I'm one of those that makes fun of people who play female avatars, and I prefer to use someone who represents me and someone who I can relate to. When you go to a movie that's all about women, like "The Notebook", or that other "Sisterhood of Traveling Pants" whatever it was called, you do not like it or can't stand to watch it because you cannot relate to it. You're only there because your girlfriend made you go.
I guess you watch male/male pr0n as well? because you cant stand the ones with females starring?
This has more to do with animations than anything else. The female characters animations are 90% of the time more fluid, graceful with loads of secondary actions laid in. Male character animations are rigid, uptight and look like the character has a stick up their butt. You can blame this on horny game designers putting in more effort on female characters than males (And you know I'm right about that), but regardless, female characters always seem to be given that extra attention.
The other major detail is the way armor sets sit on the character. Female characters usually have very proportionate details, with male characters having silly proportions which drive me nuts to look at. How the same shoulders get scaled up 10x on a male are beyond me.
And quite frankly, I find the excuse that "it's just nicer to look at, I prefer looking at a female butt than a male one" is just lame. Not direct offense, of course, but the point of games is not to look at your characters behind. I suppose it just depends on the type of person you are. When I play an MMORPG, I play it to live in a fantasy world - to immerse myself. I thought that was the whole point of such games, to be some hero of some fantasy land - beyond the dullness of the real world.
You can experience the story of a movie/book/game without pretending you're that character. That's the difference between role playing and just playing the game. Neither one is doing it the right way or better than the other. It's simply a different mind set towards how it's done.
It's a bit boring if the only characters you make are those modeled after yourself, but I used to play tabletop RPGs where you had to learn how to make different characters of varying personalities. I haven't created a character as myself thinking, "this is me," since I was a kid. Creating a representation of myself in a video game just doesn't interest me anymore as it may have when I was a kid. I don't roleplay in MMOs, so the issue of relating to a female character doesn't even come up.
It really just boils down to aesthetics, I prefer the look of female characters. That's probably because I'm a straight male, so I don't really have much interest in making a male character look good or aesthetically pleasing. When I play a male character, I tend to just choose some generic default look thinking "meh looks good enough" (I used the default male Shepard in Mass Effect). Whereas with female characters, I tend to put in more thought and time into their customization and visual gear choices. I guess if I'm going to play dress-up with a character, it might as well be female.
I guess I like to be passionate about my character or it's not worth playing to me. Especially in an MMO that requires so much time put into it. If I'm playing as a character I can't relate to there isn't much feeling there one way or another. I'd rather feel something about my charter then nothing.
For me, the gender of my character has nothing to do with how passionate I may be while playing him/her. That seems kind of silly. Some game allow different races, am I NOT going to be passionate about my character because I chose to play an Orc or Elf instead of White Male Human?
I'm one of those that makes fun of people who play female avatars, and I prefer to use someone who represents me and someone who I can relate to. When you go to a movie that's all about women, like "The Notebook", or that other "Sisterhood of Traveling Pants" whatever it was called, you do not like it or can't stand to watch it because you cannot relate to it. You're only there because your girlfriend made you go.
I guess you watch male/male pr0n as well? because you cant stand the ones with females starring?
I believe you are missing the point. Lets take you example and say you are watching porn. If you were a heterosexual male you would probably be pretending to be the man who is having sex with the woman in the porn. Not pretending to be the women having sex with the man. In a porn with two women having sex you would probably not really care other then visual stimulation. In a video with with two men having sex you would probably feel nothing, feel uncomfortable, or feel sickened by the thought of portraying either male.
The gender of my in game character depends upon the armor styles. Which ever gender gets better looking armor i play that.
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.' -Jesse Schell
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid." -Luke McKinney
It's a bit boring if the only characters you make are those modeled after yourself, but I used to play tabletop RPGs where you had to learn how to make different characters of varying personalities. I haven't created a character as myself thinking, "this is me," since I was a kid. Creating a representation of myself in a video game just doesn't interest me anymore as it may have when I was a kid. I don't roleplay in MMOs, so the issue of relating to a female character doesn't even come up.
It really just boils down to aesthetics, I prefer the look of female characters. That's probably because I'm a straight male, so I don't really have much interest in making a male character look good or aesthetically pleasing. When I play a male character, I tend to just choose some generic default look thinking "meh looks good enough" (I used the default male Shepard in Mass Effect). Whereas with female characters, I tend to put in more thought and time into their customization and visual gear choices. I guess if I'm going to play dress-up with a character, it might as well be female.
