340 réponses à ce sujet

[TKavatar]

I'm quite surprised that there are people here on BSN who are uncomfortable with roleplaying PCs of a different gender.

I myself have no issues with it, I like stepping into someone else's shoes and doing a play-through of the game. My canon Warden is a female dwarf commoner in fact.

So I'm curious as to why some people don't like it. I find it strange that they choose to miss out on content on purpose, but maybe that's just me.

[Steppenwolf]

How is this Inquisition related?

[SerCambria358]

Its easier to roleplay as a gender you're familiar with, therefore its more comfortable 

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Because different people have different mindsets. For example, you like stepping into someone else's shoes when you play. Other people like to make the character as much like them as possible when they play. Neither are wrong.

[MetalGear312]

I can't even begin to imagine, some people are just that way. When I play RPG's I usually play male charachters because I'm male and I like being able to represent myself in a sorta screwy way, but in the case of DA2 I play female Hawke because her actress does not have the emotional range of a dead squirrel.

[SurelyForth]

I can do it. I have a male Mahariel who is my second favorite Warden. However, I'm full up of stories about men, so I will play a woman whenever possible. Had Morrigan been a romance option for female Wardens, my male PC never would have existed. 

[daveliam]

So I can only speak for myself, but here goes:

It's not that I'm uncomfortable playing as a female.  It's that I'd rather not, particularly if I'm going to engage in a romance.  If I am going to engage in a romance, I want to play as a male but only if I can romance other males.  I'm just not interested in the romances if they are lesbian or straight.  It's not that I don't want them in the game; I personally just don't want to engage in them.

 

So, for example, in the ME series, since I couldn't play as a gay Shepard (or, well, I couldn't be explicitly gay), I played both male and female characters up until the third game.  Once I found out that my gay Shepards could finally have a romance, I have only played that game as a male.  In DA: O, I played both male and female because I really didn't like Zevran very much (but my canon is a gay dwarf noble who romanced him).  However, in DA 2, since I kind of liked both of the m/m romances, I've never played through as a female Hawke.

 

In games without romance features, I go back and forth and play both genders (such as Elder Scrolls or Fallout, etc.).  It's only when romance gets involved that I like to really only play as a gay male character.  Again, that's really just my opinion and, probably, an odd one at that.

[Mummy22kids]

To be honest I am much more likely to play a female PC (I am female) than male. It has nothing to do with comfort. Rather it's a combination of being able to identify with a female PC than a male PC and the fact that I don't often get to play as a female. That being said I do play as a male at least a few times in order to experience any content (like romances-like morrigan) that I would miss out on if I didn't play a male PC. That's why I've played more make Shepards than male wardens or hawkes.

[Snook]

I have never cared what genitalia my character has. I just play whatever I feel like playing at the time, be it male or female. I'm never actively projecting myself into my characters, so gender is pretty much a trivial thing in most games that give me the choice. Sometimes I even flip a coin when I'm feeling lazy. 

[byeshoe]

I've no problem with it OP.

If I bloody want to romance Cassandra after my first playthrough from when I was female, then I will create a hot smoking male inquisitor who is the exact opposite of her.

hey maybe it's just me..but starting over again as a new gender makes things fun    and slightly funny

[CybAnt1]

So I'm curious as to why some people don't like it. I find it strange that they choose to miss out on content on purpose, but maybe that's just me.

 

Well, there are people who say, despite the presence of 4 playable races for DAI, they will only play as human. 

 

There are some people, in fact (I know, because I saw them say so) that they will do 3 playthroughs, but each time, only as a human male warrior. Each time, each play through. 

 

I admit I find it puzzling. I'm a variety guy. If they had 4 classes, I would probably do 4 playthroughs, so that I can experience each race and each class. In previous games, I usually did 3 playthroughs, 2 as males, 1 as female. 

 

But you know, it's their game, and they can play it the way they want to. I think some people find the "grognardian" way I would like to play the DA games off-putting, but it's my game, and while I will explain why I like to play that way, at the end of the day, I don't really feel the need to justify why I like combat a certain way, or would prefer the dialogue to work. What I mean is, just because you can't understand or empathize with why I like playing that way, does not mean I am going to stop doing it.

 

But given that I do have empathy, I also don't pass judgement on how other people play the game, even if (from my POV) it doesn't make sense. 

