Your Gender vs. Your Character's

[Kaiverta]

Hi all.

 

I'm a woman and I have almost always RPed male characters. They're just more fun for me to write, they get better attention (my female characters always got bitchy attention), and they flow more nicely for me personally.

 

I was just wondering who else out there has a character of the opposite gender (if I'm allowed to ask that ), and if anyone has run into any problems with other players because of this (maybe they get miffed that you're pretending to be something you're not, or feel weird playing a female around a male character who is also played by a female, and vice versa).

 

Get chatting.

[Rosekitten]

I use to mainly rp male characters. Shoot my husband was rp'ing female characters because of my choices heh. I've pulled more away form that now but it had been a great many years before I had a sort of main female rp character. 

 

As a writer I see nothing wrong with it in the slightest. It was a way to work on my writing from a standpoint I could not live in my everyday life. The sole time I get annoyed at someone playing the other gender is if they are not open about it... Don't lie to people just to get the attention you want =/ 

 

Sorry I've just had terrible past experiences with roles going both ways.. a female pretending to be a guy, a guy pretending to be a chick.. be honest with people and you'll keep your friends a heck of a lot longer.

 

Even when I was rp'ing a male character I made sure they knew I wasn't a guy or that anything that happened in the rp stayed  there.

[Eses Fafa]

It's often a bit of a meme to diss on men playing women, especially ones with a female partner, but I personally prefer to play most races as females because I prefer more diminutive or elegant builds. I'm not sure people really care about the opposing gender playing theirs, but I wouldn't be too miffed about it.

 

A lot of people might hate a more butch girl being played, but at the same time, I hate bitchy blokes. Both exist in real life, and I've had the pleasure/displeasure of meeting both. The role of a certain gender can be played to a tee by the opposite relatively easy.

[Roen]

I've had lots of fun RPing male characters in the past! It was in forum RP, and describing them and their behavior was fun for me. It was also fun to try and step into the male role in a relationship and be believable about their mindset. I was happy to know after the fact that some players did not know I was a female player behind the keyboard.

 

Currently my characters in FFXIV are all female, only because I like seeing glamour on females. This bias has been the case since my WoW days when I preferred to see all the gears on my female night elf. It's just a personal preference.

 

I have written for a few male characters in posts, and I am still open to possibly rolling a male alt if some idea inspires me to do so.

[Cocotsu]

I tend to play female characters more for writing and aesthetic purposes. For writing I just find it more fun to create a story with a heroine. My males tend to need a very specific criteria in-game before I play them. I like the White/silver hair mysterious and strategic warrior god mode types so for RP its not very good

 

Aesthetically females just get more attention to their clothing I feel.

 

Most of the time ERPers or RPs that become more mature get miffed if they find out im a male playing a female. I feel it doesn't matter though, as we are both writers creating a fictional setting. 

 

I will say is hilarious to play a female character and then join a voice chat later and hear everyone's jaws drop. "YOUR A DUDE!?"

[Eses Fafa]

I will say is hilarious to play a female character and then join a voice chat later and hear everyone's jaws drop. "YOUR A DUDE!?"

How is that surprising these days?! Honestly, the only times I see that happening is when they had intentions to develop something IRL. I did get rather stunned when I found a few guildies on WoW were women playing guys because they played it pretty solidly, but it's often best to assume the chick is a dude until proven otherwise, and even better so if one has a more lecherous mindset of trying to progress something IRL and instead just trying to be your friend.

[Kaiverta]

Thanks everyone for the answers so far. All very interesting reads.

 

Nothing wrong with playing a character of the opposite gender! There's no need for people to have an issue with it, but I think when they do, maybe some of them sort of bond to the person playing the character, as if that person is the character, too. In some ways, we are our characters because -some- parts of us do shine through them, but it's not to the point where people can be disappointed if the person behind the screen isn't the same as the character on it.

 

I had fun playing my female character waaaay back but was inspired to give a male character a try by... I actually can't remember what it was. That first character didn't go anywhere, but then I watched Beyblade in 2000 () and Kai Hiwatari totally floated my boat, so I created a character based off him. Over the years, Krice (my silver-haired OC in my avatar image) has developed to become his own man who doesn't resemble Kai even one iota.