I guess I like to be passionate about my character or it's not worth playing to me. Especially in an MMO that requires so much time put into it. If I'm playing as a character I can't relate to there isn't much feeling there one way or another. I'd rather feel something about my charter then nothing.
For me, the gender of my character has nothing to do with how passionate I may be while playing him/her. That seems kind of silly. Some game allow different races, am I NOT going to be passionate about my character because I chose to play an Orc or Elf instead of White Male Human?
Actually Orc and Elf are just different representations of different characteristics of humans that dates back to a very long time ago. If you are an Orc you are really just a big brutish human. If you are elf you are just a pretty agile human with pointy ears.
I guess you watch male/male pr0n as well? because you cant stand the ones with females starring?
Don't insult people like me who like male/male erotica because we can't stand the ones with women in them. Not that I can't stand women in general, but I don't identify with them in porn - that's not me, and I get easily jealous or territorial seeing a female other than me get male attention, nor do I want the male stereotype of a playboy bunny anywhere near my personal fantasies. People in my demographic as far as erotica preferences go are generally nothing like darkheart - I would never make fun of someone making any character because that's what they like. I only complain if someone makes a character specifically to annoy other players.
I usually make a male character because that's more commonly what I'm in the mood to roleplay and play dressup with. But sometimes I do feel like being myself, so I make a female character. In any MMO where it's normal to have one or more alts I always have at least one character of each gender.
I want to help design and develop a PvE-focused, solo-friendly, sandpark MMO which combines crafting, monster hunting, and story. So PM me if you are starting one.
Originally posted by Darknessguy64For me, the gender of my character has nothing to do with how passionate I may be while playing him/her. That seems kind of silly. Some game allow different races, am I NOT going to be passionate about my character because I chose to play an Orc or Elf instead of White Male Human?
Actually I think the fact that some audience segments are passionately interested in playing one race and passionately NOT interested in playing another race is exactly why MMOs spend money developing a variety of races. Also why they usually add new races to a game in pairs, because there's larger chance people won't dislike both.
I want to help design and develop a PvE-focused, solo-friendly, sandpark MMO which combines crafting, monster hunting, and story. So PM me if you are starting one.
Originally posted by zzax I guess you watch male/male pr0n as well? because you cant stand the ones with females starring?
I believe you are missing the point. Lets take you example and say you are watching porn. If you were a heterosexual male you would probably be pretending to be the man who is having sex with the woman in the porn. Not pretending to be the women having sex with the man. In a porn with two women having sex you would probably not really care other then visual stimulation. In a video with with two men having sex you would probably feel nothing, feel uncomfortable, or feel sickened by the thought of portraying either male.
I dont pretend to be either, I just want to SEE hot chicks. Be it wallpaper, calendar, poster, game, porn, real life. It is so obvious that I dont imagine myself thinking otherwise. Have nothing against gays btw, so dont feel offended.
Originally posted by zzax I guess you watch male/male pr0n as well? because you cant stand the ones with females starring?
I believe you are missing the point. Lets take you example and say you are watching porn. If you were a heterosexual male you would probably be pretending to be the man who is having sex with the woman in the porn. Not pretending to be the women having sex with the man. In a porn with two women having sex you would probably not really care other then visual stimulation. In a video with with two men having sex you would probably feel nothing, feel uncomfortable, or feel sickened by the thought of portraying either male.
I dont pretend to be either, I just want to SEE hot chicks. Be it wallpaper, calendar, poster, game, porn, real life. It is so obvious that I dont imagine myself thinking otherwise. Have nothing against gays btw, so dont feel offended.
I have nothing against gays either, but I'm not gay.
For mmos I always play male characters. Just like from my table top days I role play a little and my character is a virtual fantasy version of myself. I don't get the I like to stare and their butts view it is just pixels. After a long horrible day at work sometimes logging into my mmo so at least the virtual me can have a good day is my stress release for the day. I don't really care what gender people play though it is creepy seeing all the internet pervs hit on female characters or sick servers like Monnguard in WoW some truly disturbed people frequent Goldshire.
Male because when i play any game where there isn't a pre determined character, like Tomb Raider as meantioned, it just feels more natural. Weird i know. Nothing against those who play female, but to me it's like playing a non humanoid race, since i'm human, or playing an older guy considering i'm still young.
I will, however, make those to enjoy other possibilities for gameplay besides my main. In those cases, i do love animal ike races, for example, since i can just let my imagination fly.
