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[Grieving Natashina]

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.

I know that I'm not the person you were quoting, but as someone that does play both genders from time-to-time, my motivation is: Why not?  It's there and the option is available.  I sometimes walk in another man's shoes for a bit.  I don't play male characters often, but I play them from time to time.

 

It's late and I've been up longer than should, so hopefully you know that I'm not trying to imply that there is anything wrong with not playing the opposite gender.  I prefer playing my own gender as well.   I also didn't play a male character in a RPG (where you have the gender choice) for years until DA2.  I ended up enjoying playing as male Hawke, and I've got a male character I'm saving for an Inquisition play through.  I'm waiting for some more bug fixes and patches before I break him out. 

 

 One of the reasons I prefer playing my own gender is, simply, I generally suck at making good looking male characters.  Just like with some of the men in here that prefer playing attractive female PCs, if I'm going to play a male character, it's someone I want to have look good.  It's a struggle for me to get a male PC just right.   If I've got hours of cutscenes to look at him, I want him to be someone I'd find attractive as well.   <shrug>

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

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. 

I should add I also like to spend copious amounts of time in the character creator; I am quite proud of the dwarf I created for that reason. Another reason to play females.

[Grieving Natashina]

I should add I also like to spend copious amounts of time in the character creator; I am quite proud of the dwarf I created for that reason. Another reason to play females.

As a fellow dwarf fan, could you send me a PM with screenshots of your Cadash?  I was really proud of mine too, and I'm going to miss her until DLCs start coming out.  

[ReadingRambo220]

I play both, but my first character or a "main" in a MMO is always a male (I'm a straight male). I play females to see the story from a different perspective and to have a different NPC balance. I'm kinda OCD in the party composition department so I like to balance out the genders, or have at least one woman. So if I want to see the banter of different NPCs and have them be my main party, for example Blackwall, Dorian, and Solas, id make a female rogue.

I view my female characters as kind of sisters.

People that judge others for playing another gender are very insecure in my experience.

[joejoe099]

who the hell says it's limiting? I'm a dude, I like playing as dudes, therefore i play only as dudes. Big woop, wana fight about it?

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

As a fellow dwarf fan, could you send me a PM with screenshots of your Cadash?  I was really proud of mine too, and I'm going to miss her until DLCs start coming out.  

Here you go:

 

[berrieh]

I generally play only women (I'm a woman). I often try a male playthrough in a BioWare but have not yet completed one in a DA game or ME game (though I did watch my boyfriend play a male Shep and share the controller and decisions - we played ME through together first, and we do controller swap with games we both like). 

 

There are so few games with great women characters - it's hard for me to get into a male character in these games when I know I can play a woman. I do think I want to play at least one (probably 2) male characters in DA:I eventually, but we'll see. I want to romance both Dorian and Cassandra. In DA:O, you only need a male to romance Morrigan, and I think one of the reasons I didn't enjoy my playthrough was I was romancing her (I got through about half, started the romance, then quit) - though a male Warden romancing both Morrigan and Leliana might have been interesting. I like Morrigan as my tough-but-vulnerable gal-pal, but as a love interest, she just felt tedious to me. Though I find all the LIs sub-par to Alistair in DA:O. In DA2, you can romance anyone as a woman, so that wasn't an incentive, though I did try male Hawke but not get through the playthrough. In ME, I saw the Ashley and Miranda romances (Ashley 1 & 3, Miranda 2 but not the end) in my BF's game, and that was enough for me in terms of locked romances. 

 

It's not that I mind playing a dude (80-90% of the video games I pick up don't give me a choice). And the more games that come out with options or great female characters, the less attached I am to playing female because the more I get to do it. 

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

I know that I'm not the person you were quoting, but as someone that does play both genders from time-to-time, my motivation is: Why not?  It's there and the option is available.  I sometimes walk in another man's shoes for a bit.  I don't play male characters often, but I play them from time to time.

 

It's late and I've been up longer than should, so hopefully you know that I'm not trying to imply that there is anything wrong with not playing the opposite gender.  I prefer playing my own gender as well.   I also didn't play a male character in a RPG (where you have the gender choice) for years until DA2.  I ended up enjoying playing as male Hawke, and I've got a male character I'm saving for an Inquisition play through.  I'm waiting for some more bug fixes and patches before I break him out. 

