# In Video Games That Allow Gender Selection, Which Do You Choose?



## Sterling (May 18, 2012)

Whenever a game allows I'll play a female character instead of a male. I could give several reasons as to why I do, but most of the time, I feel like I'm trying to get a "feel" for someone I'd like to meet. Now, barring the fact its fantasy, I feel as though I'm developing my tastes in women even though real contact is minimal. Laugh if you want, but that's just how I feel. Now, the other reasons are more shallow. Things like, "If I'm going to stare at some ass, it might as well be the ass of the opposite gender." Or, "The curvier the ride, the better." At any rate, I don't feel like this is cross dressing like a few friends and my family do. I'm not assaulting my manliness, I'm affirming it.


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## Fudge (May 18, 2012)

I tend to pick the male character when given the choice, however for fighting games I'll use both men and women, and I don't mind playing games where a women is the main character. I do not consider it to have anything to do with cross-dressing at all


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## Thesolcity (May 18, 2012)

> At any rate, I don't feel like this is cross dressing like a few friends and my family do







> this is cross dressing like a few friends and my family do




*



			CROSS DRESSING
		
Click to expand...

*



....Well I've had enough internet today.


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## Demonbart (May 18, 2012)

I usually pick females in mmos and males in other games.
It's just that when I'm gonna look at a digital ass for 50+ hours in an mmo, it's gonna be a woman's ass.


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## koimayeul (May 18, 2012)

Sterling said:


> Whenever a game allows I'll play a female character instead of a male. I could give several reasons as to why I do, but most of the time, I feel like I'm trying to get a "feel" for someone I'd like to meet. Now, barring the fact its fantasy, I feel as though I'm developing my tastes in women even though real contact is minimal. Laugh if you want, but that's just how I feel. Now, the other reasons are more shallow. Things like, "If I'm going to stare at some ass, it might as well be the ass of the opposite gender." Or, "The curvier the ride, the better." At any rate, I don't feel like this is cross dressing like a few friends and my family do. I'm not assaulting my manliness, I'm affirming it.


Well im feeling just like you. Depending of the game though, like Mass Effect i definitely chose the woman for the sexy outfit and curves. I don't play my games as a mean to flee from reality and not identify as game character, so i can't see any relation with cross dressing at all. Even in MMO, if i play as a female char, i should say play WITH a female char, i obviously don't act like one. No flirting, no begging for gifts, no dancing for dudes etc.. no role playing another gender than my own. I chose what gender depending of the in game rendition, preferably with the female if pleasingly done, otherwise male. Simple as that.


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## ZAFDeltaForce (May 18, 2012)

Male, always.

If the female character is hot enough, I'll pick her. For... research


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## Sterling (May 18, 2012)

Thesolcity said:


> [quote]At any rate, I don't feel like this is cross dressing like a few friends and my family do







> this is cross dressing like a few friends and my family do







> CROSS DRESSING






....Well I've had enough internet today. 
[/quote]
What?




ZAFDeltaForce said:


> Male, always.
> 
> If the female character is hot enough, I'll pick her. For... research


I get the reference.


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## Hells Malice (May 18, 2012)

Lets see

1: If the male characters are cutesy, i'll pick female. I'd rather be a cute female than a cute male.
2: If I can be an overly adorable female character i probably will be regardless. Like in Tera, most of my characters are Elins because they are just god damn adorable.

I'm a male in most MMOs, but there are just some I can't help but be female.
Though I never act female, never pretend I am female, and never claim to actually be a female. I'm very much a "Yeah i'm a dude using a chick character, deal with it."

EDIT: Oh and i'm a female wizard on Diablo 3 simply because Sorc was gender locked as female, so I feel weird being a male spellcaster in a diablo game.


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## Pleng (May 18, 2012)

Well most the games I play seem to have some kind of animal or vehicle as the hero, so I don't often get the choice.

But on the occasions I do have to choose between a man and a woman I'll always choose the girl, in the vein hope that I might catch a glimpse of her knickers


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## Sora de Eclaune (May 18, 2012)

I play as a female because if there's also character creation then I can look like myself.

There's also the fact that if there's something that happens differently depending on the gender, then that'll also come into account.


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## Guild McCommunist (May 18, 2012)

Usually doesn't matter to me, I'll mix it up depending on gender specific options. Like if men have a certain stat for this or that (and same goes for women) then I'll try each to see which one I like stat wise, or choose each one to see what different dialogue options they get and stuff.