As for the " looking at their behind" part, well i'm not looking at my characters backside when i'm playing. I look that the world around it. Besides, i find anime girls more attractive than video game girls (don't you dare judge me! )
My characters are an extension of myself so I always play male ones. I have made female characters in the past because of T&A but I don't feel connected to them and never really get them to endgame. My girlfriend also hates whenever I have a female character and refuses to marry me in any game that has that feature when I am not a mans. :P
Originally posted by Ticonz My characters are an extension of myself so I always play male ones. I have made female characters in the past because of T&A but I don't feel connected to them and never really get them to endgame. My girlfriend also hates whenever I have a female character and refuses to marry me in any game that has that feature when I am not a mans. :P
I think this is at the core of the disconnect between people who don't see a issue with it and people who do. If you look at your toon as a extension of your personality creating one of the opposite gender will seem off. However if you look at your toon as nothing more than a character on the screen that you just happen to have some degree of control over than the gender really isn't a huge issue and more one of mood than any underlying physiological reason.
I can't sight a single female gamer who plays male characters and when I have asked about this in the past they have almost all responded that it wouldn't feel right where I know a number of male players who don't have a issue with it. I think it really boils down to how males and females look at their characters on average. Now clearly there are exceptions and I am sure some males connect much more closely to their characters than others.
I guess what I am saying is play what you like and people who just dismiss those males who play female toons are really being ignorant at best and down right stupid at worst.
Originally posted by Ticonz My characters are an extension of myself so I always play male ones. I have made female characters in the past because of T&A but I don't feel connected to them and never really get them to endgame. My girlfriend also hates whenever I have a female character and refuses to marry me in any game that has that feature when I am not a mans. :P
I think this is at the core of the disconnect between people who don't see a issue with it and people who do. If you look at your toon as a extension of your personality creating one of the opposite gender will seem off. However if you look at your toon as nothing more than a character on the screen that you just happen to have some degree of control over than the gender really isn't a huge issue and more one of mood than any underlying physiological reason.
I can't sight a single female gamer who plays male characters and when I have asked about this in the past they have almost all responded that it wouldn't feel right where I know a number of male characters who don't have a issue with it. I think it really boils down to how males and females look at their characters on average. Now clearly there are exceptions and I am sure some males connect much more closely to their characters than others.
I guess what I am saying is play what you like and people who just dismiss those males who play female toons are really being ignorant at best and down right stupid at worst.
I am a straight male and like to connect with my character.
Originally posted by Ticonz My characters are an extension of myself so I always play male ones. I have made female characters in the past because of T&A but I don't feel connected to them and never really get them to endgame. My girlfriend also hates whenever I have a female character and refuses to marry me in any game that has that feature when I am not a mans. :P
I think this is at the core of the disconnect between people who don't see a issue with it and people who do. If you look at your toon as a extension of your personality creating one of the opposite gender will seem off. However if you look at your toon as nothing more than a character on the screen that you just happen to have some degree of control over than the gender really isn't a huge issue and more one of mood than any underlying physiological reason.
I can't sight a single female gamer who plays male characters and when I have asked about this in the past they have almost all responded that it wouldn't feel right where I know a number of male characters who don't have a issue with it. I think it really boils down to how males and females look at their characters on average. Now clearly there are exceptions and I am sure some males connect much more closely to their characters than others.
I guess what I am saying is play what you like and people who just dismiss those males who play female toons are really being ignorant at best and down right stupid at worst.
I am a straight male and like to connect with my character.
I assume you mean your female character?
Obviously I am generalizing here and there is plenty of room for people who's preferences are outside the box but I still believe that people who like to see themselves though the eyes of their toon as it where and especially with things like role playing would have much more of a issue playing the opposite gender than those who just see them as a picture on the screen they have some degree of control over.
Originally posted by Ticonz My characters are an extension of myself so I always play male ones. I have made female characters in the past because of T&A but I don't feel connected to them and never really get them to endgame. My girlfriend also hates whenever I have a female character and refuses to marry me in any game that has that feature when I am not a mans. :P
I think this is at the core of the disconnect between people who don't see a issue with it and people who do. If you look at your toon as a extension of your personality creating one of the opposite gender will seem off. However if you look at your toon as nothing more than a character on the screen that you just happen to have some degree of control over than the gender really isn't a huge issue and more one of mood than any underlying physiological reason.
