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I almost exclusively play as female characters.

I'll be honest. If there's an option I will usually pick female. Doesn't happen often with the games I play and something like Spelunky doesn't count as I just go with whatever character I feel like at the time. But in Dragon Quest VIII I switch to Jessica as soon as I can. Even though it doesn't really do anything for me. I don't know why.
 
KraytarJ said:
It's funny you bring up the topic of relatability because two of the most relatable characters that I experienced in games were Max and Chloe from Life is Strange, for varying reasons, but I had no problem relating to Max, the player character, even though I am not and have never been a teenage girl.
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That's cool man.
 
Dinda said:
This way of thinking is just.... i can't even....


Look for me there are 2 kind of ways people see their playable Character.

1. People see themselves "As the" Character they are playing, so they create a character of the same gender. And more often than not also resembles them a bit.

2. People that play "A" character, but don't project themselves into the character, or like to experience stuff that is not related to their real life persona.
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Number 2 is definitely me.

I never immerse myself as the character i'm playing, that means that i create a character that is the most appealing to me. In my case those are mostly badass female characters. And as a hetero sexual male, that actually seems like the most natural thing in the world.

Because believe it or not i like intelligent independet woman.


That also applies to games with a set character. if a game has a character that is appealing to me, it is more likely (not exclusivly though) that i'm interested in the game.
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In fact this is exactly how I feel, particularly when looking into games I want to play.

Sure, a male lead isn't going to deter me if I'm interested, but a badass female MC will have me intrigued almost immediately.
 
Yep, same here. Maybe I'll do a male character for subsequent playthroughs, but the first run? A female character, no exceptions.

When I played FFXIV my guild were surprised to find out I was a guy. When they called me by my character's name in voice chat it was... awkward lol
 
Melchiah said:
It's beyond me why you cant customize his looks apart from the facial hair. And since many other story-based RPGs let you choose gender, I don't see why it couldn't be an option there as well.
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What? The witcher is entirely about geralt who is an established character in a world and the narrative is thusly focused as such on him and not necessarily his title, like in dragon age or fallout. This concept is beyond you, really?
 
I probably create more female characters than male when given the choice, but most of the time I just create the character I think is the funniest based on the game.
 
I never got the whole "I cannot relate to a female character."

So you can't relate to the player character because she's a woman, but you can relate to the grizzled, muscular, battle-hardened sole survivor of the Ancient Alien Massacre that ravaged the Earth?
 
I love female protagonists so much, but I always play as hunky guys when I have the chance because I like hunks a lot. Like, a whole lot.

I will say that if there were an option to make Bayonetta a hot male character, I would hesitate. I mean, look at this flawless queen.

E8O3CVr.gif

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(source 1, source 2)
 
I usually roll a female character in games with character creation, and if there is a choice in gender for the MC, usually female. I still play games with only male leads and don't mind it, i just prefer a female character.

For created characters, the main reason is so i can project myself, and i prefer to project my feminine side into my characters.
 
If there is a choice I pick female. I am not female in real life. If there is no choice I don't mind playing whichever gender the devs want it be.
 
Kind of depends on the character themselves. I played through most of AC Syndicate with Evie, since I wanted to play the game stealthily and that's what her specialty was. Nothing about her in particular made her choose her otherwise.

In Dragon's Crown, I chose the sorceress for three reasons. One, I like magic users and their progressions throughout games (start off as a bit of a scrub, become death incarnate before too long), and then there were the other two reasons.

I generally pick female characters in fighting games first to check them out, then diversify as I start to play the game more (though if I see any cute guys, I rush to them as well).

In RPG's, it kinda depends on what kind of RPG it is. If it's going to be a western style RPG with a bunch of character/story choices, I'll usually choose male (though I did roll Femshep throughout the trilogy), but in the rare instance a JRPG allows you to customize your character, I find the female characters are usually better designed (and the adventure is going to be a linear one anyway, so I don't have much reason to role-play).

