This really should be a case by case subject matter. Forcing this on all MMO's, I don't see a point, but...
I am an avid RP'er, but I am also an avid ahem, erm, lover of women. I admit I have come to know a few ladies over the Internet on MMORPGs and made really great friends and more that way as well. That all being said I assume all male characters to be female, BUT if they are playing an RPG game they should expect for male characters to actively seek their friendship. It's what guys do, arguing that men should not try and form relationships online is just as bad as saying men should not play female characters.
The severe problem I have run into is when men promote themselves as women, even if they are a man in real life. There have been three cases in my own span of playing MMO's online in the last 14 years or so. I don't know where they get off on doing this, maybe it's just to mess with people, but it's really not enjoyable.
ERP between characters? I do not ask a character's gender unless they start to try and get to know me OOC. I leave all the in character stuff between the characters. I have found that many emotions spill over from character to out of character. I had a character in WoW that I enjoyed role-playing, he was the leader of the second largest guild of the server so he was well known, and had a girlfriend in game. We became friends outside the in game relationship, and yes she was a woman in real life and even had a boyfriend and I had a girlfriend. Long story short, I had him end the relationship and it broke her heart in real life. Not only did it break her heart it screwed up some of the in game guild stuff which aggravated me.
So, I can see why they may want to do this for their game. Maybe it is more like a dating type game, maybe they have more explicit material in the game (I know Second Life has all sorts of people in it though). Most people seem to think of an MMO as just a game with many people playing it and shouldn't care about gender, but I disagree. Gender is a very big issue in game and outside of game. Maybe they to try and keep the drama to a minimum, but the choice is theirs at it is their game. We can banter back and forth all day, but it is their property and they can do with it what they will.
I've only played one female character - and even RP'ed her too. I enjoyed giving guys a really hard time being a crazy orc warrior woman but kept her strictly out of any type of relationship. Also remember one of my tanks playing a male orc warrior was actually female underwear model, distinctly remember her from the pictures she sent me...
While I disagree with people playing opposite genders, I'm not going to force them to play their own gender...
Playing: World Of Warcraft Resting From: Nothing Retired: EQ2, CoH, Tabula Rasa, SWG, Warhammer, AoC Waiting For: SWTOR, APB Love(d): Tabula Rasa, SWG, World Of Warcraft, Age of Conan
If they want to force gender this badly they can do like some games do and set the gender to the account's gender, it will just be equally falsifiable as their webcam joke and give them less work, and even then i find it very stupid to force a gamer to choose their specific gender in RL, i like women, i like playing women characters, they look sexier, and that's bloody natural, and i'm not going to molest/flirt/secks up any players because i'm playing a game not a social network for dating, this decision to force players to choose their real gender is so <insert the degrading term that you wish here>.
Beside, who in their bloody mind would go thru all this just to play one of those copy-cat grinding fantasy games? Yea most of the games are like that, it would have to be outstandingly good to even bother, seriously, they are only cutting their community.
This is a Great idea that I have often wished implemented. I remember way back in the day, guys playing girls getting special treatment just for pretending to be a girl. Maybe its not for every MMO, but I think a game deseigner should have the option to implement such a thing without getting flammed. Most games have all kinds of crazy rules, and don't get half as flammed. This is not as bad as lets say. XP Debt or Deleveling, this is just a flavor option and doesn't really effect game play. Also I'd like it if the news presented was a little more objective. I don't want to hear totally biased updates.
Once again an authoritarian organization (the game company) attempts to tighten its fist to exercise control over people without realizing their "verfication" process is totally flawed.
Most homes have a female in them, most men know or have a female friend (gay or straight).
Simply have a female register the frickin account and sit in the video teleconference to assure the control-freaks a woman owns the account. I own MMO's but I'm not the only one in my house that uses the accounts.
Anyone with a smidgen of intelligence knows these rules are just plain silly and are easily worked around.
Remember, there's always a loophole. Cheers.
(My son speaking to his Japanese Grandmother) " Sorry Obaba, I don't speak Japanese, I only speak human."