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## Skelletonike (May 18, 2012)

If I have a choice, I always choose a male lead if it's an RPG game, cuz I like to be more into character.
As for platformers, adventure games, puzzles, etc, etc... It really doesnt make much dif, like Metroid, Mighty, Shantae, etc... =3


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## kthnxshwn (May 18, 2012)

I don't see how it's anything like cross dressing, but I think your situation is weird as hell.


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## Blaze163 (May 18, 2012)

I play male and female characters. I generally start with a guy in games like Mass Effect, then go though again as a girl to see what difference it makes. The only exception is the Streets of Rage games, in which come hell or high water I will ALWAYS play as my namesake, Blaze Fielding. A girl so awesome they made clones of her into a recurring boss fight that was a huge pain in my ass for like, 15 years. Then I finally got round to finding the manual, found out about the back attack, and have been regularly whuppin' ass ever since...

Ironically my first name, Blaze, comes from Ace Combat Squadron Leader, not the Streets of Rage character. I only added the Fielding name to see how many people get the reference. Strange but true. Just a happy coincidence.


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## DiscostewSM (May 18, 2012)

With the idea of a "main" character and "alt" characters, my "main" is usually male.


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## nando (May 18, 2012)

depends on the options and sexy+bad assness. in res evil i mostly pick my gender because god damn, capcom knows how to make an attractive man. tho is res evil 4 i would of played as ada if offered from the beginning. 

mostly my own gender tho.


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## triassic911 (May 18, 2012)

Male. No, it is not cross dressing, it's virtual.


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## EyeZ (May 18, 2012)

Usually i select male, but i do have a female character in Diablo 3.

It's got nothing to do with cross dressing (dunno why the selection of a female character for a male gamer could be suggested as cross dressing)


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## Gahars (May 19, 2012)

I think it's called cross playing, not cross dressing.

Anyway, yeah, I find myself often playing characters of the other gender if given the choice (at least in RPGs). I think it provides an interesting change of pace (I love Mass Effect, for instance, but Male Shepard is a bit too much of a standard "Grizzled Space Marine" for my tastes), which is always nice.


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## Midna (May 19, 2012)

Depends if I'm intended to be immersed with the character in any significant way.


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## Click This (May 19, 2012)

I don't associate my characters as an extension of myself, so I'm cool with either one. I typically play female characters though, even more so in games such as Skyrim. They just get more support from the modding community.


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## Jax (May 19, 2012)

I play as a male first, then on other playthroughs I might choose a female.

Right now I'm playing Skyrim with a female Bosmer.


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## jargus (May 19, 2012)

I make my pick depending on the game it is. IF its a fightying game, I pick whoever's style best fits me. In Pokemon i always pick female becasue the male designes always seemed bland to me. In P3P I pick Female MC. In games where it makes a gameplay difference I pick carefully, in games where it doesnt I choose based on character desgin/appearance


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## Tsuteto (May 19, 2012)

Really it depends on the type of game for me.  I would say though that, more often than not, I play a female character.  If it's creating my own character for the game though (like in MMO's), then I play the male, since, well, I have my own character I go off of.


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## leic7 (May 20, 2012)

Depends on whether there's a romance aspect in the game for the main character, and whether same-sex romance is an option. If only heterosexual options are available, then I'd choose the opposite sex character to play so I could romance characters of my own sex in the game.

I guess it does somewhat feel like cross dressing in that I'd have to play a stereotypical gender role that's different than my own, in order to experience what I'd like to experience in my own gender, but couldn't. This speaks volumes about the ridiculousness of rigid gender roles.

It also depends on how the genders are represented in the game. The one I tend to choose is the one that's represented less poorly by comparison, less *degrading*. Yeah, some game devs really are that clueless.


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## Sterling (May 20, 2012)

Gahars said:


> I think it's called cross playing, not cross dressing.
> 
> Anyway, yeah, I find myself often playing characters of the other gender if given the choice (at least in RPGs). I think it provides an interesting change of pace (I love Mass Effect, for instance, but Male Shepard is a bit too much of a standard "Grizzled Space Marine" for my tastes), which is always nice.


That just what my brother and parents say. It's kinda annoying really.


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## Taleweaver (May 20, 2012)

When given the choice, I usually go for male (I'm a man myself). The reason has to do with that immersion. That isn't just "a character" out there...it's ME. Well...okay, a virtual, far more perfect and handsome version of me, but still...

