Poll: Protagonists of a different race/gender

[JesterRaiin]

What about you guys?

I have no problem with any kind of protagonist unless he is dumb and crude like Cmd. Sheppard. I can relate to pirate, alien, kid, jumping meatball, sentient fart or umm, homosexual transvestite as long as their dialogue lines are plausible.

 

[The Almighty Grigard]

I don't really understand the whole "relate to" business. To me it seems that most people who say they can't relate to a character really are just saying "I don't understand black people / women and I'm not interested in their struggles and hardships"

I don't care if a game character is black, Asian, female or transgendered. What I care about is that their personality is at least a little bit intricate and not just a cut out cliche. If the story provides something that is clearly something that the main character fights for it's all good. Just because a person is black, can't you relate to his grief of losing his wife for example?

 

[Richardplex]

As a guy I find it difficult to Roleplay as a male character. Don't ask, half of it is complicated and the other half I don't even know.

 

[Infernai]

As long as the character itself is interesting and isn't just a blatant stereotype then i really don't care what race/creed they happen to be or if they are male or female.

 

[Darth_Dude]

I dont really feel comfortable playing a female character, I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, but it's just not something I'd do. I prefer playing a male character, someone I can project my morals and attitudes towards things or events.

I also never understood the whole, "I might as well pick a female, I need something to look at for 50 hours" argument. Why would this (heterosexual) person be staring at the male protagonists body features in the first place..

 

[JesterRaiin]

I dont really feel comfortable playing a female character, I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, but it's just not something I'd do. I prefer playing a male character, someone I can project my morals and attitudes towards things or events.

...so, you say that female character isn't capable of upkeeping neither moral standards nor attitudes ?

Man, that's an exaggeration at best...

 

[Eccentric_Jon]

I'd MUCH rather play Gears of War as Cole Train than Marcus Fenix.
So no, I either like a character or I don't, regardless of race, sex, species etc

 

[Aprilgold]

I'd MUCH rather play Gears of War as Cole Train than Marcus Fenix.
So no, I either like a character or I don't, regardless of race, sex, species etc

This is basically my stand on the subject, every time. If a character that I play as is just a cardboard cut out, then I won't care for them.

I dont really feel comfortable playing a female character, I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, but it's just not something I'd do. I prefer playing a male character, someone I can project my morals and attitudes towards things or events.

...so, you say that female character isn't capable of upkeeping neither moral standards nor attitudes ?

Man, that's an exaggeration at best...

Its more or less personal preference, is what I got from it, he would rather play as a Male because he is a male, thus easier to project onto, while being a guy playing a female in a game like Mass Effect for example, I couldn't stand it because it would bring something up that I wouldn't have said in general. I point back up though, if a character is well written, then its easier to 'grapple' onto the character then a poorly written one.

 

[Lerasai]

I feel more disconnected from a character if they are of a different personality type than anything else. I'm a pretty reserved and polite person, so when a protagonist says or does something impulsive or obnoxious I'm less rooting for them than going, "What are you thinking? Do you have no brain to mouth filter? Can I play as someone who I wouldn't be embarrassed to even be around?". This comes up more often with male characters than female, but a protagonist being male in itself doesn't deter me from playing.

I don't even understand why race would be a problem for anybody, considering pretty much every fantasy game out there has the option to play as everything from an elf to an Argonian. Since when do we relate to lizard-people better than other human beings?

 

[Bob_Dobb]

I'm cool with the race: Mexican (Add +5 to border jumping stat), Caucasian (+25% Tax Filing speed), Black (Double regular affinity to fried chicken) or even Asian (Starts with bonus item: pushy family).

As for sex I feel like a pervert playing as a woman... don't know why.

 

[Da Orky Man]

I don't see how that works, TBH. Are most gamers 8ft tall maladjusted space marines from the future?

Don't give us away! The plan isn't in place yet.

 

[JesterRaiin]

...is what he means...

I'd rather hear author's explanation, thank you.

while being a guy playing a female in a game like Mass Effect for example, I couldn't stand it because it would bring something up that I wouldn't have said in general.

That's my general attitude towards ME no matter what gender Sheppard is. :|

 

[Thaluikhain]

I don't see how that works, TBH. Are most gamers 8ft tall maladjusted space marines from the future?

Don't give us away! The plan isn't in place yet.

I think people are onto the "maladjusted" bit, though.

 

[Jorec]

I never used to play as a female character if the option was given that I could make a male character. Then one day I was playing mass effect, got bored with male Shepard and thought, hey why not try making a femshep? After that I pretty much always make my character female, at least in Bioware games. She's still Caucasian though, although I have nothing against playing as a non-white by the time I got to mass effect 2 I didn't want to mess with the character I already made. And if ME3's co-op turns out to be good, I'd probably make a female turian.

 

[Paradoxrifts]

So long as the player isn't adopting the role of the traditional 'blank-slate' protagonist, I would go so far as to say that the writers of any game have not done their jobs properly if they do not make the player somewhat uncomfortable with the actions of the character that they're piloting around. If you are not occasionally jarred by the otherness of the role you've adopted then that character probably has all the persona of a freshly scrubbed potato.

Alternatively 'blank-slate' protagonists are usually written to give players the choice of whether to play 'themselves' (typically an idealised version of one's self with snappy dialogue), or they can on the other hand adopt a fictional persona within the game by selecting what they believe to be the appropriate options that are made available.

 

[Batou667]

This thread again?

I suppose being able to connect with your character is always important. but whether the character should resemble the player (age, race, gender, etc) is probably more to do with whether the emphasis of the game is storytelling or roleplaying. If it's a character-driven story-based game, then diversity in protagonists is surely only a good thing as it broadens the types of narratives we see (not just "Quick, Captain Squarejaw! Your girlfriend has been kidnapped!").

If it's a roleplaying game, where "player insertion" is more important, then yeah, I'd like to see a variety of possible avatars. At this point I suppose there's some other process that goes on inside the gamer's head - do they want to roleplay an aspirational "like me" character (white male, but Olympian physique) or do they want to play a completely different role where they can explore different social interactions, motivations and philosophies (different gender, race, moral alignment, different species even).

For what it's worth, I'm a white male and my current Gears 3 multiplayer caracter is Sam, a black female. I have no idea why. Variety, I guess?

 

[FC Groningen]

Its character that matters to me, but unfortunately I really can't stand macho behaviour which seems to be implented in a lot of male characters. The moment males act like their stereotype suggests, is the moment I disconnect.

 

[putowtin]

I'm white female and no I don't care who the protaganist is, if the story is that immersive then I could be a giant with purple skin!