From the mind and hands of David North, comes this brand new weekly web-comic. Guild Sores is the tale of three friends and their misadventures in the fabulous (and frustrating) world of MMORPGs. Check out the latest installment of Guild Sores and be sure to offer your thoughts.

Click here to view Guild Sores - Creating a Hero.

You know, there is another reason male gamers create female avatars...

* frap * frap * frap * frap * frap * frap * frap *

Actually I hate playing female chars and therefore games that include genderlock -.- I want to be one with my character, I want to feel, what HE feels and I want to imagine its me slaying orcs :)

Just change the last line  to,  "and I love having boobs," and then you have an accurate comic. Also a lot funnier. = )

haha, this one made me laugh out loud.

As a guy I would never play a female character, the idea just freaking creeps me out and it makes me shiver in disgust when I think about how many people are doing it.

I think if you keep it in your head that these crossdressers are around you come to really distrust any female figure in-game, even the real girl gamers. 

I like when a game forces your account and all characters on it to be one gender by what you chose in your registration male/female field.  I guess it limits choice, but I don't think people really need that choice and would do fine without.

{mod edit}

Futnatus, you're disgusted by the fact guys play female characters in a fictional environment?

I think what is more disturbing is that you and other people have a problem with it.  What possible harm can it be causing you?  Unless of course you've fallen victim to one of these male impersonators that managed to seduce you out of your money.

Seriously, at the end of the day do you really care?  Really, do you?  Is it effecting your life in any way shape or form?  If it is, you're the one with the mental problems.

*laughs his way out the door*

You all think to much into it. The comic pretty much explains it perfectly.  :D

I don't see the big deal with playing a character in a video game that is not the same gender as you. Me being male I have played female characters and no it is not because I enjoy looking at their backside. I usually have only played males in games, be it single player RPGs or MMORPGs. I got to the point where I am tired of playing the same gender in every game, so I decided to just change it up a bit and play a female character for once. I am not the guy that goes around and dances on mailboxes asking for gold or anything else disgusting. 

In games like City of Heroes/ villains or Champions Online I actually enjoy makeing a female character more than the male. I can come up with better designs for their costumes. I do have a male character in each game though, but still my main is a female. Now in Fallen Earth my main is a male due to the immersion of the games setting and since I plan to roleplay a bit I would feel better to roleplay my gender. In lotro my very first character, which is also my main, is human male lore-master but my alt is a human female minstrel. I have other alts but they are all males, and I just got tired of seeing the same gender. Its nice to change it up and I have been enjoying playing her.

Does this mean that I have a social issues or there is something wrong with me mentally because I play a fictional character in a video game that is not the same gender as me? No. Whats the difference between playing a female in an mmo and playing Lara Croft in tomb raider or joanna dark in perfect dark zero? I guess people that play those games have issues also.

 To people that dance half naked on a mailbox and act like a female to get free stuff, yes I hate people like that. Its stupid and immature. I have never and would never do something like that.

Originally posted by futnatus

As a guy I would never play a female character, the idea just freaking creeps me out and it makes me shiver in disgust when I think about how many people are doing it.

I think if you keep it in your head that these crossdressers are around you come to really distrust any female figure in-game, even the real girl gamers. 

I like when a game forces your account and all characters on it to be one gender by what you chose in your registration male/female field.  I guess it limits choice, but I don't think people really need that choice and would do fine without.

{mod edit}

 

usually people such as yourself have the strongest homophobic tendancies.

I see nothing wrong with gender bending. Seeings I am transgendered, I take your remark as highly offensive. It is one thing to hate it is another to spread that hate through words and actions.

sad world we live in... xD

Before we get in this huge argument again about avatar gender choice and sexuality. There's a good deal of quality emperical research on this out there (Journal of Cyberpsychology is a good place to start) which delves into the many reasons a majority of male players gender-swap avatars as do female gamers, albeit to a lesser extent. Basically we have two major types of players here; Thoese who see their characters as an extension/representation of themselves in a virtual world and those who want RP and tend to want to try something different (I for one hating to play a 'boring' human character).

Anicdotally, all the gay players I've met online always play male characters. Their reason being "If  I'm gonna stare at a butt all day it should be a pretty one". A sentiment echoed by many straight male players on theser forums.

The big question for me however lies in people attaching any sort of sexual feeling toward a bunch of pixels. Then again I guess it takes all types.

Oh and concerning the bust size of the female characters I make from time to time.. Of course their not silicon.. they're polygon ;)

That said good luck on the new comic!

I really have no idea why people think so much into this.

OH MY GAWD IT'S A MAN PLAYING A WOMAN!!?!!? IT'S PLAIN UNNATURAL, I TELL YOU!!!

WHAT is the difference, I say, when the male author of a book series writes in and develops female characters? You are required to know that woman's mind or what she would do in every situation and how she reacts to certain things, what she looks like, what she wears...you roleplay as that character for her to seem real and believable. So, what's the difference when a male creates a female character in a video game?

There is no difference. Stop debating a subject that has no room for debate.

I enjoy playing female characters... sometimes.

The decision of creating a male/female character usually hinges on the role that I plan on playing - for some reason, I just can't stand the idea of playing a female tank, so all my female characters will invariably end up being something else.

Also, species (race) plays a big role too. As in, I will not, just not create an unattractive female character, which usually means things such as... no female Dwarves in fantasy games, for instance.

And yes, I'm one of those people who can spend up to an hour or so just fine-tuning my character's appearance features in the AION character creator.

Ok, so you buy an mmo, you create your first avatar and... realize your going to watch that ass for MANY HOURS ingame. You better have a good ass, right?

Originally posted by ironfungus

I really have no idea why people think so much into this.

 

OH MY GAWD IT'S A MAN PLAYING A WOMAN!!?!!? IT'S PLAIN UNNATURAL, I TELL YOU!!!

 

WHAT is the difference, I say, when the male author of a book series writes in and develops female characters? You are required to know that woman's mind or what she would do in every situation and how she reacts to certain things, what she looks like, what she wears...you roleplay as that character for her to seem real and believable. So, what's the difference when a male creates a female character in a video game?

There is no difference. Stop debating a subject that has no room for debate.

 

Unless you're a roleplayer, there is usually even less of an issue in playing a female character, as all you have to do is... play as the female.

Being a writer myself, though, I'll have to agree with you that were males playing video-games as female characters a real problem, male writers making up female characters would (and probably should) be considered somewhat... problematic. Which it is absolutely not.

What I find funny is that no one finds it strange if a woman plays a male character.

Originally posted by CoffeeOfDoom

What I find funny is that no one finds it strange if a woman plays a male character.

That's because while a man playing a woman is an offense to masculinity, a woman playing a man is a compliment.

Creating a MMO char for sexual stimulation? It makes me feel a 100 years old, but... I don't get it. And no, not because I am not into girls, but the very idea to create some silly pixel char to satisfy my fleshly urges? How poor can a person be! I mean, just go buy real porn, there is plenty out there.

Maybe it's just since I am so much a roleplayer and interested in story. I want a character which has meaning to me, who becomes part of a story that this sort of primitive motivation just sounds so absurd to me. A character where I can identify with as a heroc version of me. Something along these lines.

Maybe if some people had sex in RL they wouldn't need to make porn-characters in gams. Just a guess.

Sidenote. I am baffled to think any person can mistake a man playing a female character as a real woman. (Maybe if you haven't seen a woman for a long time...) Few man can hide their true gender. The way most men act and talk just betrays them the minute they open their mouth. Sorry to burst your bubble.