Where are we getting this notion that opinions can't be wrong? Who cares if some weirdos think anyone who flashes an ankle is sexualized? We're talking about reality here.
Male characters in video games are most definitely not sexualized the same way that female characters are, because the male and female characters of video games are both designed to appeal to men. Specifically straight men, just so we're clear.
Where are we getting this notion that opinions can't be wrong?
Where are you getting me saying "No opinions are wrong"?
OK I am starting to see where some of you are coming from but, it also brings up a question for me. You really wouldn't play DAI or any other game just because it doesn't have a female lead or character customization? It must be a much bigger deal for you then me. I am male and I played DA2 and ME with the default Shepard and Hawke look and had no problems. Off the top of my head the only game I can think of that had a female lead was mirrors edge and that didn't stop me from playing it. If DAI had no character customization whatsoever and all I could play was a female character, I still would because everything else looks amazing and is much more important to me. I am not saying I don't like character customization, because I really do love it. It just would never be the one thing that makes or breaks a game for me.
In some cases- yes. I very much doubt I ever would've gotten past Horizon in ME if I had been forced to play as John Shepard. I initially found the battle controls clunky and hard to get used to and the combat was, well, a little boring. What kept me going was the novelty of playing a female character who was actually responded to by the cast as a female (ie- not using the wrong pronouns or being referred to as a man because there was never really that much effort put into changing aspects of the game to cater to a female protag, like so many other games have been guilty of), and the fact that it was a Bioware game and I trusted them to deliver a compelling story. I have never played Duke Nukem, GTA, or God of War because I have no interest in being a muscle bound womanizer, no matter how entertaining the gameplay might be. I also only ever tried Witcher and Red Dead Redemption because they were half-off, used at my local gamestop and I was in the mood for a videogame marathon weekend. (As a side note- I'm really glad that I picked up Red Dead. It was a great story, and worked with a male protagonist in a way it never could have with a female one, I think.)
In short, I have spent the majority of my adult life working and living in a field that is dominated by men. In many cases, I have had to "act like a man" or tailor my actions specifically to avoid making men feel uncomfortable by my presence in "their" domain just so I can be accepted; I have no desire to spend my off time continuing to pretend to be male. I'm a woman, I like being a woman, and I like playing games which allow me to celebrate and embrace my femininity.
Edited to fix a mistake about Kingdoms of Amalur
I also never got past the demo of Kingdoms of Amalur because it seemed utterly ridiculous to me that I could literally choose to be any race and skin tone of male under the fantastical sun, but not a female.
But you can play as female in the demo. 
Eh? You can play Kingdoms of Amalur as a female. Did the demo restrict you to male only? 
Eh? You can play Kingdoms of Amalur as a female. Did the demo restrict you to male only?
As someone who played the demo, I can say no it did not restrict you to male.
You can definitely play as a female in KOA.
Oh weird- sorry, my bad, I must be thinking of another game
Okay guys. Visually, in terms of body type, hairstyle and persona, what type of female inquisitor would you like to see featured in the advertising?
Ah, I've been harping for a while on getting to see a buff qunari lady. I would also like to see a WoC. But since so far all the Inquisidudes shown have been white humans, I expect she will also be a white human.
I'll be happy if I can just see her in that jaunty hat.
Oh weird- sorry, my bad, I must be thinking of another game
Maybe Dragon's Dogma? Because in the Demo, you do end up having to play as a dude, but you get to CC your character (and play that character) after.
Maybe Dragon's Dogma? Because in the Demo, you do end up having to play as a dude, but you get to CC your character (and play that character) after.
Maybe- or it could just be that I completely futzed up the KOA demo- I have been known to make some pretty obvious mistakes. In any event, the rest of my post stands.
In some cases- yes. I very much doubt I ever would've gotten past Horizon in ME if I had been forced to play as John Shepard. I initially found the battle controls clunky and hard to get used to and the combat was, well, a little boring. What kept me going was the novelty of playing a female character who was actually responded to by the cast as a female (ie- not using the wrong pronouns or being referred to as a man because there was never really that much effort put into changing aspects of the game to cater to a female protag, like so many other games have been guilty of), and the fact that it was a Bioware game and I trusted them to deliver a compelling story. I have never played Duke Nukem, GTA, or God of War because I have no interest in being a muscle bound womanizer, no matter how entertaining the gameplay might be. I also only ever tried Witcher and Red Dead Redemption because they were half-off, used at my local gamestop and I was in the mood for a videogame marathon weekend. (As a side note- I'm really glad that I picked up Red Dead. It was a great story, and worked with a male protagonist in a way it never could have with a female one, I think.)
In short, I have spent the majority of my adult life working and living in a field that is dominated by men. In many cases, I have had to "act like a man" or tailor my actions specifically to avoid making men feel uncomfortable by my presence in "their" domain just so I can be accepted; I have no desire to spend my off time continuing to pretend to be male. I'm a woman, I like being a woman, and I like playing games which allow me to celebrate and embrace my femininity.
