149 réponses à ce sujet

[TheGusWho]

Well, not all of us. I'm playing a female dwarf on my first run. (Varric romance would be a nice bonus, but I'll play female dwarf first even if he's suddenly got Iron Bull fever and will only date male qunari.)

 

I have two reasons for this decision:

 

1) Dragon Age dwarves are amazing. Their origin stories were my favourites in DAO, and I love the lore surrounding them.

 

2) I find it easier to identify with them than the other races, on a physical level. If I were a foot shorter, I'd blend right in around Orzammar. On the other hand, I look nothing like any female human I've ever been able to play in a video game. (Or the elves, either. Needless to say, I am also not a seven-foot-tall horned giantess, although that sounds like fun.)

 

Agreed! I played the Aeducan story just to check it out and got totally hooked - it's by far my favorite origin, just because you see all the political machinations that go on. Orlais doesn't seem to have a thing on Orzammar when it comes to playing the Game. Also, do you have the same issue I do with people who pick Bhelen as King, after knowing what he did? I always pick Harrowmont, even though he's conservative; I just can't bring myself to help Bhelen.

 

Back on topic - I also agree that assuming there's this huge gender difference between BSN posters is pretty dubious logic. Like, what on earth makes anyone think that the non-human female PCs are being chosen by dudes who "want a little variety" with their eye-candy? (Although in the poll thread there are a couple guys who have said that, which, eugh.)

[Cyonan]

Given that we don't know the genders of people who picked each answer, I would say that you can't really make any claims about it. I'm a guy who voted that they will be playing a female elf mage.

 

You seem to acknowledge that in the OP and then completely ignore it when making claims based on the poll.

[TheGusWho]

Given that we don't know the genders of people who picked each answer, I would say that you can't really make any claims about it. I'm a guy who voted that they will be playing a female elf mage.

 

You seem to acknowledge that in the OP and then completely ignore it when making claims based on the poll.

 

Except the OP hasn't made any claims. They're asking questions and saying "maybe it's this, maybe it's that, we don't know but it's interesting!" This is all just talking about what the poll might mean.

[Andraste_Reborn]

Agreed! I played the Aeducan story just to check it out and got totally hooked - it's by far my favorite origin, just because you see all the political machinations that go on.

 

My Aeducan ended up my favourite Warden (which is why she graces my icon to this day) because she ended up with such an amazing story. And it was largely because of that origin. The dwarf noble is the only one who loses everything in their prologue - not just their home and their family like the others, but their whole identity. The human noble is still a noble even if almost their whole family and all their retainers have been slaughtered, but the dwarf noble is less than nothing in the eyes of her whole society. She has to go out and make herself into something all over again, while trying not to fall into the sky.

 

Also, do you have the same issue I do with people who pick Bhelen as King, after knowing what he did? I always pick Harrowmont, even though he's conservative; I just can't bring myself to help Bhelen.

 

Some of my Wardens chose Bhelen, but I'm never happy about it. And it does make me more inclined to disagree with people who think Bhelen is the better choice - I'm not convinced a ruthless radical dictator who killed his own sibling(s) and father to get ahead is going to be any better for the dwarves than Harrowmont in the long run. (I only wish it were possible for a dwarf Warden to make themselves monarch, or at least pick someone totally out of left field.)

 

One of my most satisfying moments in the entire game was when one of my Wardens (not a dwarf) sided with Bhelen all the way ... right up until he gave the crown to Harrowmont. His reaction is a thing of beauty.

 

... uh, sorry. I love my Aeducan and will now drag myself back onto topic .

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, I do think it's interesting that there are more non-human females than non-human males showing up in polling. While people answering a forum poll don't constitute a random sample by any means, there does seem to be a trend there. Is it a trend among female players? Hard to say, without another poll.

 

It may be that a certain percentage of the people playing human males do that because it's the 'default' option, whereas anyone who deviates from that has probably thought over the possibilities. (Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone, though, and I'd imagine it doesn't account for many people who are hanging around on the DA forums ninety days before the game arrives.)

