Originally posted by ZoeMcCloskey

Originally posted by OG_Zorvan

Originally posted by Painlezz

I think the real issue isn't why men choose to play female characters in video games... But why men want to spend hours customizing hair, make-up, and clothing in video games... 

 

I don't see anything wrong with a man who wants to look at sexy female boobs/ass all day long.  But I do see something wrong with a "man" who wants to spend hours doing hair and make-up...

And why is that?

I'm 100%-Grade A- No doubt about it -heterosexual.

But I have been known to have better "fashion sense" than many of the women i know. In fact, being able to show a woman you can make her look "hot" is one of the quickest ways to score. lol

Besides that, playing a girl ingame is the only time I can play Barbie Dress-Up without having to punch someone in the nose when they say something stupid about it.

Edit: And we won't even mention all the 100% straight guys making hundreds an hour doing female stars wardrobe, make-up, and hair.

Exactly, screw gender stereotypes and peer pressure.  People need to do what they want to do and not fit into closed minded people's views on what they "should" be doing.

This. Gender stereotypes are incredibly annoying.

I'm a woman, I roll female avatars exclusively. When I'm playing an MMO it's more enjoyable when I can immerse myself in what's going on, I think I'd find that very difficult playing the opposite gender.

That said, I'm not a little put off by the wardrobes developers provide. For instance, I'd no sooner go into battle in a ball gown or bikini in a game than I would in real life. Most outfits provided in MMOs are simply absurd. For me, at least, the outrageous attire foisted on female avatars in most MMOs degrades the immersion I'm seeking.

I don't really object to players rolling avatars of the opposite gender; I do object mightily to men who are playing female avatars, who subsequently come on to male players in game. It makes male players distrustful of all female players, and ultimately makes social interation for gendered females more difficult. Nowadays, except for combat specific interaction, I make very little effort to know fellow players because there're so many games going on beyond that envisioned by developers. This problem is pervasive enough to have spawned the widely believed myth that women don't play MMOs. It's right up there with the one that suggests only pimply faced, prepubescent boys play MMOs.

Get my point?

I play a male ALL the time .You do realize this is a ROLE PLAYING GAME genre,so to play a female is like saying you dream of being a female.

Now if you are playing TWO or more  players that is different,you obviously could never be both at the same time.It would be making a statement that you would like to role play a female and male together,more acceptable than a guy wishing he was a female.

I have heard statements saying they rather look at a female character than a male,well then find a female friend to look at?Wel lexcept yo uwon't know if it is a female since  so many guys playing female players.

Originally posted by Wizardry

I play a male ALL the time .You do realize this is a ROLE PLAYING GAME genre,so to play a female is like saying you dream of being a female.

Now if you are playing TWO or more  players that is different,you obviously could never be both at the same time.It would be making a statement that you would like to role play a female and male together,more acceptable than a guy wishing he was a female.

I have heard statements saying they rather look at a female character than a male,well then find a female friend to look at?Wel lexcept yo uwon't know if it is a female since  so many guys playing female players.

Anybody playing anything at all should be acceptable.  As long as they are not griefing or harming anyone with their actions, who cares.  

I'll always maintain that the primary, if not only people who have a problem in this area are inexperienced or really insecure males.  The ones who don't really understand sex or sexuality yet so they are threatened easily.

Originally posted by LoverNoFighter

Originally posted by CujoSWAoA

whats the difference?

I don't give a crap what people are in reality or out of it.

If you don't know the difference between males and females....well, good luck in life, champ. :-D

its getting harder and harder (no pun) to tell...

this aint the Crying Games. this 2012.

Originally posted by Wizardry

I play a male ALL the time .You do realize this is a ROLE PLAYING GAME genre,so to play a female is like saying you dream of being a female.

Now if you are playing TWO or more  players that is different,you obviously could never be both at the same time.It would be making a statement that you would like to role play a female and male together,more acceptable than a guy wishing he was a female.

I have heard statements saying they rather look at a female character than a male,well then find a female friend to look at?Wel lexcept yo uwon't know if it is a female since  so many guys playing female players.

another P.O.V.

i dont care for role play, i play the game for the graphics, animations, for the collections for the sounds, and watching a male body / ass all the time looks gay to me

Originally posted by LoverNoFighter

As a male, do you play a male character or a female one?

