The Gender Question

JosephChip

PBpsy wrote: »

JosephChip wrote: »

Male playing male here. Two reasons:
I don't need to sexualize everything.
The more similar my avatar is to me the better I can identify with it and feel immersed in my role.

Thanks for pointing out that I sexualize everything. It is good to know.

I think it's much more strange to go Mary Sue all the way. But that is me sexualizing stuff.

You need to acquire better comprehension.
I am referring to people who specifically create female characters just to stare at their ass, or generally have something to direct their sexual impulses on. That's called sexualization. Not judging, it's just its definition.
If you are a man who likes to roleplay female characters for any other reason you are welcomed to it.

Moonscythe

I know a couple of guys who like third person and so play female. Me, I'm a girl and I play a girl. Now, I am an older girl who plays as young and pretty as I can make her and why not so not all pretty girls are guys in disguise.

Mercutio

Zionysus wrote: »

Really? Another thread like this? Every game has this thread and there will be another new one in 4 months. There's no psychology paper behind it and the whole see the backside crap is bs. That's guys covering for the real issues: you're channeling your female side and who cares? That's not abnormal. Are you all new to gaming? This thread is 20 years old.

Playing as the opposite sex dont mean crap. If it bothers you, you're most likely a stuffy, shallow, sheltered individual. If you do it, you're not weird.

Go google this topic and read the millions of threads already about it.

As an "older" gamer (from early UO days and even a little Meridian 59), I can say with absolute certainty that every line of the above is 100% true. Playing as the opposite gender means nothing. 'Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar'.

I'm a writer. With my characters I have backstorys, some more elaborate than others, and I stay in character because that is how I have fun. Right now I am playing two mains, one male, one female. Both are enjoyable. The male is sort of like 'The Hound' from GoT, the female has a touch of Arya to her but is mostly based on a post-apocalyptic short story series heroine I created.

He's a beast, she's graceful, both are deadly.

My fourth child is being born next month and I've been married nearly 20 years. The only time I think playing a female is distasteful is when it is an obvious plea for free items and gold. Ahh, wood elf female bards in Faydark, how I do not miss thee.

(Addendum: if you give items to a toon because you think it's a real girl behind the keyboard, you're a sucker.)

(Addendum 2: My 18 year old cheerleader sister is playing ESO and looking for rare motifs like Daedric and Primal. Please send me a PM if you would like to talk to her in game, she just broke up with her boyfriend)

Marika

I play females because i am a girl lol

someuser

I am a male playing both a male and female toons. For me its mostly about opening up cosmetic possibilities and just mixing things up... keep things from getting dull... I like variety both in gender and in classes

Zionysus

I think you may be channeling your angry intolerant side

As the OP I am new to MMOs so no idea what you may have seen 20 years ago & humans have been known to change over the space of decades anyway.

[/quote]

By simply opening this thread it has a possible meaning that you have a problem with people playing the opposite gender. If you didn't, you wouldn't have cared. You're obviously a little bothered by it as history shows when we're bothered by something we shout out. If not, we stay quiet.

So, who's intolerant? Surely you're not saying I'm intolerant to players switching genders in game? And if you're saying I'm intolerant to folks like you starting these threads? Then yes! I'm guessing you don't live in a third world country and you DO have access to the Internet. But yes, perhaps I'm judging to quickly as this is the first time this scenario has come up in your life and it scared you a little. Come on.. admit it. It scared you a little. Like when your folks take you downtown and you see a homeless person for the first time, or worse. Not life-changing, but it took you out of your norm to start a thread.

And I'm not angry. Welcome to MMOs.

htoncic

Soloeus wrote: »

Vendersleigh wrote: »

I never understand the playing "other gender to be tasteless and creepy" line of thought. After all none of us are catpeople/elves/orcs/lizardpeople/mages/people with superpowers like intermittent dragon wings in real life (and few are accomplished martial artists/fencers/archers). If one is going for all those aspects that are different from oneself, then what is the difference in playing the opposite gender?

I mostly play my own gender as it very hard to do a very realistic portrayal of the other gender but all kudos to those that do pull it off well. For the same reason I stick to various cultures of humans for the most part but really appreciate those that can give a decent portrayal of other species.

Now isn't the time for the debate. The difference is that we all know nobody here has dragon wings, but we are either male or female. Imagine a white person who declares "I am hereby transracially black."


I do hate the use of the word "Toon" it really sounds red neck.

What about hair? That's also a real life physical feature of ours. We either have it or don't. Should our 'toons' mimic that? Would giving my high elf vampire sorcerer long hair be considered creepy by you?

rawne1980b16_ESO

This is a first for me but i'm playing female characters.

My youngest daughter loved the character creator so made them for me .... although I did help with the Dunmers face and completely messed it up, made it too pointy .... says a lot when my 7 year old can make characters better than me.

Usually she makes my wifes characters but she doesn't play this so I got lumbered.

SFBryan18

It's a tough decision to make considering I want to put all my time into one character. Part of me wants to believe the character is myself, in which case I would play a male, but the man in me wants to watch a cute female modeled after my girlfriend. In Oblivion, I beat the game first as a male, and then as a female. In Skyrim I solved this problem by creating the perfect female companion. Skyrim was the ideal situation where I play as a male, but watch my super hot follower kick ass. Now that I am playing an MMO, the choice now adds the awkwardness of players seeing me as a female, and I'm not sure I want to be seen in this way. So I want to watch a hot avatar, but I do not want to be seen as one. Oh the dilemma!

YourNameHere

I play a female and I'm a female.

But I have no difficulty doing any gender.

It's silly really how people get all worked up over it.