Edited to fix a mistake about Kingdoms of Amalur
While you of course have the right to play whatever the hell games you want to, you are sorely missing out of some great games if you never played them b/c of the male protagonist. And I do agree that Red Dead was awesome. Duke Nukem is a terribad game in it of itself, not just because of how he may act. I still think that GTA V should have had a woman protagonist. As a completely serious question, what games allow you to "celebrate and embrace my femininity" ? I have played more games than I can remember with a male protagonist and not once have I ever felt that they let me "celebrate my manhood". Its not like I fist bump the air every time I "save a damsel in distress" or murder a horde of nazis. Just curious.
Where are we getting this notion that opinions can't be wrong? Who cares if some weirdos think anyone who flashes an ankle is sexualized? We're talking about reality here.
Male characters in video games are most definitely not sexualized the same way that female characters are, because the male and female characters of video games are both designed to appeal to men. Specifically straight men, just so we're clear.
Sexualized? Probably not in many cases, however I'm pretty sure you could say that they are "idealized" forms of what a man should look like / act like even if its simply they actually have abs and no love handles. I'm not arguing against anything about the way women are treated /portrayed but it does happen the other way too, even if it isn't in the exact same fashion.
I think I have said this in another post but in regards to the question posed by the topic title, I too, would like to see more of the Lady Inquisitor. Mostly b/c I enjoy playing female characters, to see another side of the story. Which, as a side note, is weird since I don't usually enjoy novels where the only main character is a woman. We like what we like I guess.
In short, I have spent the majority of my adult life working and living in a field that is dominated by men. In many cases, I have had to "act like a man" or tailor my actions specifically to avoid making men feel uncomfortable by my presence in "their" domain just so I can be accepted; I have no desire to spend my off time continuing to pretend to be male. I'm a woman, I like being a woman, and I like playing games which allow me to celebrate and embrace my femininity.
Okay I don't exactly work in male dominated environments though I've spent time studying in them but mainly this, I'm a woman who likes playing women in games because for whatever reason I connect better to female characters. I have finite resources so a while ago I decided to simply buy games with a female option or stick to strategies when I couldn't find them simply because I know I'll usually finish and often times replay those games where I won't get very far with male protags because they frankly tend to bore me... I don't connect to them or their stories and the last one I actually enjoyed was the hero in the quest for glory series (yikes that makes me seem old now 
). For me I get more value out of my money buying games I know I'll actually enjoy and want to finish and replay. It's a personal preference thing and I really don't feel that not playing male characters means I'm missing out because I wouldn't enjoy the game enough to make the struggle through the disconnect worth while and then I'd be pissed I'd just wasted my money... especially now when I have other options that do have what I want so that's where I spend. It would be easier to do if more games were clearer about your options up front in the advertising or even on the box though.
As for what I'd like to see I think the morphing between a fem inquisitor of each race and class as Vian suggested or fem qunari inquisitor again any class would be really cool 
What I think we'll get though is human female inquisitor probably white... but this is one of those times I'd be really happy to be wrong 
(and I don't say that often 
)
While you of course have the right to play whatever the hell games you want to, you are sorely missing out of some great games if you never played them b/c of the male protagonist. And I do agree that Red Dead was awesome. Duke Nukem is a terribad game in it of itself, not just because of how he may act. I still think that GTA V should have had a woman protagonist. As a completely serious question, what games allow you to "celebrate and embrace my femininity" ? I have played more games than I can remember with a male protagonist and not once have I ever felt that they let me "celebrate my manhood". Its not like I fist bump the air every time I "save a damsel in distress" or murder a horde of nazis. Just curious.
Yes, but you do frequently save damsels in distress and murder hordes of nazis with an idealized, powerful, "male fantasy" of an avatar. Would you not consider that a celebration of masculinity? Maybe "celebration" is an inappropriate word choice- at least, it seems to be so misleading that you appear to have missed the point of my post. Perhaps it would make my point clearer if I change the wording to:"I like playing games which allow me to keep and embrace my femininity"?
While you of course have the right to play whatever the hell games you want to, you are sorely missing out of some great games if you never played them b/c of the male protagonist. And I do agree that Red Dead was awesome. Duke Nukem is a terribad game in it of itself, not just because of how he may act. I still think that GTA V should have had a woman protagonist. As a completely serious question, what games allow you to "celebrate and embrace my femininity" ?
Perhaps I am, maybe if they marketed those games to women a little better, I might not miss out on them, and those developers would spread their game distribution just a little further. However, I feel fairly certain that, with the glut of games I've played as a male protagonist, whatever I'm missing is probably worth the annoyance I'm spared at having to play as "Man to the Rescue!!!" yet again.
