I get bored of male characters in RPGs

[Kamen Rider Kuuga]

I will never understand why people like Jennifer Hale's voice in Mass Effect.

[FauxFurry]

On 10/4/2018 at 4:26 PM, EgoBallistic said:

As far as the whole armor thing, I don't really tend to dress female characters in skimpy outfits.  I like to dress them in flattering outfits, even sexy ones, but I don't put a priority on revealing armor and clothes.  In Skyrim I'm more likely to play a barbarian male in a loincloth than a female in a fur bikini.  On the other hand, don't come to me with complaints about "boobplate" or "overly sexualized armor".  In the real world, most women like to dress to look good, and more importantly, in my game I want my characters to look pleasing to me -- be they male or female.  I have no patience for virtue-signaling about how plate mail with discernible breasts is patriarchal male-gaze misogyny.

That whole rigmarole about female exposure being tied to some mythical Patriarchal Male Gaze has always baffled me as real world lowercase 'p' patriarchies always strictly enforce feminine modesty while the male form is venerated and conversely, male sexuality was repressed while female sexuality was generally ignored if it was even recognized as existing at all (which still survives as the misconception that women's arousal isn't at least partly visually based just like that of men).

 

There is an infamous line from the Holy Bible in which Jesus Christ outright says that to lust after a woman is the same as fornicating with while another mentions that he did not advent into the world to change one iota of the holy law. That means that the same punishment mentioned earlier in Exodus and Leviticus for fornicaters and adulterers applies to oglers and cat callers. 

Controlling the desires of lesser men allowed the rulers of old (of whatever gender) to control the man who held them. 

 

Well, it only baffles me when the belief appears genuine. It is often just an excuse to wrap up old patriarchal norms to repackage them as 'Progressivism' while turning one of the benefits of the Sexual Revolution championed by previous generations of Feminists and Egalitarians into a sign of oppression. 

 

It is also incredibly hypocritical as male exposure for the sake of the Female Gaze isn't treated with the same contempt as its Spear Counterpart. Either it is all bad or it is all good. No amount of excuses as to why it is different when another group does something changes that.

[Resdayn]

On 10/4/2018 at 11:31 PM, Kamen Rider Kuuga said:

I will never understand why people like Jennifer Hale's voice in Mass Effect.

She was Bastilla if I remember, and I kind of was fond to that character.

 

But thats me.

[NickNozownik]

If I'll get bored of my character then it means that I've made a shitty character or the game itself is a boring piece of shit. In heavily modded TES game every dude can be a grass munching hippie or Rambo McBadass.

 

SO if you got bored of your character then it's probably your own fault. Git gud m8

[goaway]

This is, admittedly, becoming more and more off topic.

 

20 hours ago, FauxFurry said:

 

There is an infamous line from the Holy Bible in which Jesus Christ outright says that to lust after a woman is the same as fornicating with while another mentions that he did not advent into the world to change one iota of the holy law. That means that the same punishment mentioned earlier in Exodus and Leviticus for fornicaters and adulterers applies to oglers and cat callers. 

Controlling the desires of lesser men allowed the rulers of old (of whatever gender) to control the man who held them. 

 

Not to necessarily disagree but that specific line is talking about literal objectification, ie viewing a real person as a sex object, to covet with your eyes as a thing you would own.  There is a huge difference between enjoying the human form and objectifying a living human.  Objectifying real people is harmful and contributes to de-humanizing mindsets that can ultimately create the very systems you are describing. 

 

That said, fictional characters or images of the female form cannot be objectified because they are not real people, they are objects by definition.  One cannot objectify an object.  Along the same lines it is impossible to objectify "all women" since this is another shared abstract concept based on a descriptive characteristic applying to a theoretical grouping of people.  There is no such thing as "all women" in terms of a group to which sexualized imagery can do harm.

 

My sincere belief, as you implied, is that most male advocates of pro-feminist censorship in the name of social justice are really just closet misogynists who believe women are incapable of advocating for themselves without a man protecting them.  Real feminism is about standards of fairness and equality, not about getting rid of sexy or building a gender neutral culture.  