This week, MMORPG.com's Jon Wood takes a shot at a recent decision by a Chinese MMO company to ban all male players who choose to play female avatars. Women, it appears, are free to pose as men as much as their little hearts desire.
So let's rag on the female gender as if this is our fault. Also, what does playing a female toon, if you're a guy, have to do with gender specific issues. Guys have been playing female toons like forever. Any guys here ever play Tomb Raider? Thought so. Nobody thought anything of that did they. So why make a big deal out of this. If some frakked up company in China wishes to be stupid...let them. All this article is is sensationalism. Come on...this is not worthy of an article. This is kind of writing is to just get people riled up. ::sigh::
The diminutive 'little hearts desire' was a bit precious, and 'pose' is loaded, especially in view of the tone of the rest of the article (where freedom to roleplay any (possibly silly) thing one is not inside an MMORPG was defended in sterling fashion) but aside from those trivial (probably unconscious) slips, I caught no serious hint that the Author was trying to rag on my gender in particular.
(Of course, consider that I've never read anything he's written before.)
It is sensationalistic to a degree, but then again, if we in the rest of the world do not point out where China's culture is being stupid and where and how their institutions are enforcing that stupidity, who will? Think about it. Probably not anyone in China, even those there who would like to. Maybe we owe it to everyone to complain if we feel like it, just because we (still) can.
As trivial as this seems, it is an intolerable thing. The fact that people including women who wish to play male 'toons are exempt NOW from compliance is just an oversight, easily "remedied" as in perpetrated on every client for this game as soon as someone remembers to be fair about mandating something fundamentally unfair. I'd like to be confident that the choice if not the voice of the consumer would consign the idea to the trash, but am not.
Further on the downside, the rest of the world (vs. China) probably constitutes (or soon will constitute) a minority of the market, and so it matters even less than it should what we rest think.
Casilda Tametomo, Priestess of Soldeus | AKA Lepida Aegis-Imperium.com
«Si oblitus fuero usque ad finem omnia opera eorum»
Wait ... I just thought about this for a moment. This is just another Asian MMO. So, what is all the concern about? You know that the bulk of the player base are going to have submit photos or webcam shots simular to this one:
No wait! you made me think about it for a moment. This is just another Asian MMO, so what's all the concern about? The male avatars are every bit as feminine as female avatars.....everyone is playing a woman.
Please no more posts about which sex may be "superior" and no more posts putting down the other sex. Also if you have a issue with what has been said please use the report tool and don't respond to the post in question.
To all forum posters. Please no more posts about which sex may be "superior" and no more posts putting down the other sex. Also if you have a issue with what has been said please use the report tool and don't respond to the post in question. Cheers AnimusChaser
I don't see the big issue really, characters are usually equal no matter what the sex of the character.
In fact while I could not care less I can see the argument for such a choice to limit sexuality. if a company is directing the game to children then it would be in their interests to avoid unnecessary challenges of sexuality for youth, as well as avoiding any possible misunderstandings between players. In a sense they are caring for those who have trouble caring for themselves.
Saying this points out the obvious dilemna most westerners have, that it is someone telling you what to do, and this is what I think has got up most people's panties (boxers?). Because we have previously been given freedom to make a choice then the removal of that freedom seems worse. Basically, If you had never been given the option in the first place, would you care now? My guess is that there would be half the amount of naysayers if that were the case.
Once again an authoritarian organization (the game company) attempts to tighten its fist to exercise control over people without realizing their "verfication" process is totally flawed. Most homes have a female in them, most men know or have a female friend (gay or straight). Simply have a female register the frickin account and sit in the video teleconference to assure the control-freaks a woman owns the account. I own MMO's but I'm not the only one in my house that uses the accounts. Anyone with a smidgen of intelligence knows these rules are just plain silly and are easily worked around. Remember, there's always a loophole. Cheers.
I don't think that is the issue - really what the issue is that business yet again show they have to much power over certain things.
Sure people may say well its their company, its their rules, yet going to lengths as banning people because simply they play a female character and not be female in real life? Seem rather bad business practice since they are loosing allot of business and business is money.
