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Have you ever felt uncomfortable playing a character of a different skin color?

Don't know but I've been playing as a middle aged white guy for so long that,I've become desensitized to any feelings of uncomfort I would've had.
 

Vinnk

Member
I often play characters outside of my race, body type or gender. I use games as escape. I do not need them to reflect me.

One exception. If I am playing an MMO (which I very rarely do) I will not play as a woman character because in my limited online experience (mostly PSO) found myself the target of flirting or harassment.
 

kunonabi

Member
If the design looks good or the character is fun to play the race or sex doesn't matter. That's how I've played games since I started as a kid in the 80s.
 

Ashes

Banned
Yes.


And I'm not combo breaking for the sake of combo breaking. I find it patronising and dull to play typical white guy in a made up universe.

Grow some balls game writers, directors, producers and lend voices to different races, genders, casts and creeds. There are so many unique voices out there and you play vanilla. Like 9/10 times.
 

Damerman

Member
No, I don't self-insert into game characters.

this... it's a narrative. i relate empathize with supporting cast as much as the protagonist. even games where you create a character... it's fun to load a game and chose different responses to see how NPCs and supporting casts react.
 

Naminator

Banned
Stuff like gender and skin color and even race does not factor at all when I play, and definitely never comes across as "weird."
 
It wasn't even on my mind when playing Walking Dead, which is pretty much the only game I can think of where I played as someone that was most definitely not my skin color.

Of course, most of the stuff I play don't even have human Earth races, and if they do, they're usually Japanese, but people will argue that anime characters look Caucasian, so eh.

Edit: Though I do like some games where the characters are distinctly Asian, like Fatal Frame and stuff.
 

vocab

Member
Don't really care, and honestly never really on my mind. It's a video game character. I'll play a black dude in a fighting game if he fits my play style. I'll play an Indian guy in a first person shooter if the game is good. As long as your game is compelling I'm in.
 
I'm black, I kinda would have to be used to playing other skin colors by now, if I wanted to keep playing games. No, it's never bothered me, nor has it affected my level of immersion in games. I can play any character as long as they're compelling.

This. Plus playing Spyro, Crash, Sonic, Sly, and other nonhuman characters it's really easy to get use to controlling a character that doesn't look like you.
 

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
this... it's a narrative. i relate empathize with supporting cast as much as the protagonist. even games where you create a character... it's fun to load a game and chose different responses to see how NPCs and supporting casts react.
Oh thank god i'm not the only one who feels this way. Especially on the create a character part. I can never self-insert.
 
Yes. I was.

I would even say as fas as saying that it made me reconsider my purchases (Beyond Good & Evil for example).
That's blatant racism I know :-(
 

GutZ31

Member
I often timed find myself wanting to create black and women characters, and as a white guy, sometimes I feel uncomfortable with it. It feels appropriate-y, as in cultural appropriation. I question where I'm coming from in wanting to play these characters, and I'm not entirely sure. I don't worry about it too much, but I definitely wonder.

WE GOT A WINNER!

J/K

Who gives a fuck what you play as?
We play games to not be us, but to play and forget the outside world in a lot of cases.

I play with female characters sometimes if its a third person game, if I don't want to stare at a guys butt all day.

I will play as a black guy if given a reason to(story arc, ability, ect.).
I will make my character look as creepy or weird as possible in souls games, giving green skin, with orange hair.
I am mixed with many races, but you could call me white.
Nothing bothers me about being stuck with a character, as long as I can relate to them if its story driven.
Gameplay? Who gives a crap if the game plays awesome.
 
Not on a race basis, but there are lots of characters I couldn't get into because I thought the character design was so bad. Bubsy, Gex, Jet Force Gemini, Dust, games like that.
 

timshundo

Member
I mean I only ever get to play white people. Lemme know when you find a Japanese/Mexican video game character that I can play so I can see if playing as someone the same "color" as me feels any different...
 
I'm white. I can play all kinds of games as all kind of characters, it doesn't matter if the character is a Japanese high school boy, a pretty white haired girl or an small pink ball.

Also, Garam in Jet Set Radio Future rocks.
 

playXray

Member
I don't think I've ever noticed tbh. I mean, I'm not a 7' elf with pointy ears but I don't think twice about playing an elf in Dragon Age, FFXIV and WoW.

As a Caucasian guy in his early 30s however, I guess a lot of games are biased towards my demographic/race however, so it's probably easier for me not to really notice this kind of thing.
 

Onemic

Member
Only people that are weird as hell actually feel uncomfortable playing someone with a different skin colour than them.
 
Have you ever felt uncomfortable playing a character of a different skin color?

No. Then again, I don't get uncomfortable when talking to people of a different skin colour either.

I don't really see WHY anyone would get uncomfortable. Like it or not, you're steering drawings around a world made of drawings. It isn't like you actually ARE the drawing that you're controlling.
 

Estellex

Member
Back then the Paladin from Diablo 2 was of a darker skin color and I didn't really care. It was not something I would even care about.

But currently, I think I do care slightly.
 

Dec

Member
I don't even really like playing as humans in games. When given the choice I will always be a Dwarf, sentient rock man, Gnome, full armor humanoid etc.

When forced to make a human character I will always make the same dude, which is just kind of my video game character. It isn't a complicated look so I make him in every game.

When I have no choice it does not bother me. If I'm just playing a character, not me, I don't really even think about it. However I don't really play games like that so it doesn't come up very often.
 
Probably with this one
mcCyw.jpg
 
As far as I can remember, no I have not. There are characters I like and characters I dislike, but it's more related with the personality than race or gender. I am white (or caucassian or whatever) and I enjoyed a lot playing as CJ in San Andreas. The last character I remember disliking is the guy from watchdogs. Man, what an asshole.
 
Nope. I've played as both sexes, all races, no problem relating to the main character.

Same with TV shows. No need for "universal appeal" if it's written well.
 

Aenima

Member
Yes, only in GTA San Andreas. Was not because the main char was black, but most because most missions was tug street gang oriented and i felt it was not my place. And i ended up not enjoying the game that much. As a comparisson i never felt unconfortable playing as a Italian mafia gang or Japanese Yakuza clan. Its more a racial culture thing then the color of the skin of my character.

And as proof that is not the colour of the skin. I really enjoyed playing as Franklin in Gta5. And if was not for the amazing Trevor character, Franklin would be my most used character.
 
Not at all. I don't care at all. Black, white, male, female,
Human, hedgehog, whatever. I just want to play good games.

But there is one line I won't cross...


I'll never play as the Chicago Bears in a football game. I have standards ;)
 

entremet

Member
I could only imagine being a black woman gamer. I'm neither, but unless it's create a character game, you're not getting much representation sadly.
 

Pizza

Member
Fuck no, the protagonist of Starhawk was a badass. I loved his design and character. I don't try to project myself into whoever I play as, that'd be like saying you wouldn't want to watch a movie with a black main character.

If it's an rpg with a blank slate character I understand a desire for race options since it wouldnt matter but I don't think I'd ever feel uncomfortable playing someone as a different race.
 

Meaty

Member
I normally try to roleplay in most games I play, but when I have the choice to make a character, I tend to make someone different than me, so I mostly play as women, black, asian or whatever the game haves that is different from who I am.

Im already myself 99% of the time, I dont want to be myself when playing games
 

Roshin

Member
I've played as a frog, fox, ape, bionic granny, orc, female dwarf with a beard, whatever monstrosities I've created in Oblivion, etc, so no, I'm not too fussed about it.
 
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