 

In reality, we don't need to argue over how we play the game. Unfortunately, we may need to argue about how the game develops and operates and functions, as that constrains the possibilities of how we can play it. 

[Isaidlunch]

I find it easier to roleplay with a female character since pretty much all my male characters end up as self-inserts! I can see why some people have problems with it though, if they can't get themselves out of that mindset of the PC representing them or if they just don't enjoy it.

[Brass_Buckles]

I usually play females, because I'm female.  And they aren't always just like me, either (I often make them look and act quite unlike myself, or sometimes they look a little like me but act nothing like me).  It's just that for years there wasn't even an option to be a woman in a game, and if I were a woman in a game I'd have to be overly sexualized or pretty-in-pink or even just downright not as good as the male characters for that type of game.

 

Could I play a male character?  Sure.  Have I?  Yup.  But I prefer to be female.  My first character in a game where I can choose gender will almost always be female--the exception being if I'm going to have to watch that character traipse about in her underwear.  Men and women really aren't that different mentally, even if we like to pretend that they are.  To me, it just feels more comfortable to play a female character--and of course, if the option is there to not be male by default, well, don't expect me to be male where I can choose otherwise when I've had to play males only for years upon years.

[Blackrising]

I don't like male main characters. I hate being forced to be one, as is the case with most games. End of story. I never find them as epic as female main characters and I can't identify with them as much as I would with a lady. Plus, if I have to stare at a butt wiggling on my screen for 30+ hours, I'd rather stare at a female wiggly butt.

 

It frustrates me to go into a game store and see a hundred different versions of "You are Scruff McManly, a pasty white guy with a penchant for violence and no, you don't get to be a decent human being, be an arrogant, self-conceited bastard instead!". This dislike has tainted everything from games, to TV shows, to what books I read. (Like, I automatically put down any book as soon as it mentions a male detective or something along those lines on the back, even if the plot might have interested me.) I am completely fed up with alpha males running around my games, spraying testosterone everywhere.

[ME_Fan]

I don't like male main characters. I hate being forced to be one, as is the case with most games. End of story. I never find them as epic as female main characters and I can't identify with them as much as I would with a lady. Plus, if I have to stare at a butt wiggling on my screen for 30+ hours, I'd rather stare at a female wiggly butt.
 
It frustrates me to go into a game store and see a hundred different versions of "You are Scruff McManly, a pasty white guy with a penchant for violence and no, you don't get to be a decent human being, be an arrogant, self-conceited bastard instead!". This dislike has tainted everything from games, to TV shows, to what books I read. (Like, I automatically put down any book as soon as it mentions a male detective or something along those lines ont he back, even if the plot might have interested me.) I am completely fed up with alpha males running around my games, spraying testosterone everywhere.

I'm a guy and I agree to some extent. There should be more female leads in gaming in particular. But I don't think you should instantly dismiss any game or piece of media with a male protagonist.

[CybAnt1]

There should be more game developers that are willing to give players a choice - frankly. 

[HiroVoid]

Going into social reasons, there's a stigma about guys playing female characters.  If someone sees you playing as one, they may assume you're weird for doing so, doing it to see them half-naked or something, or other reasons.  This is particularly prevalent in the MMO scene that I've noticed.

[themikefest]

Anytime a game gives the option to choose which gender to play, I  choose female. Why? I've played enough games that only have a male character and its nice to change it up every now and then.

[BabyFratelli]

People tend to be more comfortable playing as the gender they identify with, but I've noticed lady gamers tend to be a lot more comfortable playing/roleplaying as a dude than men are playing as women (note, this is a generalization, of course there are exceptions).

 

I chalk this up to playing video games for such a long time and not having the choice to play as a lady in the first place - hence why a lot of lady gamers now dislike or won't bother with games where you can only play as your typical white hero dude power fantasy type now that they're getting more opportunities to play something different (like, people of colour or lady power fantasy types), regardless, we've gotten so used to playing out our Nathan Drakes, Master Chiefs and Spyro the Dragons, that it's not a problem when we prefer male!hawke's voice over female!hawke's or something like that.

There's also that whole thing about how it's acceptable for a woman to want to dress/act like a man, but not for a man to want to dress/act like a woman.

 

Plus, when men choose to play as females there's often an unfair, and occasionally true, assumption that they're only doing it to stare lovingly at a female avatar's behind. So they might not feel comfortable out of fear of judgement for that.

