419 réponses à ce sujet

[Rabbitonfire]

Being able to play female isn't common and most who offer that option are rpgs. However, I do make excepts if I like a certain voice or character (especially if they're gated). Like I prefer male hawke because I like his voice and default look. But yeah, I take female option whenever I can. 

[KaiserShep]

LOLZ butch? You don't know what a butch is that's what I gotta say. I can't believe you insulted my femshep. All kinds of nope. Wrong. End of the line. Male shep sounds like a dudebro. Seriously his voice actor was god ****** awful.

 

I don't think M!Shep had any dudebro going on, but he just fell a little flat for me. As for FemShep being butch, I don't really understand what this means. I mean, regardless of gender, you're a space marine killing alien and robotic monsters that commands a starship. The hell ya gonna do, right?

[ZipZap2000]

Out of curiosity, why do you only play one gender? I play both, always have (since BG in fact) and never thought twice about it. What motivates you to limit yourself to only one?

 

Harder to relate to the character playing as a woman for me I've tried and it didn't work. 

[sumojellybean]

I think it was a year or two back that I started to actually roleplay as male characters and quite enjoy it. If DA4 turns out to be any good I will plan to have my two playthroughs to be male characters.

 

As to why the majority of my characters are female though it is actually because it is easier to roleplay as characters that are familiar to you. I’m not a man so I don’t know what being a man is like or if it is any different.

 

Also it is generally character creators always have better female options than male counterparts. Ala, Skyrim where the eye, nose, and mouth shapes for males were meh. DA:I’s CC is pretty good though.

[DetcelferVisionary]

Out of curiosity, why do you only play one gender? I play both, always have (since BG in fact) and never thought twice about it. What motivates you to limit yourself to only one?

 

My wife plays the females and I play the males and we share our stories with one another for all the unique important bits.  

 

Deeper than that I think it's because I see myself in my character and I don't see myself as a woman.  

 

I would like to point out this has never stopped me from playing female characters where I don't have a choice.  Such as Lara Croft.  When given a choice though,  I play the hero I'd love to be.  Some just want to watch a story unfold and that is all well and dandy.  It's more enjoyable for me thinking I am saving the world.  I don't consider it "limiting myself".  Actually,  quite the opposite.  

[Maniccc]

I'm a guy, and years ago I always played as a guy.  Then one day I tried to play a female character, and hey, I had fun.  If I go into a character creator and I'm making a guy, I just skip everything.  I'm a dude, and I don't care how my dude character looks.  But a woman?  Sue me, but I like pretty women, so I try to make female characters pretty.  So in a way, I get more out of a game by playing female characters.  I still play a male character now and then, but I mostly make female characters.

 

I'll also say this:  I don't understand the idea that "I relate to my character more" or "I want to play as me..." and that sort of thing.  The character is not me, it's a character, like the protagonist in a movie or a book.  I don't want to play "me."  I am me, all the time.  I want to play someone who is not me, so the notion of playing myself in a game seems odd.

[Barathos]

As with any game I've played, if I can play male, I'll play male. That's just my preference, as I happen to be male. If I'm forced to play female (Tomb Raider, for example) it won't bother me, because I'm playing HER story, not my story.

 

In Bioware games, I look at it as "This is me in a fantasy/sci-fi environment with X Y and Z going on, how would I react?" I don't have a backstory aside from the one given, and so I just go with it and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I've tried playing as a female, but I just... can't. It's too weird for me.

[Vaseldwa]

I rarely play as a man and when I do its for story reasons. Like in DAO, wanting my warden to be the OGB's dad. But for the most part I play as my own gender, which is female. But why do I like playing as a women, well simply put because I am one. 

[Swin]

Seems to me there are two camps, and it seems to hinge on how we relate to the protagonist:

 

- Those that prefer to stick to their own gender. These people tend to directly identify with the character they play. It is a representation of themselves.

 

- Those that mix it up. These people see the characters as autonomous. They are fictional characters.

 

I'm in the second group, maybe it's because I'm creative and a hobbyist writer, especially in this genre. I immerse myself in video games the same way I would a book, as escapism.

[DetcelferVisionary]

Seems to me there are two camps, and it seems to hinge on how we relate to the protagonist:

 

- Those that prefer to stick to their own gender. These people tend to directly identify with the character they play. It is a representation of themselves.

 

- Those that mix it up. These people see the characters as autonomous. They are fictional characters.

 

I'm in the second group, maybe it's because I'm creative and a hobbyist writer, especially in this genre. I immerse myself in video games the same way I would a book, as escapism.

 

As I belong to the first camp, I would just like to point out it's not for any lack of immersion on my part.  I can read a book and not see myself in any particular character.  It's different when we're allowed to role play.  To me,  that is what these games are all about.  It's an RPG after all.  You,  the individual are role-playing however you want to be and act and do things that we would not normally do but perhaps would like to.  I play through these games multiple times and multiple ways,  but my first play through is always myself trying to be more.  