Yet going agree with someone above, since they don't force the same rules on females playing males that this is clearly a personal issue that was drawn into business. There is no reason other then that someone high up must be playing the game. Either they had a bad experience were they were dating someone online and found out they were not who they were claiming or they are very very against guys playing females.
I am willing to believe the first one. Since it just seems rather odd.
Over all they just going hurt their own business and sure would like to see an American company pull that hehe oh that would be a nice month of media right there.
Also for Haratu why is it just western culture? Do you really think the guys that were ban, or told they had to play male or get out did not have an issues or dilemmas themselfs?
Face it it happen in Asia which last I checked was in the east.
Also it not as simple as you put it for one they are allowing females to have a choice still. So its not just black and white, but shades of grays.
2 i play female charactors, from runescape, eq, eq2, wow, 100's of fee mmo's.
3 im not in any way attracted to guys.
4 i play a female charactor typically due to either the male charactor looking well, stupid, or and heres my typicall reasion, i just dont care to look at an overly mussled guys arse for the 400 hours it takes to get to the level cap in most games. i mean really it would make me feel uncomfertable to look at that for that long. i know its just pixles but if the pixles didnt matter then this entire story thread and discussion wouldnt happen.
5 bottem line i think its more homosexual in nature to play a male charactor and be stuck in third person looking at that, then to play a sexy little nympho looking female charactor who at least in my long hours of running from one city to one dungon after another at least makes my screen more appleaing in the process. after all how many strate guys have pictures of a guys butt on their desktop, more likely you got a gloryous womans behind sitting on that screen when you exit your game.
Jon Wood as always a wonderful read with insite and facts displayed equilly.
if you call some one a homo, you likely are hitting on them.
Haha, I have always assumed every female avatar was a guy until i could confirm their voice. I don't have any numbers but I'm certain that there are way, way more guys playing female avatars that actual females. I really don't care but I certainly don't take for granted that just because its a female toon that its actually a girl.
I play as female characters sometimes because I like the outfits they wear. Like in city of heroes, theres so many possiblities with female characters. thers billions of ways to make a skimpy outfit for gals. but for guys, its either regular clothes, tights or armor. I'd never wear these things, so why make a character in my image? I instead make cool looking girls that are easy on the eyes.
the only people who hit on girls are 12 year olds and retarded 30+ year olds. Theres also the sad lonely 20ish year olds sometimes, they are slow in the head. You can tell by the way they speak.
As long as this doesn't become a trend I dont see what the big deal is about this one company. If it did, I could probably get away with being a girl if i put on some make up or something since i still look like i'm 15 or 16 and have long hair and no creepy mustache. As long as I dont have to speak, lolz
Jon Wood, I think you are over reacting a bit, rather not looking at the larger picture. First, we have to accept and understand there is a thing called a cultural model. This decision by the developers and or publisher falls under china's cultural model. Second we have to accept that games and society are worth analyzing. We cannot say it is a bad move on their part because we do not understand all the facets of that decision within society or how it will affect the game play experience. I personally love the decision. For one, it can set the game apart from a pure marketing stand point. No one is forcing anyone else to play the game, therefore that decision might attract a target audience instead. You also have to look at females in gaming. Would girls like to play with girls? Is this decision above reinforcing that by being able to identify a fellow female? Same with males. Games and society, even if decisions seem absurd, can reveal much about who and how games appeal to their target audience, who their target audience really is and if it works. Can we not claim that gender restriction is merely part of the rule set? The game mechanic? I think its absurd to dismiss their move as bad. It is neither good nor bad, unless you give value to doing something different. Remember, MMO's are largely social games. Studies have shown the average female is attracted to social games. How do you think that might play into this decision? Can it change the play experience and for the better? These are questions to ask, not dismiss.
There are two camps here, people who pretend they are the character they are playing and people like me who pretend I'm watching a movie where I choose what happens. I usually make female avatars because if I have to stare at an ass all day I'd like it to not be a man's ass. If its a non-human I don't care but I usually don't play guy characters.