 

Interesting topic. I'm not sure if this is the place for it though. 

[TanithAeyrs]

I am female and I have played both male and female PC's.  I usually prefer female characters, just because it is easier for me to determine what motivations a female character is likely to have (even if she is a polar opposite to my own personality).  I find I am more likely to play a stereotype when I play as a male character, simply because I have more difficulty playing from that perspective.  I have no problem playing as Geralt in the Witcher series, I have played male PC's in Baldur's gate, DAO and once in Morrowind.  It is awkward for me to play the romances as a male character as the female NPC's have no real appeal to me as a person.  However, it is a way to experience content you might not otherwise see. 

 

I think it simply comes down to the fact that men and women are different, and it takes a bit of skill to view a world (even a fantasy world) from another perspective.  Some people find it easier to develop that skill than others.  It is neither good nor bad, simply different.  I applaud gaming companies that build franchises that allow me to play from my most comfortable perspective, but I am not going to miss out on an otherwise great game just because the PC is, by default, male.

[CENIC]

There are tons of games where I don't have a choice of playing a character of my own gender. Why wouldn't I jump at the chance where it's offered? 

 

That being said, two of my three Wardens are male, because a male character better suited the story I wanted to tell. All of my Hawkes, however, are female, and my Inquisitors probably will be too.

[CybAnt1]

BTW, I happen to have this data at hand, just because (for different reasons), I was just looking at it. In WoW, there are some surprising statistics. Of course, as a MMO, there's a different dynamic. The gender of your character is something lots of other players will be seeing and interacting with. In a SRPG, the only one looking at your avatar is you. Though NPCs will interact with it. 

 

No one is exactly sure the exact male/female player base ratio is there. It's about as hard to decipher as VGChartz game sales. In 2009, it was about 84% male, 16% female. Supposedly, in 2014, it's close to 70% male, 30% female, but it's hard to get verification for this. 

 

Here's the surprising thing: and there is hard data on this, based on player surveys, I think. 

 

50% of female characters are being played by males. (We also have to note that lots of people have lots of alts, anywhere from 2 to 50, and so it could be that they have 8 male alts and 1 female alt.) 

 

The flip side is not equivalent. Only 5% of male characters are being played by females.

 

BTW, I have no judgement to pass on this, I'm just reporting it as data. 

[Blackrising]

I'm a guy and I agree to some extent. There should be more female leads in gaming in particular. But I don't think you should instantly dismiss any game or piece of media with a male protagonist.

 

I'm trying to, believe me. It is simply that my frustration has reached a level where I am unable to enjoy a male-centric narrative. There are still games with male protagonists that I enjoy, mind you. I love Bioshock 1 and 2 (wasn't particularly happy with Infinite) and I've played males in both Fable 1 and 2. The big difference here is that the PCs are essentially empty shells I can fill however I want. If I want to imagine them as adorable little cutie-pies with a penchant for baking and cooking and with the habit of being kind and faithful, I can. (And I do.) Them not having a voice is an insanely big part of that. My canon Origins playthrough is with a male Warden, for example.

 

As soon as they have a voice, though, they start to develop a personality of their own and in 90% of cases, it is one I do not like. Always arrogant, always self-confident, super-ultra-special, hyper-virile (god, how I hate it when they hit on women) and so very alpha male-y. Give me a big, strong guy with the personality of a puppy and I'll play the hell outta him.

As it stands, games where I can't play as female ain't gonna do it for me. *shrug*

 

I will take The Witcher 2 as an example. People said it was good, I tried it out. I didn't even get past the first chapter or so, because I hated every single part of Geralt's personality. I wanted to punch him in the face as soon as he was introduced by waking up with a naked lady in his bed. The urge has not yet passed. And now the game just sits on my shelf, collecting dust. (I spent good money on that. )

[Knight of Dane]

I prefer playing as women. I think badass ladies are cool.

[CENIC]

Here's the surprising thing: and there is hard data on this, based on player surveys, I think. 

 

50% of female characters are being played by males. (We also have to note that lots of people have lots of alts, anywhere from 2 to 50, and so it could be that they have 8 male alts and 1 female alt.) 

 

The flip side is not equivalent. Only 5% of male characters are being played by females.

I'd argue that the rationale for playing a female character in a MMO is because other people (generally) treat females better than males, and everyone likes being treated well.