 

There was a great letter written by a quadriplegic sent to SOE thanking them for Everquest.  You see,  the MMO world allowed him to walk where as before he could not.  He imagined himself walking in their world.  I believe many people such as myself want to imagine themselves to be more than what they are.  Games give us that great outlet.  I see nothing wrong with that (not that you were accusing or anything).

[Swin]

It's just two different ways of looking at it, there's no more or less immersion in either one. It's still roleplaying.

 

I just find it interesting that some people see the character as a direct representation of themselves, and some people like myself, have a sort of detachment in that regard.

[JAZZ_LEG3ND]

I play w/e, but typically find myself gravitating towards female character... think it's an aesthetic thing, I tend to play games as an observer, sort of like I'm a storyteller, and I like female protagonists, it gives a lot of stories a fresh feeling, and thus I feel more in control of the narrative, like it's more personal... or something.

Here’s a thing my poor little brain has never wrapped around. I see a lot… like a lot of people say they don’t play as the other gender because they can’t relate. What does that mean? We’re all people, no?

[AlexiaRevan]

I'm a women , and played as dude in the past because there were no other options . I have been playing games since the Atari , and it always has been a dude you play as . 

 

Games changed , and now we can play as a women . It got harder going back to playing a dude , mostly due to the voice . In Mass effect I couldnt stand Maleshep voice . And the romance offered for a women (even though I'm a Lesbian) was so lame....., the best ones that fit for me were always for a guy . 

 

 

 like a lot of people say they don’t play as the other gender because they can’t relate. What does that mean? We’re all people, no?

I connect with a women charachter , know her..and can say how she will react to this or that . If I play a Dude...it like...I have to think how he will react , and don't feel connected to him . Because I'm not him . While with a women toon , even if I role play 3 different Hawke or femshep.....some of me will always slip back in there . If she does something Paragon...or renegade...some of me will be in there . With a guy charachter , it is like he is my toon..but none of me will slip in there . 

 

At least...thats how I feel now . Aging change thing...I never had this kind of issue in the past . I romanced Aribeth as a dude , Visas Marr as a dude...

 

Come DAO and Mass effect..and I couldn't bring myself to do it . That..and Jennifer Hale voice..is amazing 

 

Edit: And one more thing , if anything I figure out since they started giving us the option of playing as a women it is how much I personally craved being me . Or have a hero that is a She I can relate to.....

One could say , we have our confort zone..and it is hard to get out of it for some of us . If I feel confy being a women charachter , it is very hard to play as opposite.....and the only thing that would bring me to do it would be a romance . And I do suck at Role Playing , find out in Sims 2 where I would make a Me in there lol 

[Swin]

@ Jazz_Leg3nd

 

I find the "I can't relate" to the opposite gender argument a little weak too.

 

Don't get me wrong, I respect those that see themselves in games and therefore play as their own gender. I get the, I'm a man/woman so I play as a man/woman argument.

 

I do however find it odd that people think men and women are so different. It's not being male or female that identifies a person so much as their life experiences, goals, desires, insecurities and personality. These are all independent of sex.

 

PS. Does anyone know why I can't quote or copy and paste in this silly message board? It's getting annoying!

[Kirikou]

I use guys for my canon or "good" runs and females for my more ruthless runs.

[cindercatz]

I play both, but to me I'm telling a story, not living it. I just change my perspective character if I need to for romance scenes or whatever. The story's just more interesting if there's more variation in the characters, particularly if you play new characters every game in a series like Dragon Age. It's more difficult if you play the same character game to game. I never finished my femShep playthrough of Mass Effect 3 for that reason. It got to be too much about self identification, and that got harder to reconcile as the series went on. (edit: never finished a second character of either gender on ME3 though, only complete pt was male) Dragon Age, my characters will probably end up about equal gender ratio. If I'm only playing through a game once though, and you can decide your own character, I'll usually play a male character. Replay, or whether I anticipate replaying a game, is a major deciding factor.

it also depends on what type of game it is. Offline i can do whatever.

If it is an MMO, i have to go male. Playing a female You can only get so many selfies from drunk fellas trying to show off their muscles before you go jump off a cliff. No i dont need help! I dont care where the magic armor is! No i don't want to chat! Im a dude git off me!!

Yeah, that did make playing female toons rough. MMOs kind of force self inserts after a while. Roleplaying goes out the window after a certain point. I don't think it's exclusive to either gender though. I got plenty of bites from women playing MMOs. It's just awkward when it's other dudes hitting on a fem toon, especially if they don't ask. And probably even more awkward when your girl wants to play gender swap with you because they don't get why you play fem alts. lol Don't recommend that. Uncomfortable.  Just so you know, ladies. lol

 

edit @Swin      You should be able to? Probably a browser or platform issue. Also, antitracking software can block buttons or features on these boards sometimes.

