Player vs. character gender

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

Maximus1 wrote:

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!

Yep, that's me, too.

Quote :

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

I feel the same way. It seems deceptive to play a female character in an MMO if a guy is not using voice chat. And if a guy is using voice chat, I just scratch my head in wonder. I have known guys who really like to play female characters in table-top role-playing games. I don't disapprove (live and let live), it's just not my bag.

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

Maximus1 wrote:

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

Bouncy skeleton: http://members.lycos.co.uk/elminster75/hpbimg/bouncyskeleton.gif

Moon bats: https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/img37/8507/vfbats.gif

I found them here: http://wesayso.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=bloodlines

I appreciate the link!

Eliza wrote:

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.

I have encountered women who did that in MMOs, too (although obviously at some point they felt comfortable enough to tell others, I guess those whom they felt were not going to virtually chat them up).

In Dungeons & Dragons Online (and probably other MMOs, too) I know some women like to schedule "ladies nights" for questing and raiding. One of the requirements is "voice chat enabled." I've spoken with a woman who has participated in some of these events and she has tole me that, on occasion, a "woman" will show up and claim "her" microphone is broken. My friend has said that it is always clear very quickly when the "woman" is a guy trying to sneak into what he obviously (and erroneously) believes is going to be some kind of virtual hen party.

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.

Claudia wrote:

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

On one of the DDO servers, there's a group which does it like the 3rd Saturday of every month (or something like that). I think they do it just for the occasional testosterone-free gaming session.

Quote :

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.

If I had a particular persona in mind for a PnP RPG and a female character seemed to suit that persona, I'd create a female character. I usually tend to play the same general character type, though, regardless of mechanics system or genre: a devil-may-care swashbuckler with high dexterity/agility and intelligence, even if it means having a low strength/might and constitution/health/vitality.

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?

Maximus1 wrote:

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?

Battle Clerics in DDO often get a lot of flack for playing "incorrectly."

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.

Childe of Munster wrote:

Maximus1 wrote:

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?

Battle Clerics in DDO often get a lot of flack for playing "incorrectly."

Yeah, Clerics generally take a lot of heat in MMO's and get little praise in return, at least in comparison to their efforts.

I don't really play MMO's, because I don't want to invest the time (and I don't want to run around with a bunch of twelve-year-olds who want to kill everything).

As far as Bloodlines goes, my answer to this question depends on the clan. If I play a Malkavian, like I am currently, then I prefer to play the female, because the male Malkavian skin looks like a doofus. The male Toreador looks like an effete doofus. If I play a Ventrue, then I'll play a male. Both Tremere skins look pretty cool, and both Gangrel are equally unappealing.

I agree that it's sometimes nice to look at the cool female avatars running around on my screen, but it can be a distraction. It it wrong that I felt compelled to look up Yukie's skirt, in Chinatown? That Asian schoolgirl look... (sigh) Okay, i'm back now.

I don't even bother with MMO's anymore, hence my post a few weeks back about it. They are a HUGE time-sink and money drain...designed with basically one purpose, and ongoing money stream for the company putting out whatever MMO you happen to be "hooked into".

When it comes to single player games I can go either way, but usually male. The only reason I hate playing female characters in Bloodlines is because they walk so slow, and I walk everywhere, I rarely run unless I'm in combat.

For MMOs it's different, I have to play a male character, always. I don't know what it is but if I'm playing with other people it just feels wrong playing a female toon. Besides, I almost always play a tank over any other style of toon (dps, controler, healer, glass cannon).

I am female and I prefer to play female characters.
30%
30% [ 3 ]

I am male and I prefer to play male characters.
40%
40% [ 4 ]


Your prediction was wrong, Munster! D:

You people are sandbagging me!

LMAO Munster...quick, change the poll, so you and I can vote twice

Then i'll vote three times!

In a single player game, ladybutt wins every time.

I've spent countless hours trying to figure out how to make the females walk faster. If I ever unravel that mystery, I'll be up for playing a female once again. Until that time, it's straight Testosterone for me!