For single-player games, I prefer to play female characters. I guess it's just nicer to look at a female avatar running around.

For multi-player games, however, I nearly always play a male character.

My bet (and if I turn out to be wrong on this, I'll know you all colluded to sandbag me ) is that "male player, female character" will come out on top (assuming enough people vote).

Ditto's for instance there are TONS of race mods for Oblivion, and 99% of them are some type of good looking female model or race. I can't even tell you the times I've attempted to make a decent looking male character for Oblivion and in the end I just gave up even trying. They all ended up either looking like some feminized male or some other botched looking horrible monstrosity.

And yes, call it what you will, but it is much easier on the eyes anyhow, even if is just some... "toon" It still beats looking at some malformed ugly dude! I am and play a dude in RL, I don't necessarily have to play one in a game as well...I've been doing it all my life LMAO. Though in all the MMO's I've ever played over the many years, I ALWAYS played a male avatar! I never wanted any misunderstandings, I found it discomforting enough during the very "rare" occasions that a female avatar in a mmorg attempted to get me to go on a virtual...er...date. I can only imagine how I'd have felt, if I had been running around with a female avatar and have that happen...talk about awkward and CREEPY ! So play female toons? Yeah, but only in a single player game...I doubt the NPC's really give a crap one way or the other

On a slightly different note, Munster where are you finding all these cool animated forum avatars? Thanks buddy!

Male and plaing male characters. Plaing a female character would be kind of awkward for me, especially in multiplayer. But thats is not a problem with VTMB, since there is no multiplayer

Female and playing female characters. No surprise, really, but I agree with Maximus1 on this one - I can appreciate a pretty butt if I know I'll look at it for quite some time while I'm playing... not to mention that dressing up avatars can be as much fun as dressing up dolls (or oneself). I'll just blame that second part on my inner child.
Concerning MMOs I can only agree, too. No problem if guys prefer female characters over their male counterparts, but then they should have the guts to be honest if somehow the question about genders arises. Or simply stay silent.
Oh, and I remember having met a female gamer playing a male toon, reasoning that she wouldn't be bugged this way by anybody curious about the 'virtual date' part. Seemed like it had worked out pretty well for her.

Male with Male characters, both in single player and MMORPG. I don't know, it's just weird not to. I believe i have played only once with a female in VtmB, and never got past Santa Monica lol

I appreciate the link!

Seriously ? I've never encountered girls playing only between themselves.. sectarians

Well I clicked I was a Woman playing women characters because it feels a bit more natural to me in video games to play female characters when I have the choice, but it does happen in pen and papers I chose to play male characters because it suits best the kind of personna I imagined.

I've always played ( well mostly ) a similar type character to the one Munster mentions. Usually in any MMO, I tend to generate the 'rogue and ranger' type or similar class of DPS character. If the class was available to me, then I'd roll a monk / martial arts type character...go figure huh? Never was much for playing a mage ( glass cannon ), nor much for playing the main tank, board and sword. Healer...forget it...if I played a healer in any MMO, my team would all be dead, as ole Max waded out into the fray, trying to lay the smack down on the mobs and wonder why in the hell I and everyone else was dying...

Oh wait...I'm a healer...duh...scratch one team of intrepid adventurers.

Team: Max...you idiot! Max: Hmm...What?

The first time I play through an MMO, or any new game actually, I play a close representation of myself [male playing male]. If I create an alternate character, or play through subsequent times, then I will choose other races and genders to try different things out. I don't ever pretend to be anything I'm not when speaking to other people. In regards to MMO's, if I'm chatting with someone, I don't represent my text speech as being a female when I'm actually a male.