[Wolf]

It's an immersion tool for me. I can only really get into it if I play a male character. That likely has a lot to do with me modelling my characters after different sides of my personality, so playing male is just another way of immersing myself(the real me) in the world.

 

Might seem ridiculous to some, but hey, freedom of choice and all that. 

[JR1911]

Mass Effect was the first game that I thought 'hey, why not try playing as a female'. I enjoyed it a lot and ever since then I've always played a female character in games that allow choosing gender. I tried playing a male character in DA:I so I could romance Cassandra but abandoned that playthrough for now shortly after reaching Skyhold, it was just so boring. I've always romanced women in games though, but I might try my first gay romance with Dorian at some point, he's just such a good character.

[Bayonet Hipshot]

I play both genders, as long as I can find a satisfying backstory and roleplaying to go along with that particular character. 

 

I mean this is a roleplaying game after all. A good roleplaying gamer should be able to roleplay any character regardless of gender or race if the backstory and character is set up properly. 

 

This line of thinking stems primarily from the reasons why I play video games in the first place.

 

Yes, I do roleplay as myself and make the choices I would personally make in a roleplaying game once, I call this my canon playthrough. However, the other times, I play any character that I would like to play, primarily because of the challenge and fun. 

 

When I create a character, I usually create their backstory followed by their fundamental philosophies and then nail down their idiosyncrasies. Then I let the story and game naturally unfold accordingly. I do not plan their romances or their builds outright. I let the character's personality, which is a byproduct of their backstory + philosophy + idiosyncrasy determine what skills they would pick and who they would romance, if anyone. 

 

It has been very interesting to read the replies in this thread through. It shows how other people roleplay and why they roleplay in the first place. 

 

Some, like me, do it out of challenge and fun. Some do it just because of self inserts. Some do it because lack of female playable characters or homosexual playable characters. Some do it to experience the different types of romances. 

[Zenthar Aseth]

 

I'll also say this:  I don't understand the idea that "I relate to my character more" or "I want to play as me..." and that sort of thing.  The character is not me, it's a character, like the protagonist in a movie or a book.  I don't want to play "me."  I am me, all the time.  I want to play someone who is not me, so the notion of playing myself in a game seems odd.

Keyword: you don't want to play you. Other people enjoy playing themselves in an alien environment. "What would I do if it was me in this situation?" 

 

I doubt anyone is playing as a 100% self-insert anyways, since that's pretty much impossible due to dialogue being pre-written without consulting you about it, but most people have a lot of themselves in their characters.

 

I am me, all the time. But I like being me. I have no desire to be a woman, whatsoever.

 

Here’s a thing my poor little brain has never wrapped around. I see a lot… like a lot of people say they don’t play as the other gender because they can’t relate. What does that mean? We’re all people, no?

We're all people, yes, but women and men are different. This might be an unpopular truth among certain groups, but it's something that most of the population still thinks.

[Yosharian]

Out of curiosity, why do you only play one gender? I play both, always have (since BG in fact) and never thought twice about it. What motivates you to limit yourself to only one?

What motivates you to play as both?

A lot of players see themselves as their character in RPG games, so it's completely natural to play only as your own gender.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

I really don't see myself at all in the character, always just a game to me. I find it interesting how so many say they cannot relate to the opposite gender...very interesting indeed.

[Bayonet Hipshot]

I really don't see myself at all in the character, always just a game to me. I find it interesting how so many say they cannot relate to the opposite gender...very interesting indeed.

 

Not many are capable of immersing themselves into fantasy or fiction just for the sake of entertainment or challenge of doing so. 

 

I think this is because many people like to immerse themselves into fantasy by relating to something that is innately them, something that is very difficult to change. Hence gender.  The idea of escaping reality into fantasy and fiction as someone else is difficult for them. 

 

They want the totality of the escapism I think. They want to truly experience escapism as themselves. Video games are the first type of entertainment medium that allows a user to do this. Given the crappy nature of real life, I cannot blame them for wanting or doing this. 

[nightscrawl]

I primarily play female. It's my real life gender and enables me to live vicariously through my character. That said, for me it all depends on the CC -- and now voice -- options. I never could create a guy that I liked in DAO; I tried several times and did play a bit with one of them, but was never really into it. On the other hand, I quite liked the male Hawke I was able to make and did a few DA2 plays as him. Likewise with DAI, in fact I think I may just like my male Inquisitor better than my female one (though a huge part of that is probably Dorian...)

[Battlebloodmage]

I like to play as females in most other games because they don't allow you to play as a gay character, and I'm not too big into the usually straight white guy saving the world, but I like to play as a males in Bioware games because it actually allow you to be gay if you so choose.