The only people I can see as thinking this is a good thing, are the people that actually troll for chicks in an mmorpg. I could care less whether you're a male playing a female char or female playing a male char. It makes no sense. I guess we've all seen, at one time or another, gamers hitting on other gamers in an mmorpg. I rolled a female char a while back and it wasn't long before some player was chasing me around asking for my a/s/l. Pervs are pervs no matter what the environment. They are just free to be uber pervs when they're anonymous. Some though are curbed a bit by not knowing if the female char they want to flirt with is really a male. For some it doesn't matter. So doesn't this, if this rule is implemented here, just make it more difficult for female gamers to play without harrassment? Now pervs know for sure that theres a female playing and will be more relentless.
There was no point to writing this article. It's just a rant.
Although the company's policy is clearly one-sided and exploitable, kudos to them for challenging the gender confusion/bending that is becoming more and more prevalent in society. It may be misplaced, but hey, at least someone is doing something to challenge this crap somewhere.
If it stops one kid from going down the path to cross-dressing and becoming confused about their sexual identity, then fantastic.
We don't need any more "men" with wombs who decide it's okay to have kids after a sex change operation, or "chicks with dicks".
There are two camps here, people who pretend they are the character they are playing and people like me who pretend I'm watching a movie where I choose what happens. I usually make female avatars because if I have to stare at an ass all day I'd like it to not be a man's ass. If its a non-human I don't care but I usually don't play guy characters.
Yeah, it seems a lot of people here are unable to seperate the game from what is behind the screen, and instead take everything for face value. When I play mmos I just see a character as a player regardless of the gender. I will refer to that person under the toons pronouns until I find out either in vent or though them that they are of a different gender.
I also agree with you though I will also normally play female characters because they look better to me and have better animations. Playing a guys hoped up on steroids are not my idea of fun. I don't mind playing the male on the non-human races though such as the horde races from WoW, with the exception the blood elfs because of their manerisims. I figure if I am going to be looking at something for hundreds of hours might as well look at something apealing. I do think if they made male characters look a bit better then I would play them more often. I think that The Secret World might be a game I will have a hard time deciding which to play.
If the game offers "adult content" as in sex and violence themes then I can understand some measures in place but what I would do is ..
Allow all male and female to create an avatar of either sex
BUT
if they WISH to they can verify their gender this creates a basic FLAG that shows your gender was verified for whatever reason
OR
can continue to be unverifed of either sex
WHY
well this then caters for people that do want secruity doing kinky stuff online but doesnt affect the vast majority playing either. An option but not enforced basically.
Comments
How strange... I suppose it was only a matter of time really. I greatly appreciated the references to The Might Boosh however.
This really should be a case by case subject matter. Forcing this on all MMO's, I don't see a point, but...
I am an avid RP'er, but I am also an avid ahem, erm, lover of women. I admit I have come to know a few ladies over the Internet on MMORPGs and made really great friends and more that way as well. That all being said I assume all male characters to be female, BUT if they are playing an RPG game they should expect for male characters to actively seek their friendship. It's what guys do, arguing that men should not try and form relationships online is just as bad as saying men should not play female characters.
The severe problem I have run into is when men promote themselves as women, even if they are a man in real life. There have been three cases in my own span of playing MMO's online in the last 14 years or so. I don't know where they get off on doing this, maybe it's just to mess with people, but it's really not enjoyable.
ERP between characters? I do not ask a character's gender unless they start to try and get to know me OOC. I leave all the in character stuff between the characters. I have found that many emotions spill over from character to out of character. I had a character in WoW that I enjoyed role-playing, he was the leader of the second largest guild of the server so he was well known, and had a girlfriend in game. We became friends outside the in game relationship, and yes she was a woman in real life and even had a boyfriend and I had a girlfriend. Long story short, I had him end the relationship and it broke her heart in real life. Not only did it break her heart it screwed up some of the in game guild stuff which aggravated me.
So, I can see why they may want to do this for their game. Maybe it is more like a dating type game, maybe they have more explicit material in the game (I know Second Life has all sorts of people in it though). Most people seem to think of an MMO as just a game with many people playing it and shouldn't care about gender, but I disagree. Gender is a very big issue in game and outside of game. Maybe they to try and keep the drama to a minimum, but the choice is theirs at it is their game. We can banter back and forth all day, but it is their property and they can do with it what they will.