If you're a female, male or female charater?

 

I play both female and male chars.

This is a Role Playing fantasy Game, not a Dating site.

And I like the opportunity to role play various different characters and different genders too. I have no problem with it, I am perfectly secure with my masculinity and sexuality in RL.

I do not want to make this sound stereotypical, but if you do consider yourself a Role Player you should not have any problem playing either gender, it only enriches the experience.

Originally posted by Wizardry

I play a male ALL the time .You do realize this is a ROLE PLAYING GAME genre,so to play a female is like saying you dream of being a female.

You are aware that there are actors who play opposite genders but who are straight? There  are operas that are written where the character is male but the part is written for a female singer.

One can adopt a role without wanting to dream about being the opposite sex. You might not be able to conceive of it  but others can.

I'll completely accept that if you would not be able to play the opposite sex. But I can also accept that others might be able to play a character of the opposite sex and still retain their gender identity at the end of the night.

Originally posted by Wizardry

I play a male ALL the time .You do realize this is a ROLE PLAYING GAME genre,so to play a female is like saying you dream of being a female.

Now if you are playing TWO or more  players that is different,you obviously could never be both at the same time.It would be making a statement that you would like to role play a female and male together,more acceptable than a guy wishing he was a female.

I have heard statements saying they rather look at a female character than a male,well then find a female friend to look at?Wel lexcept yo uwon't know if it is a female since  so many guys playing female players.

You do realize, that Role Playing actually means, Playing various Roles, which are not limited by Gender.

You do also realize that, your post can be interpreted as if you are scared to admit to your own secret desires and that is why you are being so adamant in showing that you play only male Characters ALL the time, thinking that no one will suspect you?

You know what they say about people who are homophobic right?

I do not want to go further, we could play with words and meaning all day, the moral of the story is this:

You play play what you like, and you let people play what they like, and no one makes judgements of other's choices.

Cheers!

I don't understand why if a dude thinks it is weird or lame that another dude is playing a chick... it makes him insecure.

I personally would never play a female character because I simply don't see why I would. Why would I WANT to play a female character? I don't... so I don't. I have no problem with other dudes playing chicks, whatever floats your boat, however I do think it is strange. 

Though I remember talking about Dragon Age with a girlfriend of mine, she was obsessed with the game. While comparing our various characters she pointed out that I didn't have any female characters. After a long discussion she decided it was because I was sexist. Perhaps that is the MYSTERIOUS reason why some men are cool with playing female characters and some men are not.

There is no right or wrong way to select a gender in a game and, unlike what some posters believe (perhaps by projecting) that choice is not character defining. In other words, looking solely at the avatar gender tells you nothing about the person behind it.

When I was younger, the game avatars used to be my personal representation in the game world, a virtual extension of my own personality. Thus at that period I was playing exclusively males. It also makes me understand why people with this kind of mentality towards their own avatars would find people with different mentality weird. To them, if the avatar is not representative of your RL personality, it makes you phoney or it shows some aspect of your personality you are trying to hide.

Now that I'm older and it's been more than a decade playing those games, I'm rather detached from the avatars I'm playing. They are no longer me. They are just interesting characters in a movie that I can affect. And in this interactive movie, I chose to have a protagonist that I'm more empathic about, which in my case is a female character. This has nothing to do with roleplaying, I don't roleplay a female. I control her actions and her fate and watch her progress in an interesting virtual world.

The mentality towards avatars is quite different between the two approaches in gaming. I guess it is easier for young or new to the gaming people to associate themselves with their characters. Thing is, as long as the person next to you is not actively trying to con you into thinking he's something he's not, then his choice in character gender is as valid as yours.

I'm male IRL but in online games  I play an equal mix of both sexes. The decision of which sex to play usually depends entirely on the appearance of the genders of the race in question. For example, in WoW, most of the male avatars look like steroid abusing freaks, so I have a lot of female characters. On games such as AoC, where both sexes are equally decent looking, I tend to stick to male characters.