Black Desert - On Gender Locking the Classes

SBFord

On Gender Locking the Classes

One thing that everyone here at MMORPG.com seems to agree on, with regards to Black Desert, Devilian, TERA, and other imported MMOs, is that gender locking classes is an unwanted practice. As a player, you either have to come to accept it, or refuse to play what could be your preferred class. In a genre that’s original intent was to let you play the character of your complete choosing, locking classes behind certain genders seems in opposition of that intent.

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Jasonos

I've never played as famale character... i love women, but it would be so unnatural for me Im male btw

Valentina

I prefer to play characters I can identify with on a very basic level, but as a girl gamer growing up there were very few female protagonists, something that's slowly but surely changing. I'm used to having to play male characters, so when I started playing MMO's and saw that I had an option for the hero of my story to be not only female, but a female that represents me in-game. This was exciting and a little empowering to me at the time. I see very little reason for gender-locking in an MMO, a genre largely attributed with the personalization of our characters being a highlight of the experience. We should all have the option to play characters we want, whether it's about identifying with the character, or simply for the hell of it, it seems archaic to relegate roles based on gender.

Quesa

There are plenty of lore reasons to gender lock a class and I think it's great for immersion.  The picture above is a Black Desert Tamer, the race is probably more akin to a halfling and to many, the race that has that particular set of skills look like children from afar.

I will say that while BDO does have gender locks, they also have the opposite sex counterparts classes, some identical in skill (Wizard/Witch) and some with flavor differences (Ninja/Plum).  Not every class, currently, has a counterpart but I wouldn't say it's outside the realm of possibilities that they continue in this fashion.

Pepeq

What about games that lock classes behind races? Or factions?  Gender locking isn't the end of the world issue as some may make it out to be... because oddly enough, they still play the game anyways.

Reality check... you aren't free to make your character as you would like it to be... you are ALWAYS working with presets that limit your choices.  Always.

Perhaps, just perhaps, gender locking is merely a means to make the classes unique... as intended.

gotha

Mostly play a skinny slightly girly dude because I like skinny dudes and want something pretty to look at as a play. I do not mind games gender locking a class or race or two. It can add to the lore. But black desert takes it way too far.

Sovrath

One thing that everyone here at MMORPG.com seems to agree on, with regards to Black Desert, Devilian, TERA, and other imported MMOs, is that gender locking classes is an unwanted practice.

Everyone? I know I could care less. I believe there are some others who also don't care. Everyone seems to be a bit presumptuous. 

Pepeq

DirtyDozen said:

I don't stare at my character's behind while playing.

LOL, think of it like texting while driving... you weren't standing in the fire, you were admiring your butt.

heerobya

Eh, there are FAR more important considerations to make when choosing to play a MMO.

Just the PC (Politically Correct) Master Race trying to tell us what is right and what is wrong.

Move along...

Quesa

System said:

One thing that everyone here at MMORPG.com seems to agree on, with regards to Black Desert, Devilian, TERA, and other imported MMOs, is that gender locking classes is an unwanted practice. 

I don't find this to be the case and it's quite irresponsible to be making such claims.

waynejr2

System said:

On Gender Locking the Classes

One thing that everyone here at MMORPG.com seems to agree on, with regards to Black Desert, Devilian, TERA, and other imported MMOs, is that gender locking classes is an unwanted practice. As a player, you either have to come to accept it, or refuse to play what could be your preferred class. In a genre that’s original intent was to let you play the character of your complete choosing, locking classes behind certain genders seems in opposition of that intent.

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I don't agree.

whisperwynd

I could care less. Especially if the game has the lore to back up why. 

breadm1x

DMKano said:
I've never played a male character in a MMO.

If I am going to be staring at my characters behind for countless hours might as well enjoy it.







Stop using my lines or i am gonna shoot your gunner down a few more times :P

fs23otm

There is nothing wrong with Gender locked classes if the lore fits it....

Valkyries... Female only...
Amazonian ... Female only..
Monk ... Male only...
Nun ... Female only...
Concubine ... Female only...

I could see some races being asexual... like golems and plant based races...

time007

fs23otm said:

There is nothing wrong with Gender locked classes if the lore fits it....

Valkyries... Female only...
Amazonian ... Female only..
Monk ... Male only...
Nun ... Female only...
Concubine ... Female only...

I could see some races being asexual... like golems and plant based races...

true on all points.  but most other cases of gender locking sucks.  like you gotta be this male warrior, or this female archer.  

Caerulei

Eastern MMOs often are like acting in a play that has already been partially written with established character archtypes. Western MMOs games are comparable to a group of actors performing an impromtu skit. Both models are valid, and not all Eastern/Western games fit in these generalizations. But Black Desert is in no way unusual or as limiting to character possibilities as some games. (See Elsword, Vindictus, Continent of the 9th Seal, Soul Worker).
And to be fully fair, I am using Eastern/Western as tendencies, not rules. Western games that follow the eastern pattern are generally ARPGs like Path of Exile, Diablo, and Torchlight. Many eastern games abandon genderlocking, such as Aion, Archage, Final Fantasy XI/XIV.
I think Black Desert more than makes up for it's gender-locking with amazing character creation and gradual release of male/female counterpart classes.

I used to be unable to play characters that were not both male and resembled me, now, I go out of my way to play characters that are female, other races/species, and/or other ethnicities and my immersion has not taken any hits. (I think playing D&D helped).

dlld

I can more or less play as anything in a singleplayer game that gives no choice, wether that's lara croft in tomb raider or 'insert male criminal' in GTA or something that isn't even human like sonic.

