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[Aizo]

If a black guy always plays as a Japanese girl in games with character creators, is that weird? What if a Japanese guy always plays as a black girl? A white guy playing as a black guy? A Mexican girl playing as a white girl?

Do you view this as odd? Normal? Do you do this?

Depending on your nationality, do you view it as offensive for a person of the majority race to play as a minority race character?

 

[F0rneus]

It's not weird at all. Gaming should be all about being/portraying people you never could be IRL.

 

[raven777]

I don't think it's weird at all. I almost never create a character that is same gender/race as me.

 

[adversarial]

I normally feel weird. If I can create a character, I always try to make it look like me. Maybe that's actually weird, though?

 

[Grimm Fandango]

Rachel Dolezal the Game?

 

[Bishop89]

its not weird at all.

I don't pick my characters based on how close they resemble me, only how cool they look.

If thats either a shader darker or lighter than me, or even a different sex, so be it.

 

[Aizo]

So for me, personally, I never make myself in games. I think it's a lot more fun in RPGs to play as a character that's very different from me physically and morally. I have three characters I rotate through. All of them have the facial features of a mixed race person. A dark skinned male character with typically long hair (morally good), a slightly dark skinned female character with shortish red hair (morally slightly grey), and a pale Asian male character with white hair (morally somewhat akin to an anti-hero). All of these characters have names, predisposed morality, sexual preferences, body types, and weapon usage. I carry all these traits throughout different games as if the character is living in different timelines. Depending on how I want to play the game, I choose one of these three characters.

 

[You Pay This Much]

I normally feel weird. If I can create a character, I always try to make it look like me. Maybe that's actually weird, though?

I do the same thing.

I don't think it's weird that people would just make some random custom character and possibly even a different race. I'm sure there's plenty of people that do it.

 

[Numb]

Custom characters are that. Just custom characters
Majority race(mostly white) playing as minorities can be good if the devs are keeping track and it leads to more representation in games where you can't customize your character.
The best minorites can get is making themselves and are more prone to it

If a black always plays as a japanese girl that dude is a weeb tho lol

 

[Dark Cloud]

I don't see what's weird. Make whoever you want.

 

[F0rneus]

I normally feel weird. If I can create a character, I always try to make it look like me. Maybe that's actually weird, though?

It's not weird, it's just different. Me I could never create a "me" in a game. Because for me, my characters aren't me. They can do things I can't do. It's more interesting for me to "create" a character. But I can see the appeal of "becoming" the hero in a game like Dark Souls too.

To each his or her own.

 

[Aizo]

I guess I'm mostly interested in getting non-white opinions on this topic.

For example, if you're black, would you feel a bit weird if you had a white friend always playing as a black guy in every game?

 

[Reset]

Do you view this as odd? Normal? Do you do this?

Depending on your nationality, do you view it as offensive for a person of the majority race to play as a minority race character?

Not really, I see it the same as way someone playing a character with a different gender.
And if I do this? No, I can't name a single protagonist of my race (not counting fighting games) so for custom characters I usually try to make characters that somewhat resemble me.

 

[Numb]

I guess I'm mostly interested in getting non-white opinions on this topic.

For example, if you're black, would you feel a bit weird if you had a white friend always playing as a black guy in every game?

I'd certainly ask him why
I'm black

 

[Ouija Luigi]

I've never actually thought about this. I tend to mix up the race quite a lot. I just like to have different characters in different games. I do make mostly female characters though.

Besides, my dudes usually end up looking like they have a few breaks in their DNA.

 

[Aizo]

I'd certainly ask him why
I'm black

For sure. Personally, as I mentioned, I have a rotation. I think I often make the black male character because I had a lot of black role models growing up. So, I have this idealistic, heroic, strong black man helping make the change I'd like to see in the world. He's a hero that everyone relies on, and the games can't see race typically, so it feels like a really cool world much different from our own where people of color doing great things get the admiration they deserve.

 

[MoonFrog]

I often make black men with character creators. (I'm a white male.)

My KotOR Jedi was black. As was my ME1 character. I like making black characters in science fiction in particular. IDK. I feel like it is a statement on the future, which I like science fiction to be.

I also often make women.

 

[F0rneus]

I guess I'm mostly interested in getting non-white opinions on this topic.

For example, if you're black, would you feel a bit weird if you had a white friend always playing as a black guy in every game?

If someone white, black or asian make a native character in a game, more power to them. IMO characters in games, in which you can create one, should be as far removed from you as possible. Become someone else. Live in their shoes for a while. This is what gaming is all about!

 

[brinstar]

I guess I'm mostly interested in getting non-white opinions on this topic.

For example, if you're black, would you feel a bit weird if you had a white friend always playing as a black guy in every game?

I'm black and no it doesn't bother me. A lot of my white friends who play FFXIV roll dark skinned characters. I find it interesting. I don't always make a black character myself (usually bc the hair options are shit)

imo, it's fun to explore other identities in safe places like games (respectfully and responsibly of course)

 

[BriGuy]

I don't think anything about it. It just is what it is. As for character creators, I just go with whatever. They usually end up completely obscured by armor and shit anyway.

 

[Aizo]

ther identities in safe places like games (respectfully and responsibly of course)

Respect is the key, isn't it? It's one thing to roll a dark skinned character in an MMO and another to pretend in that MMO that you're irl black.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

Depending on your nationality, do you view it as offensive for a person of the majority race to play as a minority race character?