I've only played one female character - and even RP'ed her too. I enjoyed giving guys a really hard time being a crazy orc warrior woman but kept her strictly out of any type of relationship. Also remember one of my tanks playing a male orc warrior was actually female underwear model, distinctly remember her from the pictures she sent me...
While I disagree with people playing opposite genders, I'm not going to force them to play their own gender...
Playing: World Of Warcraft
Resting From: Nothing
Retired: EQ2, CoH, Tabula Rasa, SWG, Warhammer, AoC
Waiting For: SWTOR, APB
Love(d): Tabula Rasa, SWG, World Of Warcraft, Age of Conan
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If they want to force gender this badly they can do like some games do and set the gender to the account's gender, it will just be equally falsifiable as their webcam joke and give them less work, and even then i find it very stupid to force a gamer to choose their specific gender in RL, i like women, i like playing women characters, they look sexier, and that's bloody natural, and i'm not going to molest/flirt/secks up any players because i'm playing a game not a social network for dating, this decision to force players to choose their real gender is so <insert the degrading term that you wish here>.
Beside, who in their bloody mind would go thru all this just to play one of those copy-cat grinding fantasy games? Yea most of the games are like that, it would have to be outstandingly good to even bother, seriously, they are only cutting their community.
It's China...what can I say?
This is a Great idea that I have often wished implemented. I remember way back in the day, guys playing girls getting special treatment just for pretending to be a girl. Maybe its not for every MMO, but I think a game deseigner should have the option to implement such a thing without getting flammed. Most games have all kinds of crazy rules, and don't get half as flammed. This is not as bad as lets say. XP Debt or Deleveling, this is just a flavor option and doesn't really effect game play. Also I'd like it if the news presented was a little more objective. I don't want to hear totally biased updates.
Once again an authoritarian organization (the game company) attempts to tighten its fist to exercise control over people without realizing their "verfication" process is totally flawed.
Most homes have a female in them, most men know or have a female friend (gay or straight).
Simply have a female register the frickin account and sit in the video teleconference to assure the control-freaks a woman owns the account. I own MMO's but I'm not the only one in my house that uses the accounts.
Anyone with a smidgen of intelligence knows these rules are just plain silly and are easily worked around.
Remember, there's always a loophole. Cheers.
(My son speaking to his Japanese Grandmother) " Sorry Obaba, I don't speak Japanese, I only speak human."
Read Your Sex: Prove It or Lose It!
So let's rag on the female gender as if this is our fault. Also, what does playing a female toon, if you're a guy, have to do with gender specific issues. Guys have been playing female toons like forever. Any guys here ever play Tomb Raider? Thought so. Nobody thought anything of that did they. So why make a big deal out of this. If some frakked up company in China wishes to be stupid...let them. All this article is is sensationalism. Come on...this is not worthy of an article. This is kind of writing is to just get people riled up. ::sigh::
The diminutive 'little hearts desire' was a bit precious, and 'pose' is loaded, especially in view of the tone of the rest of the article (where freedom to roleplay any (possibly silly) thing one is not inside an MMORPG was defended in sterling fashion) but aside from those trivial (probably unconscious) slips, I caught no serious hint that the Author was trying to rag on my gender in particular.
(Of course, consider that I've never read anything he's written before.)
It is sensationalistic to a degree, but then again, if we in the rest of the world do not point out where China's culture is being stupid and where and how their institutions are enforcing that stupidity, who will? Think about it. Probably not anyone in China, even those there who would like to. Maybe we owe it to everyone to complain if we feel like it, just because we (still) can.
As trivial as this seems, it is an intolerable thing. The fact that people including women who wish to play male 'toons are exempt NOW from compliance is just an oversight, easily "remedied" as in perpetrated on every client for this game as soon as someone remembers to be fair about mandating something fundamentally unfair. I'd like to be confident that the choice if not the voice of the consumer would consign the idea to the trash, but am not.