Speaking of Borderlands, I tried out the various characters, then played both games as the sirens due to their powers.
 
Ekai said:
I should clarify when I say best part, I mean the P2 duology as a whole, not just EP. P3P on the otherhand is miles above any other version of P3 because of how well written the femc is. I never liked the male protagonist in P3, he came across as an emotionless ahole.

As for the question, I almost exclusively play female if given the option. But I do play male characters too if it's preset or an aesthetic thing. As a transwoman, I prefer female characters.
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The FemC's social links were what won me over. What annoyed me in P3 and FES was that you only had social links for part of the party.

Also, the FemC's response options are a lot more entertaining since they span over a variety of emotions.
 
I'm a girl, and I'm a sucker for games that allow the player to choose the gender of their own character. It doesn't necessarily diminish my perceived relevance, or quality, of games with fixed protagonists - some of my favorites from the past few years have been of the narrative-driven, cinematic sort of bunch after all. But having played so many of them, it has gotten a little boring. It's one of the reasons I've been finding myself gravitating toward games that give you a choice - not only in the way the narrative unfolds, but also in gender.

When given the opportunity, I always choose female first (provided it's not a game that restricts roles/classes to certain genders.) It's an admittedly nice break from most other games that pretty much force you to play as a dude. However, things do get a bit complicated for me when I'm thrown into the character creation. When a game has it, I'm all over that shit. Yes, I'm one of those incredibly superficial people who would spend hours in the character creator making sure my protagonist looks as ridiculously attractive to me as possible lol. So, when I'm somehow unable to make a good-looking female to my liking, I give the male a chance - and if he ends up being more of a looker than his female counterpart, then... That would probably be the only other scenario I would even consider playing as a male lol.

The other being the character animation. It's what turned me off from playing as a female in DA:I. I spent hours making a super attractive, somewhat androgynous-looking tomboy, who I was honestly excited about - until she started walking. And then running. Guys, the hip swaying action was just too much for me. :( I wish Bioware would allow us to choose walking/running animations. :(
 
Same, although if the game is at all sim like I play male (AC, Fantast Life, etc.) I don't know why, but it doesn't make me not want to play a game with a male lead.
 
Actually, I really don't care. It just depends on each game, with how appealing the characters look.

Most times females are much cooler in WRPGs.
 
As far as possible I always try to play as a male character. I think its because I enjoy imagining to be that character in this situation. Somehow I can't enjoy imagining being a women -e.g. I never played tomb raider for that reason. Its not immersive and sometimes feels awkward to me, like some weirdo trying to peek at (and control) girls he will never see in real life. Thats why I'm for choice of gender / character selection in games. Also I can absolutely understand that a women does not want to play as a male character for similar reasons. I cannot understand why a man wants to play as a women given the choice (or vice versa), but hey its a free world and I respect that.
 
You know, part of me feels a bit well, idk, "sigh-induced" that I even specified being a transwoman in an earlier post with all the "I am all testosterone/only dudes who want to be women will play as female characters" posts in this topic. It is very weird to be used as an example (even indirectly) as a reason why someone doesn't like something in their own video game experiences. Like, I get it, you identify as male, you want to play male characters, sure. I play mostly female if ever given the chance for creation but don't mind playing male ones myself. So I don't quite relate but sure. Do I prefer female? Yea, if given the option I almost always will do female but I have nothing against male characters who are preset or otherwise. But bringing transgenderism as the specific reason to not play as something? That feels very weird to me. Not saying any of you have been necessarily outright insulting but it feels odd to be used as an example like that, even if it wasn't done directly.

5Twist said:
The FemC's social links were what won me over. What annoyed me in P3 and FES was that you only had social links for part of the party.