But give me options between male and female I will in the case of humans 99% pick female both in SP and mmo's, and in that sense having a class i think seems enjoyable conflict with my desire to play a female character really puts a downer on everything, generally it ain't really an issue since genderlocking seems to be mostly an asian thing and very few (basically none so far) asian mmo's actually truly interest me.

Slapshot1188

I love locking classes based on race and sex.

I actually believe that it adds to the game.

Dragnelus

I rather dont play male. Im male myself and im too perfect, trying to make myself ingame will only lead in disappointment. So yeh, I play female and dont mind staring at that ass!

toomuch4212

I not only know guys who play female avatars but girl's who play male avatars sometimes as well (My fiancé included). It's much less Taboo than it was years ago.
So before people can yell "its a TraP" I must point out that nowadays it isn't just less taboo for acceptance socially, and being more PC. With the huge emphasis on voice chat in almost every game for almost every guild/clan, roleplaying is the extent of it, luckily... these days.


Depending on the game, class, character models, customization etc. I myself may choose a female avatar at times as for a character you may spend hundreds of hours looking at, to choose a more aesthetically pleasing toon is not only easy on the eyes in some cases. Or I may want a strong stabby, bashing warrior-rogue. Or a soft on the eyes healer.


I don't think the issue is that big of a deal other than the lack of freedom to customize your avatar. It started in the lesser import MMO's as a means of easier coding. But since it's come to the attention of many companies (at least overseas) that a majority of races and even classes in some cases, tend to favor a certain gender ie.; my opinion on male paladin female healers, not the case whatsoever but still "
seems" to be the majority, especially overseas. Not in those specific orders but generally, some genders in certain races, are always more popular while others totally fall to the wayside.
So rather than spend all that extra time coding they go to the safer bet.


I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT AGREE with gender locks however, in some cases it may be needed. The lack of freedom can be a minor or major annoyance and it all depends on the game, class customization, future plans even the player all factor in to the individual level of acceptability in each situation. If it was solely to save money it'd add to the gripe list but saving time on rolling out games, new classes, and in turn even story and other content, it may fall to the player. If given the choice would you want an additional 3 months delay on content or your game for design, creation, development as a whole, implementation, testing etc.


But there have always been race and class combination locks since the start of MMO's as the time in combinations (especially when your talking 5 plus races with two genders each and 12 plus classes). As things move along and games and times themselves change, gamers tend to just accept things and move on. Eventually... but this does seem to maybe be the biggest feather ruffling dev choice since cash shops, almost.


I also have to point out Tera was initially more customizable in their choices, BDO has gone on record claiming they will be adding gender choices to their existing classes and may even add that feature to their new class rollouts including ninja. Time will tell on that front and if any other games follow suit and eventually add more choices in updates. But the practice doesn't seem to be going out of fashion any time soon, as its been adopted by many NA games even AAA titles and not just MMO's either. Even games like the newest Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege has gender locked operator classes.
And with so many race/class locks in MMO's it was just a matter of time until it bled over to genders and in turn into big market AAA MMO and non-MMO's alike.


But personally, it doesn't make or break a game, as most gamers tend to take what they can get nowadays especially in a F2P world. Will it lose players? Absolutely. But until it is the cause of putting a game in total jeopardy, and usually in more than just one market (even NA), it probably wont change this practice, at least for a long time.

bcbully

Not a big deal.

Mensur

I am not a fan of gender lock at all- I love women, and heck some of the character creations on BDO made me feel a bit silly down there if you know what i mean LOL. But I just cant play a mmo on a highly imersive level if I am not in tune with that char. And to be honest none of the male chars/classes apeal to me- I want a male archer!

jmcdermottuk

I tend to make the choice based on how the character models look, the ones that I think look better and that's mostly female for me. I just like looking at women. I've never thought of the characters as me, they have their own seperate identity, so I don't get any wierdness about playing a female toon.

Then again I've seen some butt fugly character models so you may as well role a dude. Look at TSW for example. Those are some Fugly char models.

zaberfangx

I don't agree with gender lock if due to lore problems then do what Black Desert is making a class that close the same as the gender lock class but make it male or female what ever the base class was. Like if I want a class with a shield then I would pack the warrior what happen if I didn't want to play a male there a female with a sheild I know it's not the same then a true ungender lock game. But at the end it's better then tera all they do throw at you is female is fine and all but can't feel epic with armor like that.

Mange1

I don't think gender lock is ever necessary, I don't understand the point of it either. Even if you use lore as an excuse to do so then there's always the option of what BD has been doing and making a counter part gendered class with the same mechanics and different lore.

I think whoever came up with the idea blew it, it's meant for RP heavy games which we don't really have in the MMO verse.

hyutei

Jasonos said:
I've never played as famale character... i love women, but it would be so unnatural for me :)
Im male btw ;)


Thats because,like most of people ,when you play an mmorpg,you play a male class and you try to think of it as your self,so most of people like you make a character either,how they would like to look or how they already look,while me on the other hand,i play both male and female,dont mind either one,when i play Male class,i play it as a class,if its an archer male,its an archer male,i dont think of it as my self,i just play the class,same goes for female,but there are plenty of people that are not capable of doing that,cos the whole fun about game to them is to think of a class as them selfs,which i cant really understand,but no,its not unnatural,because if you play female class that doesnt make you instantly a female in real life,nor transvestite,your forgeting that your playing a game,not real life.