As for games which I feel allow me to embrace my femininity- there are no perfect examples, because those games have yet to be made, but I feel like ME allowed me to play as a strong, capable woman who was able to express her femininity without being squashed because her "reproductive organs are on the inside". Bayonetta is also a fairly decent, though certainly imperfect, example. Ideally, the type of game I'm looking for would allow me to play in an engaging story, as a woman, but not one who needs to wear skin tight, skimpy, and/ or see-through clothing to cover a body designed to appeal to a male audience, and not one in which my character needed to define herself by the expectations and sensibilities of her male counterparts. Hopefully, discussions like this one will help with that process.
For me I get more value out of my money buying games I know I'll actually enjoy and want to finish and replay. It's a personal preference thing and I really don't feel that not playing male characters means I'm missing out because I wouldn't enjoy the game enough to make the struggle through the disconnect worth while and then I'd be pissed I'd just wasted my money... especially now when I have other options that do have what I want so that's where I spend.
Agreed. Assassin's Creed games are a perfect example. I thought the story was decent, the mechanics were cool, and the premise was interesting, but at a certain point in each of the three I played, I just got bored with being a manly "save the day and kiss the wench" protagonist. It has made me skip Black Flag, which my husband tells me that he thoroughly enjoys, because I don't think that any amount of pirately goodness will overcome my boredom with male protags enough to entice me to finish the game.
Agreed. Assassin's Creed games are a perfect example. I thought the story was decent, the mechanics were cool, and the premise was interesting, but at a certain point in each of the three I played, I just got bored with being a manly "save the day and kiss the wench" protagonist. It has made me skip Black Flag, which my husband tells me that he thoroughly enjoys, because I don't think that any amount of pirately goodness will overcome my boredom with male protags enough to entice me to finish the game.
I feel exactly the same way. I never could get myself to play them very long. Always lost interest partway through. I don't mind playing as a dude on some games, but that's usually after I play them as a lady.
I feel exactly the same way. I never could get myself to play them very long. Always lost interest partway through. I don't mind playing as a dude on some games, but that's usually after I play them as a lady.
They just released a HD version of the PSVita AC: Liberation which has a female protag. It would still be nice to see a female lead in the main series 
. Its an annual title with a huge base and a zillion protags, heck, two seperate titles are rumored to be releasing this year, it makes no sense that none of the main entries in the series have a female lead at this point.
Agreed. Assassin's Creed games are a perfect example. I thought the story was decent, the mechanics were cool, and the premise was interesting, but at a certain point in each of the three I played, I just got bored with being a manly "save the day and kiss the wench" protagonist. It has made me skip Black Flag, which my husband tells me that he thoroughly enjoys, because I don't think that any amount of pirately goodness will overcome my boredom with male protags enough to entice me to finish the game.
I feel exactly the same way. I never could get myself to play them very long. Always lost interest partway through. I don't mind playing as a dude on some games, but that's usually after I play them as a lady.
Same here. They are all so similar I too find myself quickly bored. Sick to death of seeing so many white dudes on screen it's high time for a more even representation.
They just released a HD version of the PSVita AC: Liberation which has a female protag. It would still be nice to see a female lead in the main series
Agreed. I remember this other thread people were saying too few females females were spies and asssassins back in those days so that's why they couldn't have a mainline AC game with a fem protag since you know history. Cause we all know AC is uber historical and doesn't dare deviate. 
Sexualized? Probably not in many cases, however I'm pretty sure you could say that they are "idealized" forms of what a man should look like / act like even if its simply they actually have abs and no love handles.
Point is they're typically idealized from the male point of view. They look the way that men want to look (at least in pretend-world), rather than the way that a woman would find them attractive.
For instance a few weeks back I saw two male images, one pieced together with body parts that men voted as the most desirable, and the other pieced together with body parts that women found desirable. The end result showed that men created an image of a much more muscular and imposing person than the women did.
I thought that was quite interesting, and made me actually feel a bit better knowing I'm by far not the only woman out there who prefers slim men to those fugly body builders they typically have in games.
By chance, do you have a link to those images Mes? I'm curious to see the difference. 
Point is they're typically idealized from the male point of view. They look the way that men want to look (at least in pretend-world), rather than the way that a woman would find them attractive.
For instance a few weeks back I saw two male images, one pieced together with body parts that men voted as the most desirable, and the other pieced together with body parts that women found desirable. The end result showed that men created an image of a much more muscular and imposing person than the women did.
I thought that was quite interesting, and made me actually feel a bit better knowing I'm by far not the only woman out there who prefers slim men to those fugly body builders they typically have in games.
They shown results of men and women to finding what is attractive. Men actually didnt pronounce the breasts of women as much as women did, women making breasts bigger than what men drew for whats attractive. I will have to relook where on MSN news it was, few weeks ago is when I read it.
By chance, do you have a link to those images Mes? I'm curious to see the difference.
Will look for it. 
(My search history will be suspicious-looking...)
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