Also, the FemC's response options are a lot more entertaining since they span over a variety of emotions.
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Mhm. I liked that she had relationships with everyone in SEES (
Minus ikutsuki of course. ALSO, I LOVED HER S. LINK WITH SHINJI. It really helped to add to Shinji's overall character since the male protag barely interacts with the dude.
). She feels way more appropriate as the lead in P3 because of her overall attitude (and the varying emotional depth she carries in her responses as you mentioned) and because she actually builds a relationship with everyone. Like, seriously, for me the whole story feels vastly different with her in the lead. It certainly doesn't hurt that P3P is far and away the best version not just because of her but because you have absolute direct control over your allies in combat.
 
As a guy, I have begin to pick more female characters when given the option to. I feel like I can embarked on an adventure with my virtual female companion.
 
Ekai said:
You know, part of me feels a bit well, idk, "sigh-induced" that I even specified being a transwoman in an earlier post with all the "I am all testosterone/only dudes who want to be women will play as female characters" posts in this topic. It is very weird to be used as an example (even indirectly) as a reason why someone doesn't like something in their own video game experiences. Like, I get it, you identify as male, you want to play male characters, sure. I play mostly female if ever given the chance for creation but don't mind playing male ones myself. So I don't quite relate but sure. Do I prefer female? Yea, if given the option I almost always will do female but I have nothing against male characters who are preset or otherwise. But bringing transgenderism as the specific reason to not play as something? That feels very weird to me. Not saying any of you have been necessarily outright insulting but it feels odd to be used as an example like that, even if it wasn't done directly.
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Maybe it's just this angle that fascinates me, but it seems it'd actually be weirder to treat it as some sort of inviolable line if anything. You have recent research indicating the brains really aren't that different and are more often a mix of traits considered masculine/feminine, so why is it hard to relate to the other sex? I'm guessing for some it might be more awkward/uncomfortable than truly alien, I'd probably find it equally hard to relate to some brawny macho asshole as to an excessively meek girly-girl if anything.

Then for character creation in a game, games ARE a form of escapism. So some may want to run with a different angle from what they are in real life or express another side of themselves even. Hell, I can see the lines blurring between those angles and basic sex appeal anyway.
 
Most people who work in the gaming industry are males.
Most female characters are designed by males.
Most female characters get a lot more effort put into their design than their male counterparts, especially in the category of revealing outfits.

I have no idea why this might be the case. None at all.

So your average videogame female is basically designed using male gaze. It happens that males like gazing at females, especially the young males who are often identified as gamers. So uhm, I know why it makes sense that a lot of male gamers like to play as these female characters.

Ssssh, it's a secret. Don't tell these other guys, they don't need to know. It's just between you and me.
 
I usually go with female in wrpgs, as they tend to look tougher. Female Shepard, warden, and inquisitor are some that I can remember. But when it comes to asian rpgs, I always go with my usual silver haired dude.
 
jgf said:
As far as possible I always try to play as a male character. I think its because I enjoy imagining to be that character in this situation. Somehow I can't enjoy imagining being a women -e.g. I never played tomb raider for that reason. Its not immersive and sometimes feels awkward to me, like some weirdo trying to peek at (and control) girls he will never see in real life. Thats why I'm for choice of gender / character selection in games. Also I can absolutely understand that a women does not want to play as a male character for similar reasons. I cannot understand why a man wants to play as a women given the choice (or vice versa), but hey its a free world and I respect that.
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You don't understand why someone would want to view a story from a female perspective? That's kind of bizarre. What about books or movies try to put you in the shoes of a female main character? Do you not understand why men would like those?
 
Lothar said:
You don't understand why someone would want to view a story from a female perspective? That's kind of bizarre. What about books or movies try to put you in the shoes of a female main character? Do you not understand why men would like those?
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I'm kinda in the same boat: I don't mind playing female in games, but I have a hard time enjoying Movie/anime/books with a female as the main character.
 
