice their size.

I could go into a long diatribe about the duality of women in games, but to be honest, it'd be a bit hollow as I guide Jenifer Hale's Shepherd down the path to Liara's loving arms again.