 

Krice has essentially played himself throughout the years. I haven't made a female character since him, actually.

 

And wow, Cocotsu, it sounded like you totally described my OC right there. Minus the god-modding. <3 I haven't RPed in MMOs before so I haven't had the pleasure of hearing people's shock when discovering that your female character is played by a guy, but that sounds hilarious.

[Branson Thorne]

I'm a male who has played as both genders, and for myself, I figure out what I want the character's goal to be, who they are, where they are going, etc. Then I choose which gender I think would better represent my story I want to tell.

 

For instance my current character; I wanted someone down on their luck, an outcast in their own city, raised by a single parent in a place they did not really belong. I wanted to play a character who for every reason should hate the world and loathe others around them, but yet, somehow they manage to look past all that and still love and show kindness to everyone.

 

I wanted a character who wanted to achieve great things, but lacked the tools to do it. Someone who would strive to better themselves, someone who would tackle any obstacle set before them, someone to overcome their fears, someone who should have everything, but yet they have nothing. I wanted someone who despite life kicking them around, battering them, but always seems to get back up on their feet and keep on going until they achieved their dreams.

 

So for this, I felt that a female character could better tell the story I wanted to write. So that is what I choose, and I feel it was the right decision to make.

[Erah'sae]

Personally I've almost always played male characters (and I'm a male).  I've tried and I can't convincingly pull off a female persona.

 

I don't really care one way or another about the genders of the players of other characters though.  

 

I do have an amusing story about a friend who played a female character back in his wow days.  The character was subtle, non-violent, more or less the 'everyone's loving second mother' type of persona.

 

Apparently he played the female part so well that he had trouble getting people to believe he was a guy behind the keyboard some years later.   I was over at his house when someone started sending him tells about particular female problems.  

 

He replies that he's a guy and didn't have the proper body parts to be of help, but they persisted saying 'she could drop the charade, they all knew the player was a girl.  it's alright. and included even more detail'. 

 

He looked over to his wife with this horrified embarrassed expression on his face and said "I have no idea how to handle this."

 

She took over the keyboard and stated with  "I'm such and such's RL wife.  You really need to get that looked at by a doctor."  

 

After that, they were more inclined to believe he was a lesbian until he finally got on voice coms.  Much embarrassment and a few accusations of using a voice changer followed.

[maoilmhin]

I am a male that plays a female character.   As others have mentioned, the general populous already assumes female character = male behind the keyboard.   I don't think there is any harm in it as long as you are not trying to deceive people or represent the opposite sex in a malicious manor.

 

Other than their general welfare (which I have a genuine concern for anyone I game with), I don't want to know much about what is behind the keyboard at the other end.   I much prefer to just know the character as the character.   I tend to stay out of voice comms / RL PIC threads.

[Kaiverta]

ERA'SAE: That is an awesome story! Ha. Your poor friend. It's a compliment that people still thought he was a woman when he said that he wasn't, enough to speak about their female problems to him, but also very awkward.

 

So interesting! It seems like more female characters in MMOs are played by males than by females. In the MuDs I play, the female characters are almost always played by females.

 

I agree with what Niamh said. As long as there's no malicious intent behind choosing the opposite gender, then it doesn't matter what/who you play.

 

It's great to be able to explore different personas that are impossible to properly explore in real life.

 

I've been told by very womanly RPers (who were my friends at the time, and married to men) that I play killer guys, so I think that helped reinforce my decision to keep playing them.

 

It's not a conscious effort to NOT choose females... I just always go straight for the male. I also prefer storylines in movies, games, and anime that are propelled by a male for the main character and whoever (male, or female, or all) for supporting characters. It just appeals to me more.

[Surilian]

Adding my penny's worth, I have definitely been one to play both aspects of the gender pool. In the past I use to always play female toons when I first started but yet had issues of the other player growing a attachment that would uncomfortably shift into rl and put in a spot.

 

I have found playing a male toon so much nicer for my gender since it stays IC and I don't have so many worries. It seems more relaxing and many people have found my male toons from enjoyable, to even a pain, to even people saying I rp spot on.