 

 One of the reasons I prefer playing my own gender is, simply, I generally suck at making good looking male characters.  Just like with some of the men in here that prefer playing attractive female PCs, if I'm going to play a male character, it's someone I want to have look good.  It's a struggle for me to get a male PC just right.   If I've got hours of cutscenes to look at him, I want him to be someone I'd find attractive as well.   <shrug>

I think it has been the opposite for me. I never really cared about the appearance of my male characters but spent a lot of time on female ones. That has changed recently as my other playthrough I just started (an Andrastian male dwarf that I will hopefully turn into a movie), spent a lot of time making him too.

[MiyoKit]

I tend to play rpgs as an extension of myself. Because of this, I tend to skip games that force me to be a man. Then, if I'm given a choice (DA, ME games) my 'main char' is always an archer / sniper, she's always blonde, and she's always a she. Only on following playthroughs will I consider changing this trope, but very, very rarely does that include gender. I just don't find myself caring about male protags and so don't enjoy being one :/.

[Gaesesagai]

Hmm, reading some answers here I will mention I too have a "type" of character I use lol... where available of course. I only play males, and gay whenever possible (aka in Bioware games lol), and I always fiddle for hours with the CC, trying to make them attractive  I'm so shallow... 

[NugHugs]

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.

Originally I found the man shepard's voice to be really bland and devoid of personality . . but that really worked in my favor when it came to role playing anyway. Lol, maybe butch is too strong a word but she does seem tomboyish, though this could have a lot to do with her using the same manly animations as male shep. For me it's her voice.

[Maniccc]

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.

I'm not sure why you're quoting me.  Sounds like you're trying to make an argument about something, but you're just saying the exact same thing I did, until the end.  I have no desire to be a woman, but that has nothing at all to do with using a female PC in a game.  That PC is not me, does not represent me one bit.  It is a fictional character I create within the confines of the game.  Did Stephen King write Carrie because he wants to be a woman?  Of course not.  It's a story with a female protagonist, that's all.

 

These types of games are story oriented, and we as players have some ability to write it, in a very limited way.  So that's what I'm doing..simply creating a character I like, and telling her story within the game.  

 

My playthrough was a female human mage.  I thought of her as a motherly sort of ruler character, one that believes she is chosen by the Maker, one who sees herself as a nurturer and caretaker and protector of people (her children) as she steps into the role of inquisitor.  So I chose all the options that involved pro-faith and pro-the people and were based on this general concept.  She romanced no one, because that made no sense for her.  She tolerated Sera's antics, seeing her as a young and somewhat unruly child who needs patience and a gentle, if sometimes firm, hand.  And so on.  She's not me, I don't identify with her, I don't want to be her.  She's just a character.

 

I'd be doing another playthrough but I can't because the patch broke my game and it crashes every time I try to play it.  But that new character would be a...female Qunari.  And she's going to be a rebel, and angry and violent.  Again, not me, not who I am, not who I want to be.  Just a character I think I might like to create as much as I can within the game.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

I'm not sure why you're quoting me.  Sounds like you're trying to make an argument about something, but you're just saying the exact same thing I did, until the end.  I have no desire to be a woman, but that has nothing at all to do with using a female PC in a game.  That PC is not me, does not represent me one bit.  It is a fictional character I create within the confines of the game.  Did Stephen King write Carrie because he wants to be a woman?  Of course not.  It's a story with a female protagonist, that's all.

 

These types of games are story oriented, and we as players have some ability to write it, in a very limited way.  So that's what I'm doing..simply creating a character I like, and telling her story within the game.  

 

My playthrough was a female human mage.  I thought of her as a motherly sort of ruler character, one that believes she is chosen by the Maker, one who sees herself as a nurturer and caretaker and protector of people (her children) as she steps into the role of inquisitor.  So I chose all the options that involved pro-faith and pro-the people and were based on this general concept.  She romanced no one, because that made no sense for her.  She tolerated Sera's antics, seeing her as a young and somewhat unruly child who needs patience and a gentle, if sometimes firm, hand.  And so on.  She's not me, I don't identify with her, I don't want to be her.  She's just a character.

 

I'd be doing another playthrough but I can't because the patch broke my game and it crashes every time I try to play it.  But that new character would be a...female Qunari.  And she's going to be a rebel, and angry and violent.  Again, not me, not who I am, not who I want to be.  Just a character I think I might like to create as much as I can within the game.