[Fredward]

Don't assume that all the forumites who chose a female character for their first playthrough actually are female. I usually play as females for instance. It's an interesting observation though, all the nonhumans being slightly more female. Maybe it's just a natural inclination of women being seen as slightly non-standard in the role of hero and so they fit better in the non-standard races? Honestly what I find more interesting it the title of the poll itself. What kind of Inquisitor will YOU be. It makes me wonder how many players play self-inserts and how many take a more director like role.

[Hadeedak]

For my first approach to any fictional setting, I have a default personality to test the waters with.

 

I tend to play a slightly cantankerous, greater good over personal feelings, hard spikey exterior conceals a hard spikey interior sort. I play (female if possible) Johnny Dollar in space (or where-ever my character). I tend not to try to be myself in a game, since I usually find that bland.

 

And given the choice, I'm usually not human. Sometimes that's for aesthetics -- a gritty hardboiled dwarf tank is hugely more fun than a brooding human. Sometimes what I know of the species fits my default personality in a more interesting way

 

And I'm a gal. I will say more of my male friends tend to default to human male for their first character, whereas most of my female friends tend to kneejerk into a non-human if given the choice. ...It's obviously not hard and fast.

 

As for why? I dunno. I tend to approach playing a character like writing a character for a story, not my autobiography in Thedas. That's true of the first playthrough and most of the ones after it, where I try different personalities, genders, species, different choices and so on, and eventually figure out what makes the most interesting story.

[Beerfish]

Except the OP hasn't made any claims. They're asking questions and saying "maybe it's this, maybe it's that, we don't know but it's interesting!" This is all just talking about what the poll might mean.

Did they say maybe it is anything at all?  You will find a lot of 'maybe it is' really means I think it is this and I am going to try and convince you that it is but I don't have the proper data to back it up.

[TheGusWho]

Did they say maybe it is anything at all?  You will find a lot of 'maybe it is' really means I think it is this and I am going to try and convince you that it is but I don't have the proper data to back it up.

 

Now that is an assumption with absolutely no data to back it up. Which is odd, considering what we're talking about.

[schall_und_rauch]

Except the OP hasn't made any claims. They're asking questions and saying "maybe it's this, maybe it's that, we don't know but it's interesting!" This is all just talking about what the poll might mean.

 

There are a lot of different possible explanations, all with very little data to back it up.

I have given an alternative one -- not really seriously, but just to point out that you can interpret anything into those kind of numbers.

 

I have to admit that the SJW-explanation about the "otherness" of women and the "dominant, clear cut" role of the men (ferchrissake, you are the Inquisitor, how is that not dominant and clear cut?) got my teeth grating.

So, yeah, I stick with "different butts". Oh, and the ladies play dwarfen chicks so they can ogle at Varric's chest hair from the right height.

[AutumnWitch]

Its funny the only time I have played human in any BW game is DA2 when I didn't have a choice. Hmmmm.....I think you are on to something here. I have never even considered playing human in DAO or DAI. I wonder why that is. Maybe its that I am human IRL and like the idea that I can be comething more exotic and fantastic than just plain old me. *shrugs shoulders*

[Maria Caliban]

Now it is true that males can play female inquisitors and visa versa (be interesting to do a poll on that), but I wonder why the correlation between female PC and non-human. Is it because women are more used to being "othered," where as men feel more at home with having a more central, clear cut dominant role? Maybe it is because women are socialised to reflect more on body types and fashion that the different frames carry more interest.

So you acknowledge that you don't know how many of the people selecting non-human females are women in real life... then immediately pretend they're all women.

So far there are 825 answers. Most "accurate" polls only use 1,000 people

Self selection bias.

[TheGusWho]

There are a lot of different possible explanations, all with very little data to back it up.

I have given an alternative one -- not really seriously, but just to point out that you can interpret anything into those kind of numbers.