 

I find nothing wrong with it and yes as everyone said here, if someone has a issue its because they wished for something irl which this is rp! They are fawning over the toon.. not the actor (rper) which only tosses a glimmer of themselves into the character.

 

Enjoy the rp! Its suppose to be fun! And if people have issues that is their issue. All I say is communication is important Always communicate! Set down lines so it doesn't become bad later ;-; (been there done that and I'm such a softy ooc compared to all my babies I play) And have fun!

[Crystal Chronicler]

I usually play females despite being male. To begin with, there is the aesthetic reason. I tend to prefer more slender and elegant appearances in characters. Female animations tend to have more grace to them as well. I enjoy being able to play a character who is both beautiful and badass at the same time.

 

I've never really had trouble with people finding out that I'm male. I think its usually expected these days. One of my friends did tease me a bit about it though when I first started MMOs, but beyond that no one bats an eye.

 

There are times when I enjoy playing a male character, though. I enjoy playing as a male dwarf in games that have. Part of it is because of how unabashedly masculine they are with those huge beards and all, but is mostly because they tend to exemplify what I consider to be extremely positive male traits. These would be things like hard work ethic, loyalty, camaraderie, dependability, toughness, and strength to name a few examples. Also beards and Scottish accents. I see them as the working class Joes to the elves' aristocratic snobbery.

[Coatleque]

I wanted to see if I could do it. There are still people out there convinced of it, so .. \o/ experiment successful?

[Kaiverta]

I usually play females despite being male. To begin with, there is the aesthetic reason. I tend to prefer more slender and elegant appearances in characters. Female animations tend to have more grace to them as well. I enjoy being able to play a character who is both beautiful and badass at the same time.

 

I've never really had trouble with people finding out that I'm male. I think its usually expected these days. One of my friends did tease me a bit about it though when I first started MMOs, but beyond that no one bats an eye.

 

There are times when I enjoy playing a male character, though. I enjoy playing as a male dwarf in games that have. Part of it is because of how unabashedly masculine they are with those huge beards and all, but is mostly because they tend to exemplify what I consider to be extremely positive male traits. These would be things like hard work ethic, loyalty, camaraderie, dependability, toughness, and strength to name a few examples. Also beards and Scottish accents. I see them as the working class Joes to the elves' aristocratic snobbery.

 

Awesome reply. I agree about the dwarves.

 

And maybe what you said rings true for me, too. Maybe subconsciously, my base self prefers to look at a male character than a female one. Being an artist, though, I think it doesn't matter much consciously at least. I love looking at either gender. If the design is well done, it doesn't matter if it's a he or a she.

[Gegenji]

I'm a guy who plays guy characters. I honestly don't play female characters for the simple reason of lack of personal confidence in my writing and/or acting skills. I don't think I could RP a girl well, so I don't. Even the female NPCs I might use in scenes (Chachan's mother and sister, for example) are usually based heavily off of women I know or some manner of female stereotype. :blush:

 

When it gets into romantic entanglements, though, I... don't really mind? The story at hand is the relationship between the characters, not the people who are playing them. So whether or not the girl one of my characters is dating is played by an actual girl is kind of a moot point? I dunno.

[Kaiverta]

Adding my penny's worth, I have definitely been one to play both aspects of the gender pool. In the past I use to always play female toons when I first started but yet had issues of the other player growing a attachment that would uncomfortably shift into rl and put in a spot.

 

I have found playing a male toon so much nicer for my gender since it stays IC and I don't have so many worries. It seems more relaxing and many people have found my male toons from enjoyable, to even a pain, to even people saying I rp spot on.

 

I find nothing wrong with it and yes as everyone said here, if someone has a issue its because they wished for something irl which this is rp! They are fawning over the toon.. not the actor (rper) which only tosses a glimmer of themselves into the character.

 

Enjoy the rp! Its suppose to be fun! And if people have issues that is their issue. All I say is communication is important Always communicate! Set down lines so it doesn't become bad later ;-; (been there done that and I'm such a softy ooc compared to all my babies I play)  And have fun!