I am the same. It is just a character for me with a different twist each time. I find it interesting that for a company that is all about diversity so many people who play the game state flatly that they cannot play anything but their own gender for reasons of not being able to relate. Are BW's customers more close minded than we thought?

[OriginalTibs]

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?

Because I like who I am. Authenticity isn't a limitation, it is an opportunity.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

Because I like who I am. Authenticity isn't a limitation, it is an opportunity.

An opportunity for what? experiencing only one facet of something? Not sure I get you.

[XxPrincess(x)ThreatxX]

Im usually ok with using both, although i prefer playing as female since its a change from the usual "generic male badass" character thats overused in the majority of games

[SofaJockey]

There's no right or wrong here.

Many people, possibly even most people, self-insert.

I don't, I role play and am delighted to do so and actually for that reason (as a male player) I predominantly play as female.

 

Both approaches are fine and the game allows for both.

[MetalGear312]

Whelp, I guess I can't play Rise of the Tomb Raider because I'm male and Laura Croft is a chick. I have no idea why people can't just apply their gender (or what they identify as) to their "canon" and if they want to, play with other genders later. I'm male, I want my main character to be male, yet I also feel inclined towards playing with various genders and races. I don't find people limited by their decision to not play the opposite gender, I myself just don't understand why they're bothered when it's just a game.

[OriginalTibs]

An opportunity for what? experiencing only one facet of something? Not sure I get you.

Inauthentic experience is representational. Authentic experience is immediate, it has presence. The quality is greater, more intense, and meaningful. If I intellectualize a character out there that character is remote and less vital.

 

For me, when I play another character in my party the experience is a shadow of the experience I have in my character. Similarly I find dissonance attempting to 'be' a female.

 

I certainly understand your alternative method, but to me inauthenticity is less vivid. Cerebral abstraction of character into a 'make-believe' role entails other limitations of artificiality and keeps what I take to be 'immersion' at arm's length.

 

Other hand, despite my humanity, I seem to have a facility for 'being' an elf or a dwarf. I'm not yet adequately integrated with a persona of Qunari, but I intend to try.

[OriginalTibs]

Whelp, I guess I can't play Rise of the Tomb Raider because I'm male and Laura Croft is a chick. I have no idea why people can't just apply their gender (or what they identify as) to their "canon" and if they want to, play with other genders later. I'm male, I want my main character to be male, yet I also feel inclined towards playing with various genders and races. I don't find people limited by their decision to not play the opposite gender, I myself just don't understand why they're bothered when it's just a game.

I can't play Lara Croft because the button-mashing obstacles are for young players with nimbler fingers than I have. Unenjoyable.

[Eldrid]

I play a certain gender depending on how I want to view or progress a story but I usually play a female character first as I am one.  First play through for me is always about how personally I can relate to the story as it helps me immerse and relate to the characters. Usually for my next ones, is about knowing different perspectives.

 

The exemption for me is the time I played ME, I played the trilogy as Male Shep as I think its more fitted to the story (but this is just me). I played it more as a third person than on a personal level but it worked perfectly fine for me. 

 

Also, i have no real qualms on video games who have one specific gender protagonist (usually a male) unless if they actually do something offensive about any gender. As a woman, I just view it as if I am reading a book and I'm just there playing it.

[FreshRevenge]

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[PrinceLionheart]

Does it really matter? For the life of me, I'll never understand why people will have gripes over how others play a game. 

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

Inauthentic experience is representational. Authentic experience is immediate, it has presence. The quality is greater, more intense, and meaningful. If I intellectualize a character out there that character is remote and less vital.

 

For me, when I play another character in my party the experience is a shadow of the experience I have in my character. Similarly I find dissonance attempting to 'be' a female.

 

I certainly understand your alternative method, but to me inauthenticity is less vivid. Cerebral abstraction of character into a 'make-believe' role entails other limitations of artificiality and keeps what I take to be 'immersion' at arm's length.

I would argue that arguing from a place of authenticity is a nonstarter to begin with; you are a rift closing, chosen one, head of a massive military organisation that shapes the entirety of the world around you, There is no authenticity to be found there, no matter how much you project yourself onto the character.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

Does it really matter? For the life of me, I'll never understand why people will have gripes over how others play a game. 

Is the desire to understand a gripe? Apparently it is, in your view.