[FauxFurry]

7 hours ago, goaway said:

This is, admittedly, becoming more and more off topic.

 

Not to necessarily disagree but that specific line is talking about literal objectification, ie viewing a real person as a sex object, to covet with your eyes as a thing you would own.  There is a huge difference between enjoying the human form and objectifying a living human.  Objectifying real people is harmful and contributes to de-humanizing mindsets that can ultimately create the very systems you are describing. 

 

That said, fictional characters or images of the female form cannot be objectified because they are not real people, they are objects by definition.  One cannot objectify an object.  Along the same lines it is impossible to objectify "all women" since this is another shared abstract concept based on a descriptive characteristic applying to a theoretical grouping of people.  There is no such thing as "all women" in terms of a group to which sexualized imagery can do harm.

 

My sincere belief, as you implied, is that most male advocates of pro-feminist censorship in the name of social justice are really just closet misogynists who believe women are incapable of advocating for themselves without a man protecting them.  Real feminism is about standards of fairness and equality, not about getting rid of sexy or building a gender neutral culture.  

I remember pointing out that female video game characters are art assets just like the 'male' characters in response to an article on objectification written at Destructoid many yonks ago. Considering the kinds of articles that guys like Jim Sterling used to write as well as link to would help to bolster the hypothesis that this strident promotion of 4th Wave Feminism by male allies is an attempt to soothe a guilty soul.

 

Thinking of guilty consciences, in an attempt to re-rail this topic, I'd just say to vary up the kinds of games that one plays to avoid burn out on any one particular character archetype.

 

Play more point-and-click games if you want female protagonists who use their heads to solve their problems rather than doing their best John Rambo impression. Play dating sims and eroge if you desire a greater diversity of gender expressions. Play platformers or Western Styled RPGs if standard humans humans are all starting to blend together for you. Play a mech combat simulation if organic meat sacks have lost their luster and you want someone/thing with a shiny new exterior to behold. When that gets old, you can always customize the mech or robot that is being played.

[KoolHndLuke]

On 10/6/2018 at 1:00 AM, Resdayn said:

She was Bastilla if I remember, and I kind of was fond to that character.

I always liked to imagine what Darth Malak did to her while she was his prisoner- he turned her to the Dark Side after all and it didn't take very long.

[Resdayn]

21 minutes ago, KoolHndLuke said:

I always liked to imagine what Darth Malak did to her while she was his prisoner- he turned her to the Dark Side after all and it didn't take very long.

The ones who are the most "hardcore" Jedi are the easiest to break.  

 

 

[steelpanther24]

On 9/15/2018 at 3:44 PM, sshar22 said:

One trend I noticed creeping up "recently" (not quite, is more than 20 years that its growing) is the fact that a lot of studios are "playing it safe" in characterization (less stereotypes, more averaged) to avoid the ire of some "too easy offended on command" type of public.

 

Cheers

I noticed that too, though for more than just PC reasons, I think.    A different story line would add time and money, which major studios don't like.  Another sad truth is that most of the major studios look at the average player, who does not have a long attention span.   Also, what games do feature a different "level" to the game when you switch genders (without mods)?  Crusaders King II, Fallout 2,  Vampire The Masquerade; Bloodlines, Dragon Age and Never Winter Nights are ones that I can think of, but all are "old" by today's standards. 

 

My first time in a game is always a male character (to be true to the RPG), and I usually go the furthest with that character because everything is "new".   My second character is a female one, which i will play for the longest time since she is trying to do everything (all the side quests).  Much like others have said, because I prefer watching a beautiful woman, to seeing just another guy.  However, when the story changes (either in subtle or obvious ways)  between the genders, it will hold my interest longer and creates at a minimum new things to discover. 

 

 

[peculiaris]

On 10/7/2018 at 3:00 PM, KoolHndLuke said:

I always liked to imagine what Darth Malak did to her while she was his prisoner- he turned her to the Dark Side after all and it didn't take very long.

Technically you don't need to imagine, since you share a very strong force bond with her so anything she feels you feel to.