I can't sight a single female gamer who plays male characters and when I have asked about this in the past they have almost all responded that it wouldn't feel right where I know a number of male players who don't have a issue with it. I think it really boils down to how males and females look at their characters on average. Now clearly there are exceptions and I am sure some males connect much more closely to their characters than others.
I guess what I am saying is play what you like and people who just dismiss those males who play female toons are really being ignorant at best and down right stupid at worst.
I think it really comes down to those who RP versus those who don't. People who often feel connected to their players are often the ones who would be willing to experiment with roleplaying. I never use to roleplay but got into it in Age of Conan with PVP-RP. I had a blast RP'ing my character as a savage bear shaman and it was probably the most fun I had in open world PVP where guilds would put bounties on me and try to hunt me down. People hate griefing but if you RP it, people actually enjoy it and will play along with you despite the fact that you kill them over and over.
Originally posted by Ticonz My characters are an extension of myself so I always play male ones. I have made female characters in the past because of T&A but I don't feel connected to them and never really get them to endgame. My girlfriend also hates whenever I have a female character and refuses to marry me in any game that has that feature when I am not a mans. :P
I think this is at the core of the disconnect between people who don't see a issue with it and people who do. If you look at your toon as a extension of your personality creating one of the opposite gender will seem off. However if you look at your toon as nothing more than a character on the screen that you just happen to have some degree of control over than the gender really isn't a huge issue and more one of mood than any underlying physiological reason.
I can't sight a single female gamer who plays male characters and when I have asked about this in the past they have almost all responded that it wouldn't feel right where I know a number of male characters who don't have a issue with it. I think it really boils down to how males and females look at their characters on average. Now clearly there are exceptions and I am sure some males connect much more closely to their characters than others.
I guess what I am saying is play what you like and people who just dismiss those males who play female toons are really being ignorant at best and down right stupid at worst.
I am a straight male and like to connect with my character.
I assume you mean your female character?
Obviously I am generalizing here and there is plenty of room for people who's preferences are outside the box but I still believe that people who like to see themselves though the eyes of their toon as it where and especially with things like role playing would have much more of a issue playing the opposite gender than those who just see them as a picture on the screen they have some degree of control over.
Maybe in touch is a bad way to describe it. I guess it's more I like to be my character while playing in game.
Pretty much all male characters for me, at least the ones I get to max level.
Like others, I view my avatar as an extension of myself in the game world, hence I behave myself, act honorably, and basically try to establish a presence in the game.
But I don't look down on people who decide to play female characters, like they said, they look better from pretty much every angle.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Originally posted by zzax I guess you watch male/male pr0n as well? because you cant stand the ones with females starring?
I believe you are missing the point. Lets take you example and say you are watching porn. If you were a heterosexual male you would probably be pretending to be the man who is having sex with the woman in the porn. Not pretending to be the women having sex with the man. In a porn with two women having sex you would probably not really care other then visual stimulation. In a video with with two men having sex you would probably feel nothing, feel uncomfortable, or feel sickened by the thought of portraying either male.
I dont pretend to be either, I just want to SEE hot chicks. Be it wallpaper, calendar, poster, game, porn, real life. It is so obvious that I dont imagine myself thinking otherwise. Have nothing against gays btw, so dont feel offended.
If you have to rely on a video game to see "HOT CHICKS" you are spending way too much time INSIDE. I did recently discover a video of you though
http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2PrugkCyrY
-Rig
Former GM and associate game designer for SOE and Square Enix. (2001-2008)
Originally posted by Rigamortis If you have to rely on a video game to see "HOT CHICKS" you are spending way too much time INSIDE. I did recently discover a video of you though
Comments
I guess you watch male/male pr0n as well? because you cant stand the ones with females starring?
MAGA
I end up choosing female more than male.
This has more to do with animations than anything else. The female characters animations are 90% of the time more fluid, graceful with loads of secondary actions laid in. Male character animations are rigid, uptight and look like the character has a stick up their butt. You can blame this on horny game designers putting in more effort on female characters than males (And you know I'm right about that), but regardless, female characters always seem to be given that extra attention.
The other major detail is the way armor sets sit on the character. Female characters usually have very proportionate details, with male characters having silly proportions which drive me nuts to look at. How the same shoulders get scaled up 10x on a male are beyond me.
You can experience the story of a movie/book/game without pretending you're that character. That's the difference between role playing and just playing the game. Neither one is doing it the right way or better than the other. It's simply a different mind set towards how it's done.