 

I have to admit that the SJW-explanation about the "otherness" of women and the "dominant, clear cut" role of the men (ferchrissake, you are the Inquisitor, how is that not dominant and clear cut?) got my teeth grating.

So, yeah, I stick with "different butts". Oh, and the ladies play dwarfen chicks so they can ogle at Varric's chest hair from the right height.

 

If the idea that people might actually talk seriously about gender roles in society gets your teeth grating, imagine how irritating it is to listen to people make the same stale, tired jokes about female butts being there solely as nice things for men to look at. Added bonus: getting referred to as "the ladies" or "chicks" and being told that the only reason women would play as a certain race would be because of a dude.

[Cyonan]

Except the OP hasn't made any claims. They're asking questions and saying "maybe it's this, maybe it's that, we don't know but it's interesting!" This is all just talking about what the poll might mean.

 

Fine, implied then. The point is still that the OP acknowledges that men might play female characters or women might play male characters and then completely ignores the idea.

 

 

If the idea that people might actually talk seriously about gender roles in society gets your teeth grating, imagine how irritating it is to listen to people make the same stale, tired jokes about female butts being there solely as nice things for men to look at. Added bonus: getting referred to as "the ladies" or "chicks" and being told that the only reason women would play as a certain race would be because of a dude.

 

The joke is that the butt is what they're staring at because you see the backside of your character for 90% of the gameplay, not that the only reason that it is there is to be stared at by men.

 

Of course, given the main function of our butts I don't think that they're really going to be included for any reason except to make us look like proper humans. I mean, we'd like kind of weird without a butt.

 

Unless you're Blizzard and thus have the "one poop quest per expansion" quota to meet =P

[TheGusWho]

So when straight dudes are playing male PCs, they're staring at the PCs butt, too? Interesting. I didn't know.

 

Honestly, every time I think of butts in conjunction with Dragon Age now, I flash on that terrifying bendy six-limbed thing from the Enemy of Thedas trailer and how its butt was... on top? Until it unfolded? Or something? HORRIFYING. Butts are forever tainted.

[Cyonan]

So when straight dudes are playing male PCs, they're staring at the PCs butt, too? Interesting. I didn't know.

 

Honestly, every time I think of butts in conjunction with Dragon Age now, I flash on that terrifying bendy six-limbed thing from the Enemy of Thedas trailer and how its butt was... on top? Until it unfolded? Or something? HORRIFYING. Butts are forever tainted.

 

That's what those same people will tell me, only they'll also imply that you aren't straight anymore. It actually goes both ways.

 

Although there probably are people who want to stare at the weird butt monster and romance it.

[Chernaya]

I think it's an interesting thing to think about, of course not take too seriously given the small and biased sample size -- but the original poster doesn't seem to be making claims or pulling anything out of thin air, just thinking of possibilities and asking others what they may think. 

 

My personal reason as a female is simple, I like to play females because I'm only given that choice in select games, I like to play different races because I'm nly given that choice in select games, so I choose to take that opportunity. My choice was female qunari. 

[andy6915]

One of my most satisfying moments in the entire game was when one of my Wardens (not a dwarf) sided with Bhelen all the way ... right up until he gave the crown to Harrowmont. His reaction is a thing of beauty.

 

You ever done the opposite with a dwarven noble? I have. Was against him the entire time, and then at the least minute I'm like "the paragon chose Bhelen". Have you ever wanted to see Bhelen nearly speechless? Try this outcome. And if you had a son with the noble hunter, he normally is quite disdainful about it and says he'll make them noble but will stick them in the smallest house he can. If you do this though and then bring up your son while he's still flabbergasted, he acts like he'll give your son and his mother one the biggest houses in the city and will make sure they have the best lives possible.