[ACspiral]

I stopped playing as a male when Halo: Reach came out. My recon helmet always looked better on her and so did most of the other chest pieces. After that it moved to other games as well. Now its to the point where it's upsetting when a game doesn't allow for the option, even when it "doesn't matter". Character customization has become something very important to me and one of the basic steps of character creation is gender/sex selection. So when a game has that but lacks something as simple as being able to play as a woman its especially irritating. 

Its not even entirely sexual either. I also came to the conclusion that male characters were boring to me. Of course being on this site my Bethesda games are running wild with sexuality, but not all games allow for that to take place so at that point it comes down to how overall I feel more comfortable playing as a woman.

The idea of a woman who is the center of a story or leads and makes the decisions in a timeline-changing moment, for her to have that power, is appealing to me (maybe it speaks to the submissive side of me that would make sense). There's a moment in Dragon Age: Inquisition (I believe after the Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts quest I still haven't finished the game no spoilers pls) where Dorian says something in general out-of-cutscene dialogue about having an entire empire wrapped around your fingertips. Playing as a woman during that discussion it felt massively empowering and satisfying. 

Games led me to the realization that I feel more comfortable with the idea of me, my physical self, being female and that I wish whatever event happens to determine that during the formation of a human had led to that result. It led me to envy the clothing options women have, their hairstyles, and overall fashion and aesthetic capabilities. And yes it led me to envy their sexual capabilities. I know I could undergo all the necessary procedures to making a transition, but not only does that cost money, it also wouldn't be far enough for me. 

Sorry for that last digression but I felt it somewhat relevant to the point I was making, which is that its fine to play as a person you aren't in real life. 

[Cataclysimz]

When i was young i used to play with female characters 99% of the time.. now that i'm all grown up i literally can't see myself playing as anything other than males.. I love men!

[Musje]

3 hours ago, Simquisitor said:

When i was young i used to play with female characters 99% of the time.. now that i'm all grown up i literally can't see myself playing as anything other than males.. I love men!

How long ago was that?

I remember playing Ultima Online around the turn of the millennium. Back then people tended to play their own gender, some did switch but it was considered to be a little weird. I played a male char for a bit since others kept hitting on my lady characters, but for me it too was weird.

 

Later it became more normal to switch gender in game. There were so many female characters in SWG... I got found out as a female only because in that game I never actually got involved in raids and stuff, I exclusively busied myself with crafting, mostly outfits and uniforms... had quite a nice shop too. So I had to be female, right? How;s that for a cliche? (Also: screw Sony and their NGE: they didn;t recognize pure crafters so they dropped all my stats to zero after the switch)

 

So why do people switch? I don't know really. For me, roleplaying is a bit like improv, putting yourself in situations that you wouldn't be in IRL. Switching gender is kind of an easy (but heavy handed) way to accomplish that. But my friend has a better explanation: he said if you're going to look at your character's backside for 1000s of hours of play time, it might as well be a nice backside. I don't know... It annoys me that games like Kingdom Come force you to play like a guy, and a pre-rolled and pre-named one at that!

 

Something I'd be interested in: if you play your own gender, what do you make your character look like?

[Cataclysimz]

On 11/19/2018 at 3:11 AM, Musje said:

How long ago was that?

I remember playing Ultima Online around the turn of the millennium. Back then people tended to play their own gender, some did switch but it was considered to be a little weird. I played a male char for a bit since others kept hitting on my lady characters, but for me it too was weird.

 

Later it became more normal to switch gender in game. There were so many female characters in SWG... I got found out as a female only because in that game I never actually got involved in raids and stuff, I exclusively busied myself with crafting, mostly outfits and uniforms... had quite a nice shop too. So I had to be female, right? How;s that for a cliche? (Also: screw Sony and their NGE: they didn;t recognize pure crafters so they dropped all my stats to zero after the switch)

 

So why do people switch? I don't know really. For me, roleplaying is a bit like improv, putting yourself in situations that you wouldn't be in IRL. Switching gender is kind of an easy (but heavy handed) way to accomplish that. But my friend has a better explanation: he said if you're going to look at your character's backside for 1000s of hours of play time, it might as well be a nice backside. I don't know... It annoys me that games like Kingdom Come force you to play like a guy, and a pre-rolled and pre-named one at that!

