PixlBit

Sometimes I play as boy characters (like in Animal Crossing) and sometimes I play as girl characters (like Streets of Rage).  But I don't really have any reasons why.  I just don't think about stuff like that very hard.  And I don't play online games enough for people to give me any grief about anything.  I guess I just don't think about stuff like that very much when playing games. 

I used to be like that too. I just chose who I thought was coolest. But when people start questioning your motives I guess it makes you think about that kind of stuff.

I've played female characters quite a few times.  In pencil and paper RPGs (like D&D and the like) I've done it for the challenge and taken it as an opportunity to see things from a different perspective - as much as I can at least.  Being white and male means that most video game protagonists don't really offer a different social or cultural experience than I get in normal life.  Playing a woman or different ethnicity gives me a different view on things, and I find that I gravitate towards characters that differ as much from me as possible when I have the option to do so.

When the experience isn't any different, I think of the aesthetic.  Some female characters look or sound cooler to me than the male ones in my opinion, so that can be a factor as well - for example, this is why I played a female character in Saints Row the Third.

Yeah, I feel the same. I'm a white dude in real life, why the fuck would I want to be a white dude in a fantasy setting? I've had that experience, it's kind of boring. But yeah, it depends on race/class a lot for me in things like that. Plus, Joss Whedon has trained me to always pick a badass female when I can!

That's really interesting. I'd like to see more video games explore those differences so we can build empathy for those characters. I think games have a special capacity for empathy since you're actually the character.

I only play single player games so this doesn't really apply to me except to say that if I have to create a character it is always male. I only play as a female in games where the protagonist is female e.g. Silent Hill 3, Primal, Beyond Good and Evil.

Street Fighter and MK my preference has always been female characters. I think they're lighter and faster (its probably not true), heck I think in every fighting game I've ever played I've always used a female character. I tried this with Mariokart and I think the early Streets of Rage but it never stuck. 

I've only encountered folks like that a couple of times usually at the arcade. They were younger folks who were trying to front because they had friends watching or some other BS. Kicking their behinds usually shuts them up.

I never really thought about folks using characters of the opposite gender. This was never a priority for me because I just wanted to play the game. 

I think there's something to the female fighter thing, because even my friends always said the female characters were just better in fighters like Rival Schools. God, I miss Rial Schools.

Next time just say that you're a woman with a big dick in between your legs.

I'll try and track down a mod that shows a sneaky testicle hanging out the side of my armour :p

I play depending on who has the best apparel or who looks best in the apparel you are give. Females look better in the Mass Effect N7 armor than males, which look too boxy. Males look better in most Dark Souls armor than females.

Very rarely do I play a female because I want to perv out.  Dragon's Dogma and Saints Row 2 and 3 are the only ones that come to mind, because the character models can look pretty sexy.

I usually create characters based on character designs that I like, so for MMOs if I'm playing an archer/bowman I'll make'em look like Green Arrow, or if I play a knight/solider type character I make them look like Lightning from Final Fantasy 13 complete with blonde/pink hair because I like character design. 

As for wierd experiences with different gender characters, I was playing on a roleplaying server for Final Fantasy 14 MMO where the guild leaders were hot girls in underwear/bikinis but their user profiles on the guild forum were like older dudes. I used a typical male character but the conversations in chat were very weird like their chat dialog was all in character so there was a weird dissonance thing going on. Anyway, that was a roleplaying guild, so maybe they were doing it right and I should have explored my character more, but it was pretty weird knowing they were dudes acting like real chicks. There were other great people on the guild, but I pretty much left the group right away.

I've created female characters in MMOs and other games because of character design and to change up the vanilla feel of ordinary white guy. Most of the JRPGs I've played this year have female characters and are super girly, but I just like the weird quirkiness of it, not so much because I find it sexual in any way.

I think I might create a chick character for Guild Wars 2 now that you've brought this up!  

1. Do you play characters of the opposite gender, and if so, why? 

Yes. If the gender fits the playstyle or if their design is more interesting than other gender. I like making girl witches/mages or warriors like Xena.

2. If you do, have you had any experiences like mine? How did you React to them? 
Yes.  Actually, when I was playing Tera with a female character I felt other people helped me out more on the field and tried to friend me, unlike playing as a male gender. I've noticed this in other games. 

3. What do you think of people who play as the opposite gender in general?

I don't think negatively of these players, but there is a segment of the gaming population, I'd guess largely male, that they prefer seeing/controlling girls in a game than a dude becuase it's hot. I remember this came up with Jill's jiggly boobs in Resident Evil remake and some preferred female lead in Mass Effect to look at her ass more. Generally I don't think anything bad about choosing other genders in games, I've done it but it just comes down to change in variety. I had a bunch of ladies on my crew and as Capt in Star Trek MMO and it was awesome! 

 The sexual thing isn't for me, but if that's what people need to get it up I'm not going to take it away from them! Weirdly enough, I've seen a lot of guys say it's a sexual thing purely as a counter for people calling them feminine, like they'd rather be a pervert than have their masculinity called into question.