I understand you're merely proposing this for the sake of discussion...

But I think if someone gets offended by someone else merely playing as a different race, they're legitimately disturbed in the head.

Everyone should be allowed to play as anyone without fear of ridicule or harassment. The whole point of playing video games is escapism and fun. Maybe there's a non-black person who prefers to make his avatar a black person because of under-representation. Likewise for any other race. Though I'll often create an avatar that looks like me, I'll just as often go to a black female character, just because that's a very under-represented role that usually isn't done justice or respect.

 

[120v]

they're called custom creators for a reason. it's designed to be within your purview

a complete non-issue unless you go about using your character to propagate racist, misogynist stereotypes. but i've never seen anything like that in my decades of playing these kind of games

 

[Data West]

I never make a character based on me

i just always pick something cool looking


i mean i play an orc in world of warcraft. and i aint no orc.

 

[Luminaire]

I...don't see how it could be offensive. I play different races than myself all the time, be they real or fantasy.

 

[Nicolada]

I usually make a character that somewhat resembles me. Unless that's not manageable, in which case whatever looks cool.

 

[Renna Hazel]

I don't see why this is weird. I've played as black characters before.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I'm the whitest white dude to ever be white and my Redguard Nightblade in Elder Scrolls Online was probably one of my favorite characters I've ever made. He had dreads and looked really badass.

Sometimes you want immersion, but sometimes you just want to look cool. I mean, there's no cow men or orcs or impossibly beautiful elven people playing WoW.

 

[Renna Hazel]

I'm the whitest white dude to ever be white and my Redguard Nightblade in Elder Scrolls Online was probably one of my favorite characters I've ever made. He had dreads and looked really badass.

Sometimes you want immersion, but sometimes you just want to look cool. I mean, there's no cow men or orcs or impossibly beautiful elven people playing WoW.

I'm curious, how does looking cool break immersion?

 

[texhnolyze]

Is this specifically for US people? Where does Asian stand in this?

Asian is a minority in the US, but if you're playing a Japanese game you're certainly not role-playing as the minority there. White people play Japanese games since the dawn of video games and I don't see a problem with that.

 

[ScientificPizza]

I don’t think it’s weird at all. I create characters of all different genders and ethnicities when I can

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I'm curious, how does looking cool break immersion?

I mean in the context of character creation. Sometimes the player will want to create something as close to "them" as they can, but sometimes the resemblance to oneself doesn't matter and the only criteria that needs to be met is "look cool."

I'm sure that there are plenty of cool looking people that play games.

 

[Shaanyboi]

I don't see any rule stating your created character is only allowed to look like you

 

[Renna Hazel]

I mean in the context of character creation. Sometimes the player will want to create something as close to "them" as they can, but sometimes the resemblance to oneself doesn't matter and the only criteria that needs to be met is "look cool."

I'm sure that there are plenty of cool looking people that play games.

Oh ok, I thought everyone tried to just look cool.

 

[bobawesome]

...Why would it be weird and what sane person would be offended over someone playing a character of a different race? It's just a game. Of course, I say this before reading anything other than the OP. Don't let me down, GAF.

edit: I now see what the OP is going for. The initial post feels a little lacking.

 

[Mulgrok]

Depends on the customization options. If everything looks boring, I will just make a boring white dude.

 

[Raysoul]

ROLE PLAYING GAME

 

[m_dorian]

I played as Abe in OddWorld: Abe's Odyssey.

I fart too much and i think it's the onions.

 

[MoonFrog]

I also play beast people in TES a lot.

Trying to think. I have made white male characters before, but I think the majority of mine have been women, people of color, or fantasy species.

I've never made one look like me.

Even my Mii, which is white, is an old man (I'm 26 and not grey haired yet).

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Oh ok, I thought everyone tried to just look cool.

Not everyone...

 

[poodaddy]

I'm white and I always play as either a black or middle eastern man every chance I get, generally black though. Why would that be offensive or weird? It's what I want. I just find it boring to play as a generic white dude when I am a generic white dude. I mean my visage and my being are both pretty boring, so fuck being constrained to being that way when I'm role playing.

 

[LOLCats]

It is not race for me its tan level. So i dont give a shit.

 

[Papo Swing]

Well I'm forced to play as random white guys all the tine so I hope people don't find it weird ifnitnis a random black guy. That would be suspect.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

I'll play as literally anything.
I don't play games to be an awkward white guy in those, as well.

 

[Ryman]

Certainly not. I'm a white male and I play as a black female in PUBG.

 

[dreamcastluvr]

I play as a non-white female every chance I get, since being a 30-something gravelly-voiced white male and then having to play as one in the majority of AAA games gets redundant and boring.

Video games, for me at least, are an escape from reality to the world of fantasy. I cannot comprehend how anyone would find the preference of playing as a character of a difference gender/ race being strange or offensive.

 

[gogosox82]

Never. Why would I want to create myself in pixel form? To me, role playing is about portraying a character that is nothing like me so why would i want them to look exactly like me? Though I do generally like to make black or tan characters and it is such a pain to make a decent looking black or tan character in most games especially jrpgs.

 

[Neptonic]

Pale White guy is fuckin boring

 

[Crossing Eden]

I guess I'm mostly interested in getting non-white opinions on this topic.

For example, if you're black, would you feel a bit weird if you had a white friend always playing as a black guy in every game?

My best friend made a black character in BB and my reaction was quite simply:

 

[neptunes]

As a black person I've become numb to playing other ethnicities.