 

Something I'd be interested in: if you play your own gender, what do you make your character look like?

I can't say for sure, i'd say i was 11 at the time.. I always had the tendency to pick a female character over a male and i really enjoyed it!  I think the reason why I've completely gotten over that habit is because i grew up and explored my sexuality and knew i liked men and it's what i prefer to be involved with and play as from now on.. It's who i want to be in a game.. mainly for the aesthetic and what can i say i fancy a good looking pile of pixels ? 

[Alexei81]

не играю в игры где нет альтернативы мужскому персонажу. Стараюсь следить за новинками... игры где есть создание персонажей двух полов.               Только что создал новый образ персонажа в Soul Calibur 6   ?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

[landess]

While I'll admit this can be controversial subject, most bias seems based on personal experience. In the MMO world 'using' a female avatar for the sake of freebies from other players that seem incapable of separating reality from a game comes to mind the most.

 

As a male, having your female avatar being 'hit upon' by every person that can't keep it in their pants is an eye opening experience to the crap girls must deal with on a daily basis. No wonder so many ladies choose male avatars to avoid these awkward moments.

 

For myself, I agree with most guys that use a female for aesthetic purposes. I fell in love with Lara Croft when Tomb Raider first debuted and believe that helped shape my view on character choice.

 

Now with so many games which offer a companion to quest with, if I find a female companion is available, I will tend to use a male protagonist. If I play a game which offers no such choice, I tend to revert to using a female. Sometimes both depending on the title. A lot of work goes into games which offer both as there are generally subtle differences and it seems no different than 'seeing all possible endings'.

[Inajira]

So good to read a thread about this which is free of the virtue-signaling nonsense on other forums or places like Kotaku or RPS. I love playing a female character for the usual hetero male reasons (play dress-up, nice ass, voyeuristically watching my character fuck, the difference inherent in roleplaying a different sex, and so on). In fact I'm so spoiled for choice I can't even get into roleplaying games that insist on a male character. I'm sorry, no matter how good Witcher 3 is I'm sick to death of unattractive (to me), sombre, killer male characters. Just installed mod to make Quiet as player character in MGS5 which is such an improvement (love seeing her leopard crawl) so maybe I'll finish the game now. But seriously it's hard to find good games that aren't ashamed to show off beautiful female bodies.

[Cozy]

If given the option I generally pick female, probably for the same reason a lot of guys pick male. I identify with a female character. Though when it comes to heavy character focused RPG's that really don't give you a choice like Witcher 3, I really don't mind because Geralt is a very interesting dude. Unlike say an Elder Scrolls character Geralt has his own personality, which is kind of integral to the games narrative despite your choices. So generally I prefer a female character with a more open ended experience, but with an RPG that is character focused it depends on the game, and character, their gender is irrelevant if they are a good character. Though I will admit I am likely more inclined to pick up a game with a female protagonist, still that doesn't stop me from enjoying games with male protagonists.

 

Wow while typing this garble I just remembered way back when I was playing Oblivion in 08ish? I had a male character, like this Elven Samurai Bishonen badass I made. Yeah he was pretty cool! hmmm you know what? When I get my new PC and get to work on Skyrim again after 5+ years, I might make some kind of character in a similar vein. Actually pictures that Samurai Elf dude might still be on my Nexus account. hmmm need to remember the email for that, Sorry done rambling.

[Resdayn]

I think I had quite amount of male chars, but genereally only play them if they are interesting  

 

[theposhmudcrab]

5 minutes ago, Resdayn said:

only play them if they are interesting

my thoughts exactly, too bad so many of them are boring to me.

[Resdayn]

Yeah, I mean there are rpg-s where narrative and story elements are different if play both genders.

 

Like in Kotor 2 male Exile was good too, different companion, interaction with certain char and relationship with Sion is also has other themes.

 

Those me made use both of them, but if both are plays the same then meh.