 

How I roleplayed it is simple, the throne belongs to her family... Even if it means Bhelen. Not to mention she could tell Harrowmont was weak as weak could be, and would just be a slave to the assembly whereas Bhelen had the assembly under his heel and would absolutely be a better ally against the blight, and he seemed supportive of casteless like she was. And she never wanted the throne anyway even if Trian got the completely wrong idea about her (she wanted to a general who led fights against the darkspawn from the frontlines, not sitting bored on a throne all day) and always thought Bhelen would be better than Trian. The only thing Bhelen did wrong was not letting her in on the plan so she could help him become king without getting exiled. She would have happily helped dispose Trian and help Bhelen become king if he had simply asked, instead of doing it the sneaky way and making her his fall-girl. She even made sure to support Harrowmont at first so that no one would suspect she was actually the one who picked the king and not the paragon, because who would think of her suddenly supporting Bhelen after what he did? I mean it's inconceivable... Or not.

[andy6915]

By the way, I know I constantly said "she"... But that's because I've done 2 playthroughs where I picked Bhelen after supporting Harrowmont, and the one with the female dwarven noble was my preferred one so that's the one I talked about specifically. But still, I've done a male one too where I had a son with the noble hunter and did the same thing of supporting Harrowmont and then doing a shocking 180.

[TheGusWho]

That's what those same people will tell me, only they'll also imply that you aren't straight anymore. It actually goes both ways.

 

Although there probably are people who want to stare at the weird butt monster and romance it.

 

Can you clarify your first paragraph? I haven't had any coffee today, so I don't think I understood it properly. Who are the "same people," and what thing are you talking about when you say "it actually goes both ways"?

 

If there are any weird butt monster romancers out there, go for it. Just don't tell me about it. Because GAH.

[Cyonan]

Can you clarify your first paragraph? I haven't had any coffee today, so I don't think I understood it properly. Who are the "same people," and what thing are you talking about when you say "it actually goes both ways"?

 

If there are any weird butt monster romancers out there, go for it. Just don't tell me about it. Because GAH.

 

A lot of the same people who make the "I roll a female character to stare at her butt" joke will also do the "Well you just play a male character because you want to stare at man butt all day long" joke as well.

 

I have also seen women who say they roll male characters so they can stare at their butt.

 

I don't think anybody is truly saying that the butts exist solely to be stared at though(not even the ones who actually aren't joking), just that they enjoy doing so. As a straight human male I can safely say that I like looking at attractive women but am fully aware of the fact that they don't exist entirely to be eye candy.

[Thibax]

RedIntifada, nothing against you.

I believe that you are a great person.

 

But I hope not to see a sex war here.

[andy6915]

As a straight human male I can safely say that I like looking at attractive women but am fully aware of the fact that they don't exist entirely to be eye candy.

 

Uh... Actually... That is why they exist. Butts, I mean. The butt is in fact the truest sexual characteristics for our species, just like why baboons have such obvious and large butts. Butts sole purpose is attracting mates. Obviously the hole inside the butt isn't meant for that, but the cheeks that surround it certainly are. In fact, butts are why human female breasts are enlarged and inflated 24/7 instead of just when they're pregnant or nursing like literally every other mammal on the entire planet. Butts became a little less "in your face" once we started walking upright, so female breasts became what they are today to somewhat mimic butts so that they could be the "in your face" sexual characteristic instead. So yes, boobs are meant to be chest butts on top of being for feeding infants.

 

So yeah, butts are in fact entirely for eye candy.

[Not a Cat Doll]

Uh... Actually... That is why they exist. Butts, I mean. The butt is in fact the truest sexual characteristics for our species, just like why baboons have such obvious and large butts. Butts sole purpose is attractive mates. Obviously the hole inside the butt isn't meant for that, but the cheeks that surround it certainly are. In fact, butts are why human female breasts are enlarged and inflated 24/7 instead of just when they're pregnant or nursing. Butts became a little less "in your face" once we started walking upright, so female breasts became what they are today to somewhat mimic butts so that they could be the "in your face" sexual characteristic instead. So yes, boobs are meant to be chest butts on top of being for feeding infants.

 

So yeah, butts are in fact entirely for eye candy.

Sources?

[andy6915]

Sources?

 

http://news.softpedi...sts-46783.shtml

 

And many more if you just Google search my claim.