Heck, when I started playing games, we had Zork. That was just text. No pictures or anything. Now people freak when they make a female protaganist.

Meh, play what you want.

moXrox

Male - playing both genders

People always played in online games both genders, dont see the point to discuss it.

But there is a difference how players play mmorpgs:

* some try to identify with the character
* some just control a character and choose the look

ZurinArctus

Male playing Male.

I've played female chars in the past, but usually they have been alts and never were my main.

daneyulebub17_ESO

I guess I'm one of the few in this thread who, as a straight male, always play as a male in any MMO. I have absolutely no problem with others playing differently, but for me, I identify very strongly with my character--usually only play just one to any real extent in a given game--and on the few times I played as a woman, it felt completely, utterly wrong for me.

grahamz1b14_ESO

This might have been an interesting question back when EQ first started. But even then, I knew at least 3 women who played (2 from rl, one an aunt of a friend). One only played male characters because she didn't like the attention. Another in fact, confided in me at a party that she would switch between playing a male and a female. If she didn't want to be bothered, she'd play a male, and if she wanted free stuff, she'd play a female (because people would give her stuff 'just because'. In those days, even if a female played, guys would scare off a lot of them. Good going guys.

The truth is that while most people in ESO that I've played with, I have no idea whether they are male or female, and it really doesn't matter (it's not like we are trading fashion tips). This is a question that really is no longer relevant, and says a lot more about the person asking the question than the people answering it. Are most people playing MMOs male? probably. Do a lot of females play MMOs? Definitely.

Get over it. You don't know the gender of the person standing next to you in-game, and unless you meet in rl, you probably will never be certain. And that's perfectly alright.

daneyulebub17_ESO

The thing is--does anyone really have a problem with who plays what? Or care? I've yet to come across anyone who does.

Ruddertail

I've always played a male in every MMORPG. This might be biased by the fact that I'm gay, but it just feels weird playing a female character.

DanteYoda

I play Female characters because they look better...have you seen the male characters?

Tavore1138

Zionysus wrote: »

By simply opening this thread it has a possible meaning that you have a problem with people playing the opposite gender. If you didn't, you wouldn't have cared. You're obviously a little bothered by it as history shows when we're bothered by something we shout out. If not, we stay quiet.

So, who's intolerant? Surely you're not saying I'm intolerant to players switching genders in game? And if you're saying I'm intolerant to folks like you starting these threads? Then yes! I'm guessing you don't live in a third world country and you DO have access to the Internet. But yes, perhaps I'm judging to quickly as this is the first time this scenario has come up in your life and it scared you a little. Come on.. admit it. It scared you a little. Like when your folks take you downtown and you see a homeless person for the first time, or worse. Not life-changing, but it took you out of your norm to start a thread.

And I'm not angry. Welcome to MMOs.

Juts interested really - as per my original post. As others have intimated it's not (or should not be) 'important' any more so than which was the first TES game we played or how many crafting skills we choose to level, just a question - I think you are possibly reading to much into the asking of it?

Ardeni

For me it depends on the armor type. If I use heavy/medium armor, my character is male. If I use robes, my character is female. In real life, I am male. This is because I rather play male characters than female ones but I generally don't really like my characters being men who wear dresses, which is why I rather pick a female character for casters.

Lord_Hev

Male

My main is a male.

I have an alt that is a female

I play both genders, because reasons.

Lord_Hev

SFBryan18 wrote: »

Now that I am playing an MMO, the choice now adds the awkwardness of players seeing me as a female, and I'm not sure I want to be seen in this way. So I want to watch a hot avatar, but I do not want to be seen as one. Oh the dilemma!

I can relate to this as well, lol. Unless people around me are into role-playing, I try to stay out of character, to make sure they know the person behind the character is a guy.

Sharee

Dragonknight and sorcerer are male.
Nightblade and templar are female.

Because i like variety.

TheGrandAlliance

THIS THREAD IS EPIX!

Misty

Which ever one looks the best, for instance; Redguard - female / Dark elf - Male / Breton - both.

UrQuan

Mercutio wrote: »

(Addendum 2: My 18 year old cheerleader sister is playing ESO and looking for rare motifs like Daedric and Primal. Please send me a PM if you would like to talk to her in game, she just broke up with her boyfriend)

Hmm, is that so? Veeeery interesting. I think I should just...

Mercutio wrote: »

(Addendum: if you give items to a toon because you think it's a real girl behind the keyboard, you're a sucker.)

HEY, WAITAMINUTE!!!!

DakotaCoty

I play a female because they are deemed weak in RL society and in game I can kick ass being the gender that society desperately tries to put down :')

UrQuan

Zionysus wrote: »

By simply opening this thread it has a possible meaning that you have a problem with people playing the opposite gender. If you didn't, you wouldn't have cared. You're obviously a little bothered by it as history shows when we're bothered by something we shout out. If not, we stay quiet.

So I guess you've never heard of curiosity. I can't speak for the OP (although I'm pretty sure that what I'm about to say actually applies to every single human being ever), but I know that I'm very frequently curious about things that I don't have a problem with, and that don't bother me in the slightest. Heck, it's even very common for me to be curious enough about such things to *shock* ask people about them. I recently asked some people I had just met if they liked hockey. Does that mean that I have a problem with people that like hockey? Or that I have a problem with people that don't like hockey?

GrimCyclone

All females characters are played by males. All male characters are played by males. There are no females playing this game.

DakotaCoty

GrimCyclone wrote: »

All females characters are played by males. All male characters are played by males. There are no females playing this game.

GrimCyclone

It's a good thing this poll didn't chose the accounts associated with the votes either. Otherwise a bunch of neckbeards would've tried to friend invite and chatup the ones that said "Female playing female."