Further on the downside, the rest of the world (vs. China) probably constitutes (or soon will constitute) a minority of the market, and so it matters even less than it should what we rest think.
«Si oblitus fuero usque ad finem omnia opera eorum»
No wait! you made me think about it for a moment. This is just another Asian MMO, so what's all the concern about? The male avatars are every bit as feminine as female avatars.....everyone is playing a woman.
*Don't take me seriously - just kidding*
To all forum posters.
Please no more posts about which sex may be "superior" and no more posts putting down the other sex. Also if you have a issue with what has been said please use the report tool and don't respond to the post in question.
Cheers
AnimusChaser
Oh Noes Its The Forum Police
But my response to the sexist was funny! /wink
I don't see the big issue really, characters are usually equal no matter what the sex of the character.
In fact while I could not care less I can see the argument for such a choice to limit sexuality. if a company is directing the game to children then it would be in their interests to avoid unnecessary challenges of sexuality for youth, as well as avoiding any possible misunderstandings between players. In a sense they are caring for those who have trouble caring for themselves.
Saying this points out the obvious dilemna most westerners have, that it is someone telling you what to do, and this is what I think has got up most people's panties (boxers?). Because we have previously been given freedom to make a choice then the removal of that freedom seems worse. Basically, If you had never been given the option in the first place, would you care now? My guess is that there would be half the amount of naysayers if that were the case.
Ignorance is bliss.
I don't think that is the issue - really what the issue is that business yet again show they have to much power over certain things.
Sure people may say well its their company, its their rules, yet going to lengths as banning people because simply they play a female character and not be female in real life? Seem rather bad business practice since they are loosing allot of business and business is money.
Yet going agree with someone above, since they don't force the same rules on females playing males that this is clearly a personal issue that was drawn into business. There is no reason other then that someone high up must be playing the game. Either they had a bad experience were they were dating someone online and found out they were not who they were claiming or they are very very against guys playing females.
I am willing to believe the first one. Since it just seems rather odd.
Over all they just going hurt their own business and sure would like to see an American company pull that hehe oh that would be a nice month of media right there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also for Haratu why is it just western culture? Do you really think the guys that were ban, or told they had to play male or get out did not have an issues or dilemmas themselfs?
Face it it happen in Asia which last I checked was in the east.
Also it not as simple as you put it for one they are allowing females to have a choice still. So its not just black and white, but shades of grays.
It wouldn't be communist if people have choices, is it? Just saying...
1 im male, from birth to grave.
2 i play female charactors, from runescape, eq, eq2, wow, 100's of fee mmo's.
3 im not in any way attracted to guys.
4 i play a female charactor typically due to either the male charactor looking well, stupid, or and heres my typicall reasion, i just dont care to look at an overly mussled guys arse for the 400 hours it takes to get to the level cap in most games. i mean really it would make me feel uncomfertable to look at that for that long. i know its just pixles but if the pixles didnt matter then this entire story thread and discussion wouldnt happen.
5 bottem line i think its more homosexual in nature to play a male charactor and be stuck in third person looking at that, then to play a sexy little nympho looking female charactor who at least in my long hours of running from one city to one dungon after another at least makes my screen more appleaing in the process. after all how many strate guys have pictures of a guys butt on their desktop, more likely you got a gloryous womans behind sitting on that screen when you exit your game.
Jon Wood as always a wonderful read with insite and facts displayed equilly.
if you call some one a homo, you likely are hitting on them.
Haha, I have always assumed every female avatar was a guy until i could confirm their voice. I don't have any numbers but I'm certain that there are way, way more guys playing female avatars that actual females. I really don't care but I certainly don't take for granted that just because its a female toon that its actually a girl.
All I could do was laugh when I heard of this...
Its the best thing I have seen all year, except that kid who tried sueing over some MMO account banning.
So much crap, so little quality.
I play as female characters sometimes because I like the outfits they wear. Like in city of heroes, theres so many possiblities with female characters. thers billions of ways to make a skimpy outfit for gals. but for guys, its either regular clothes, tights or armor. I'd never wear these things, so why make a character in my image? I instead make cool looking girls that are easy on the eyes.
the only people who hit on girls are 12 year olds and retarded 30+ year olds. Theres also the sad lonely 20ish year olds sometimes, they are slow in the head. You can tell by the way they speak.