I go with a female character almost all the time. I naturally put more effort into their looks and gear. Their face is also a huge major versatile aspect that I could care less for my male characters.
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vs
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It also comes down to a matter of Cute or Cool. Girls can be both, guys can only be cool from how I see it (opinion). Much easier to play dress up simulator too.
I want to blame it on the lack of strong female characters in my life but thats a bad excuse.
 
Oh I thought you meant in games where you can choose the gender. I wouldn't really count games where you're locked to being female, unless you only buy games based on the protag being female.

I tend to choose female characters for varieties sake. Lots of online games/Bethesda games have too many male characters running around I guess.
 
I've played as males for pretty much all my life but last year with Bloodborne I went with a female character. I just liked the idea of playing as an elegant, female hunter and it was pretty refreshing, loved every second.
 
The better character models got, the more I found female chars appealing for some reason.

So much detail (relative to their male counterparts, which I feel are more lazy in comparison), and their designs are usually more stimulating to me.
 
I've seen a number of threads quite similar to this pop up the past year. There are various reasons men may want to play the opposite gender, such as preferring a particular voice actress or needing an injection of variety. However, for the men who prefer to play as women, I feel it mostly comes down to sexuality. Such people may seek a different type of connection to the characters they play with rather than opting for self projection or a character who is more relatable.

On the other hand, I somehow doubt that a sizable amount of women would choose a male character given the choice, even if there were considerably more default female protagonists in games. I get the impression that the women who do wish to choose a character based upon aesthetics or even their own sexuality are more likely to choose other women. Just hazarding a guess and am most likely wrong.
 
Raxus said:
I disagree with Geralt if only for the fact the last game he merely played a small role when Ciri was center stage. In fact I hope if they go back to the Witcher series we get to explore as Ciri.

I really regret not going fem shep in the later games. I hear the VA does a great job in 2 and 3.
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Ciri is far too powerful to be a main character. No thanks.
 
Always girl when possible, and also never human when possible.

Still mad I can't be a goblin paladin to this day in WoW.

I don't have anything against playing a dude, but usually just not interested in their design most of the time.

It's not something that will stop me from playing a game, however. That said, Demons's'sss Souls is the only game where I played a dude for strict gameplay reasons (some armor set i REALLY liked was male only). I'd hop into vindictus again if there was a 2h sword girl character that played like the male dude, but I highly doubt that's happening.
 
Parfait said:
Always girl when possible, and also never human when possible.

Still mad I can't be a goblin paladin to this day in WoW.

I don't have anything against playing a dude, but usually just not interested in their design most of the time.

It's not something that will stop me from playing a game, however. That said, Demons's'sss Souls is the only game where I played a dude for strict gameplay reasons (some armor set i REALLY liked was male only). I'd hop into vindictus again if there was a 2h sword girl character that played like the male dude, but I highly doubt that's happening.
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img_delia_art4.jpg

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Delia is the new character.
 
I almost always go with a male in CC games, I appreciate the fit male form. Except for Divinity where I can't make a proper slender man and Dark Souls because I like how the female undead looks. Also secondary playthroughs and such.
 
That's me. When given the choice I will play female and generally I tend to go for a game with a female lead over one that doesn't have one. Easier to relate with them when they are well written.

The stereotypical male lead is about as far as you could get from my personality and look. Not many protagonists are like Geralt. I forget if the games touch on it, but in the books it is made apparent Geralt is an average warrior at best when it comes to strength; he relies on speed, good swordplay and cunning to win his battles. Geralt lets me roleplay a style that suits me personality as well.
 
I would never want a character to look or act like me in any game.

I'm playing Don Bradman Cricket currently and in the career mode I made a character that is nothing like me (also male).

Its more of seeing this character unfold and grow, but I could see if thats what people like when they make characters themselves.

Same goes with Monster Hunter or Dark/Demon games, the characters are nothing like me, I even switch genders when I start new games.

It sorta depends on how I'm feeling at the moment. When I play a Mario game, I never image myself as Mario, rather me watching/helping Mario in his adventure.
 
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