For me, the gender of my character has nothing to do with how passionate I may be while playing him/her. That seems kind of silly. Some game allow different races, am I NOT going to be passionate about my character because I chose to play an Orc or Elf instead of White Male Human?
I believe you are missing the point. Lets take you example and say you are watching porn. If you were a heterosexual male you would probably be pretending to be the man who is having sex with the woman in the porn. Not pretending to be the women having sex with the man. In a porn with two women having sex you would probably not really care other then visual stimulation. In a video with with two men having sex you would probably feel nothing, feel uncomfortable, or feel sickened by the thought of portraying either male.
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.'
-Jesse Schell
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid."
-Luke McKinney
Actually Orc and Elf are just different representations of different characteristics of humans that dates back to a very long time ago. If you are an Orc you are really just a big brutish human. If you are elf you are just a pretty agile human with pointy ears.
I usually make a male character because that's more commonly what I'm in the mood to roleplay and play dressup with. But sometimes I do feel like being myself, so I make a female character. In any MMO where it's normal to have one or more alts I always have at least one character of each gender.
I dont pretend to be either, I just want to SEE hot chicks. Be it wallpaper, calendar, poster, game, porn, real life. It is so obvious that I dont imagine myself thinking otherwise. Have nothing against gays btw, so dont feel offended.
This. Often I'll model the the female toon off of my wife, and sometimes I'll even name it after her. I think she feels complimented by it
Gaming since 1985; Online gaming since 1995; No End in Sight! My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8POVoJ8fdOseuJ4U1ZX-oA
I have nothing against gays either, but I'm not gay.
In themeparks and when testing, or with secondary characters, i create all female because it's better to my sight.
My main character in a pvp focused mmo is always a male, because exchanging insults or profanities with others players dont fits well in a lady.
Male because when i play any game where there isn't a pre determined character, like Tomb Raider as meantioned, it just feels more natural. Weird i know. Nothing against those who play female, but to me it's like playing a non humanoid race, since i'm human, or playing an older guy considering i'm still young.
I will, however, make those to enjoy other possibilities for gameplay besides my main. In those cases, i do love animal ike races, for example, since i can just let my imagination fly.
As for the " looking at their behind" part, well i'm not looking at my characters backside when i'm playing. I look that the world around it. Besides, i find anime girls more attractive than video game girls (don't you dare judge me!
)
I think this is at the core of the disconnect between people who don't see a issue with it and people who do. If you look at your toon as a extension of your personality creating one of the opposite gender will seem off. However if you look at your toon as nothing more than a character on the screen that you just happen to have some degree of control over than the gender really isn't a huge issue and more one of mood than any underlying physiological reason.
I can't sight a single female gamer who plays male characters and when I have asked about this in the past they have almost all responded that it wouldn't feel right where I know a number of male players who don't have a issue with it. I think it really boils down to how males and females look at their characters on average. Now clearly there are exceptions and I am sure some males connect much more closely to their characters than others.
I guess what I am saying is play what you like and people who just dismiss those males who play female toons are really being ignorant at best and down right stupid at worst.
I am a straight male and like to connect with my character.
I assume you mean your female character?
Obviously I am generalizing here and there is plenty of room for people who's preferences are outside the box but I still believe that people who like to see themselves though the eyes of their toon as it where and especially with things like role playing would have much more of a issue playing the opposite gender than those who just see them as a picture on the screen they have some degree of control over.
I think it really comes down to those who RP versus those who don't. People who often feel connected to their players are often the ones who would be willing to experiment with roleplaying. I never use to roleplay but got into it in Age of Conan with PVP-RP. I had a blast RP'ing my character as a savage bear shaman and it was probably the most fun I had in open world PVP where guilds would put bounties on me and try to hunt me down. People hate griefing but if you RP it, people actually enjoy it and will play along with you despite the fact that you kill them over and over.
Maybe in touch is a bad way to describe it. I guess it's more I like to be my character while playing in game.
Pretty much all male characters for me, at least the ones I get to max level.
Like others, I view my avatar as an extension of myself in the game world, hence I behave myself, act honorably, and basically try to establish a presence in the game.
But I don't look down on people who decide to play female characters, like they said, they look better from pretty much every angle.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
If you have to rely on a video game to see "HOT CHICKS" you are spending way too much time INSIDE. I did recently discover a video of you though
http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2PrugkCyrY
-Rig
Right. And here is you getting immersed:
http://www.destructoid.com//ul/243412-aaheader.jpg