As long as this doesn't become a trend I dont see what the big deal is about this one company. If it did, I could probably get away with being a girl if i put on some make up or something since i still look like i'm 15 or 16 and have long hair and no creepy mustache. As long as I dont have to speak, lolz
Jon Wood, I think you are over reacting a bit, rather not looking at the larger picture. First, we have to accept and understand there is a thing called a cultural model. This decision by the developers and or publisher falls under china's cultural model. Second we have to accept that games and society are worth analyzing. We cannot say it is a bad move on their part because we do not understand all the facets of that decision within society or how it will affect the game play experience. I personally love the decision. For one, it can set the game apart from a pure marketing stand point. No one is forcing anyone else to play the game, therefore that decision might attract a target audience instead. You also have to look at females in gaming. Would girls like to play with girls? Is this decision above reinforcing that by being able to identify a fellow female? Same with males. Games and society, even if decisions seem absurd, can reveal much about who and how games appeal to their target audience, who their target audience really is and if it works. Can we not claim that gender restriction is merely part of the rule set? The game mechanic? I think its absurd to dismiss their move as bad. It is neither good nor bad, unless you give value to doing something different. Remember, MMO's are largely social games. Studies have shown the average female is attracted to social games. How do you think that might play into this decision? Can it change the play experience and for the better? These are questions to ask, not dismiss.
There are two camps here, people who pretend they are the character they are playing and people like me who pretend I'm watching a movie where I choose what happens. I usually make female avatars because if I have to stare at an ass all day I'd like it to not be a man's ass. If its a non-human I don't care but I usually don't play guy characters.
The only people I can see as thinking this is a good thing, are the people that actually troll for chicks in an mmorpg. I could care less whether you're a male playing a female char or female playing a male char. It makes no sense. I guess we've all seen, at one time or another, gamers hitting on other gamers in an mmorpg. I rolled a female char a while back and it wasn't long before some player was chasing me around asking for my a/s/l. Pervs are pervs no matter what the environment. They are just free to be uber pervs when they're anonymous. Some though are curbed a bit by not knowing if the female char they want to flirt with is really a male. For some it doesn't matter. So doesn't this, if this rule is implemented here, just make it more difficult for female gamers to play without harrassment? Now pervs know for sure that theres a female playing and will be more relentless.
There was no point to writing this article. It's just a rant.
Although the company's policy is clearly one-sided and exploitable, kudos to them for challenging the gender confusion/bending that is becoming more and more prevalent in society. It may be misplaced, but hey, at least someone is doing something to challenge this crap somewhere.
If it stops one kid from going down the path to cross-dressing and becoming confused about their sexual identity, then fantastic.
We don't need any more "men" with wombs who decide it's okay to have kids after a sex change operation, or "chicks with dicks".
Yeah, it seems a lot of people here are unable to seperate the game from what is behind the screen, and instead take everything for face value. When I play mmos I just see a character as a player regardless of the gender. I will refer to that person under the toons pronouns until I find out either in vent or though them that they are of a different gender.
I also agree with you though I will also normally play female characters because they look better to me and have better animations. Playing a guys hoped up on steroids are not my idea of fun. I don't mind playing the male on the non-human races though such as the horde races from WoW, with the exception the blood elfs because of their manerisims. I figure if I am going to be looking at something for hundreds of hours might as well look at something apealing. I do think if they made male characters look a bit better then I would play them more often. I think that The Secret World might be a game I will have a hard time deciding which to play.
If the game offers "adult content" as in sex and violence themes then I can understand some measures in place but what I would do is ..
Allow all male and female to create an avatar of either sex
BUT
if they WISH to they can verify their gender this creates a basic FLAG that shows your gender was verified for whatever reason
OR
can continue to be unverifed of either sex
WHY
well this then caters for people that do want secruity doing kinky stuff online but doesnt affect the vast majority playing either. An option but not enforced basically.