 "Yes.  Actually, when I was playing Tera with a female character I felt other people helped me out more on the field and tried to friend me, unlike playing as a male gender. I've noticed this in other games."

 Yeah, I've found that too. Even when people know you're male, if you're playing a female avatar, they're still nicer to you. Which, in a way is nice to see. It's certainly better than the rape threats women receive in other games.

 Also, with female character: I tend to find more attention goes into their armour and there are more varieties of armour. Yeah, you get the typical armours that are more revealing than the just wearing your underwear, but some of it is really fucking awesome and a bit more varied than what the guys are stuck with.

 P.S. I'm on Guild Wars 2 A LOT these days so if you're up for playing at any time just let me know. Jump on steam and shoot me a message.

Well I try not to be judgemental when it comes to peoples sexuality, which includes their preference in media like games, books or umm cartoons/Anime? I don't get it, but whatever.  I turn to games for stories, strategy, etc. A lot of the JRPG games I play have overtly sexual characterisations, but thats mostly coincidental as I enjoy the games because of their battle systems, traditional game design and quirkiness, but there is also a cultural aspect that really likes pervy anime, so it's inserted into these games.

Any plans for Guild Wars 2 long term? You building a guild or just hanging out? Which class do you think would fit your party best? I want to start with a new level 0, but not sure which class? I will make it a female character too. I will try to get on this weekend, evenings and hang out while I level up.

Here is the female gunner character I created in Tera whose milkshake brough all the boys to the yard in case you were wondering. I don't normally play as female chars, and this had the wildest armor, appearance I've seen in MMOs. 

I'm levelling a guardian. And yeah, I joined a small guild, and I plan on playing relatively consistently, since Bilby is also playing. I'm playing a guardian atm, trying that out. Just hit level 40. And I joined a small guild, that I want to help grow, and if you want to join us you're more than welcome. Idk what would help us most tbh.

 But I am playing right this instant, so let me know if you want to join me.

  And yeah. I personally have no problem with "sexy" characters, or even people who are into them. Different people like different things, and since these characters are extremely idealised, I can somewhat see the appeal. At least their fetish isn't hurting anyone/doesn't cost much haha.

1. Yes, I like female player characters, especially when they're pretty. That aside, female characters are often more fun than their male counterparts. Don't know if it's sex appeal per se, because even in my teenage years my hormones could tell the difference between a real woman and a depiction of one, but I do like the aesthetics.

2. Kinda. I don't play online games (other than fighters) much and I don't talk much when I do. I mostly play online games with my wife anyway.  "Male" players give me stuff, shrug. I don't return their banter. Nor do I return the stuff they give me, for that matter. If they want to give away their in-game goodies, that's their problem, not mine. :)

3. Don't really give a damn one way or the other. I don't think trying to pick up dates in online games is such a great idea to begin with, so more power to 'em. I can see where women might want to play male characters so as not to be bothered by guys trolling for female attention, although that's kind of a sad commentary on the environment in some games more than anything.

1. In fighting games, yes, because they tend to be faster characters or just ones I'm good with. For whatever reason, girl characters in fighters oftentimes seem to be the better characters to play as. Also, Samus. 

2. I haven't played online games with them so no, but my reaction to your situation is "The fuck is wrong with that guy?"

3. I don't really think about it. It's an interesting topic though. One of my grad school profs was actually wanting to do a study on how much the traits in peoples' aatars would resemble traits they believe themselves to have both physically and in terms of personality. I actually told him that I usually just go for the goofiest look I can if not a default character, but now that I think about it I guess I have tried to make avatars resemble me.

Recently, Arin Hanson said in a Game Grumps Q&A he likes to play as female characters originally because he wanted a female ass to look at while playing (his example was playing as Jill in Resident Evil I think), but also because girl characters are more interesting to him and he prefers the girly colorful stuff to bland looking male stuff. Or something.

I haven't played an MMO yet. But I might when I get a new console and have access to Elder Scrolls Online. These issues are really just in these multiplayer games, which I tend not to play 'cause I like co-op and not competitive gaming. I do, however, always end up playing either a guy in a robe or a woman with a bow in co-op games because my friend Mark always takes the burliest, manliest character he can first. Example being Diablo III recently:

That'd be Mark.

This'd be me.

I honestly don't care what people think about my character in games I mean in  Streetfighter I play as Chun Li cause I kick ass with her if someone has a issue with it I say let's fight then when I'm toe tapping all over Ryu then they realize why I play her lol!!!

1. In the past I would most likely pick male than female not for any particular reason, but nowadays I balance between the two, so yes, I do play with female characters. Why? Either due to interest in the character, experimentation or for a bit shallow reason, I prefer their design over the male character.

2. Sorry, never played an MMO and even in the TF2, the online game i've played the most, I never had something like that.

3. Not a problem at all really. It's fine if blokes want to play as girls and vice versa.

I like playing as girls sometimes.  My Pillars of Eternity character is a girl, and my beloved Shepard from Mass Effect was a girl.  A real tough bitch too.  

I don't know why, I don't think I'm like pretending I'm a girl, it's more like I'm experiencing a story that stars a girl that's my friend.  Or something.