However, I'm well aware that not everyone plays like this. I had a friend that always went for the most ridiculous outfit/gender/style possible, just to stand out of the crowd. And I've seen discussions about avatars where males with sexy women pictures argued that if they had to look at it all the time, they better had to pick something they liked seeing.

As such, I can't really fill in the second post. FOR ME, it would be cross playing. But I really can't fill that in for others. It will be to some, but most people will just use it to have a better view or nicer voice casting.



(note: I just found out that on this forum, you can click an avatar and check their gender that way...which is really convenient for this thread).


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## Recorderdude (May 20, 2012)

Unless there's a famous male character I like in a game or a female character I really dislike, I'll usually go with a female character if I'm ready to really go through a game.

Why's this? so many games classify female characters as either a fragile speedster or a fragile mage. If the former, it gives a great challenge in outmoving the enemies and feels way more rewarding than walking two steps forward and hitting the punch button all game (this applies doubly so to arcade beat-em-ups). If the latter, near every RPG is going to have the magical tank in light armor, and the character is a necessary part of the game, most of the time. Life-ups, shields, etc keep your health in check while you hit your foes with gigantic explosions and dragon summons. Again, this requires a bit more strategy in execution than the main "hero attacks till the enemies die" (as MP or magic ability or whatever it's called is often limited), making it a more rewarding experience.


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## LightyKD (May 22, 2012)

If its a game with a create a character mode then I'm usually male,  for the sole reason of feeling like its MY adventure.  In other games,  if I have a choice,  usually female.  Dat curvy ass  !Lots of smiles with Taki. (Soul Calibur 2) and Vanessa (P.N.03). My wife finds it amusing lol.


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## Guild McCommunist (May 22, 2012)

LightyKD said:


> Dat curvy ass



Accurate description as to why most of us play female characters.


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## Empoleom (Jun 1, 2012)

depends on the character design


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## iluvfupaburgers (Jun 1, 2012)

i usually pick women if im able to in a game. i think its badass to play as a woman main character and if im going to be staring at pixels for a long time, better look good


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## The Catboy (Jun 1, 2012)

I normally play as males in most games, but if in some cases (like with Pokemon Ruby) if I don't like the male design and I like the female design more., I play as the female.


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## ShadowSoldier (Jun 1, 2012)

Always a male. Just because I don't give a shit and choose the default options just so I can play the game.

The only times I've been a chick in a game is in Borderlands where I'm the siren, I picked her as a joke and was like "FUCK YEAH! IM GONNA KICK SHITS ASS!"

That's actually the only time I can think of right now.


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## Clydefrosch (Jun 1, 2012)

depends entirely, usually, i end up playing both once, unless the male character just looks too bad or opposite.

obviously, its not crossdressing, as that would include actually dressing yourself up.

i still find it creepy when guys rp as girls in online games


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## Sterling (Jun 1, 2012)

Clydefrosch said:


> depends entirely, usually, i end up playing both once, unless the male character just looks too bad or opposite.
> 
> obviously, its not crossdressing, as that would include actually dressing yourself up.
> 
> i still find it creepy when guys rp as girls in online games


Yeah, my friend does that. The worst thing is that he makes me play the same online games as him. He even went so far as to make everyone on said games think that I was in a relationship with "her". Its creepy, but he pulls it so well, I almost can't tell the difference on the other side of the screen.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 1, 2012)

Depending on the character used I may play a male or a female. I usually prepare long backstories for my characters, particularily in RPG games, even moreso in MMO's. I don't consider it cross-dressing. Role Playing is exactly that - playing roles. If I feel like playing as a female mage, I can do that no problemo. If I'm in the mood to be a male knight in shining armor, I can do that as well. It's the freedom video games and the internet give you - you can take Role Playing to the next level.

Thinking that it's cross-dressing is like saying that playing as a character of a different race, for example an elf or an orc means you'd like to change race a'la Michael Jackson. Your character isn't You, you're only controlling it during the game.


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 14, 2012)

It depends on how the character's gender affects gameplay, for me. If the gender of the character is nothing but a physical "template" that affects nothing but looks and voice (ex, Halo: Reach), I'll choose my own gender (male). But if the gender of the character affects their personality, story, etc I'll often play as a female character, simply because I really admire female badasses.


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