 

Well said. We're all here to write stories that essentially have nothing to do with US as the writers. Some people do still get emotional and overreact to OOC things that really shouldn't affect their IC situations, but all in all, it's a positive thing.

[Cocotsu]

I will say is hilarious to play a female character and then join a voice chat later and hear everyone's jaws drop. "YOUR A DUDE!?"

How is that surprising these days?! Honestly, the only times I see that happening is when they had intentions to develop something IRL. I did get rather stunned when I found a few guildies on WoW were women playing guys because they played it pretty solidly, but it's often best to assume the chick is a dude until proven otherwise, and even better so if one has a more lecherous mindset of trying to progress something IRL and instead just trying to be your friend.

 

Personally I simply refer to anyone by their characters gender until I hear them in voice.  Perhaps my quote there didn't have enough background. I was referring to a time in Tera when I played an Elin. For a few months I was in a guild but didn't use voice chat. So when I joined everyone was surprised.  Not that its fun to do it intentionally but its amusing and satisfactory when you can play a character well enough of the opposite gender.

[Kaiverta]

I will say is hilarious to play a female character and then join a voice chat later and hear everyone's jaws drop. "YOUR A DUDE!?"

How is that surprising these days?! Honestly, the only times I see that happening is when they had intentions to develop something IRL. I did get rather stunned when I found a few guildies on WoW were women playing guys because they played it pretty solidly, but it's often best to assume the chick is a dude until proven otherwise, and even better so if one has a more lecherous mindset of trying to progress something IRL and instead just trying to be your friend.

 

Personally I simply refer to anyone by their characters gender until I hear them in voice.  Perhaps my quote there didn't have enough background. I was referring to a time in Tera when I played an Elin. For a few months I was in a guild but didn't use voice chat. So when I joined everyone was surprised.  Not that its fun to do it intentionally but its amusing and satisfactory when you can play a character well enough of the opposite gender.

 

Oh yes, I do the same thing. Unless it is stated otherwise, I refer to the person (if communicating OOCly) to the same gender as his or her character.

 

I'd like to RP with you sometime and witness your awesome female skillz for myself. I just... need to get back into the game. >>

[Arashin Kujqai]

I've always been one to pick the same gender I am in games, even in gender locked mmo's. I've never felt right playing a female character out of customization but playing games like Metroid Prime, Tomb Raider, or etc with established characters(typically in narrative formats that show you're not actually the character but witnessing the character's events) has always been perfectly fine with me.

 

I used to have an issue with people playing characters they're not until I understood their reasoning. Some because of gender identity and others to avoid being hit on. I still embrace the idea that in a role playing game that you should feel immersed into an mmo, and embrace what you are IRL but I realize that's not always possible for people in this day and age. So it doesn't bother me anymore... WHAT DOES bother me however is when someone picks an opposite gender character and gets offended I call them by that gender. For example, you're a girl IRL but play a guy, so off glance I'm going to assume and say "he", but then the person gets snippy and says "UM, I'M A GIRL". Makes me want so smack them across the face, stamp their hand with a "I'm special!" brand, and tell them "you picked a male character, that's what you wanted".

 

I know it's bad to assume gender but sometimes there draws a line in how ridiculous and tedious it is to be this sensitive(and this is coming from someone who's often too sensitive). I feel like if you picked a specific gender and people refer to you as what they see in game, it shouldn't warrant a "don't do that stupid!" kinda comment when the person clearly chose that gender and knew they would be identified as such. Idc if you're a moose IRL, you picked a female miqo'te, then you're a female when I refer to you since it's what you wanted and chose to be looked upon as.

 

That said, I do have friends who prefer to be called something or another, depending on their personality I typically cope with it. Especially if they're picking it for gender identity issues they may have, it seems to come easier to refer to someone based off their personality when you get to know them. But if you don't know them or they're just passing by, I'm often to go for what I know based off the character models.

 

There's also some players I've seen who RP with male models but claim they're female in their search comment to support the body type of being a buff looking character. I kinda understand this one as FF14 doesn't allow body customization(/cry), and it isn't too hard to make male models look feminine and vice versa I imagine. I respect that but I do find it difficult at times to remember "oh right this person's actually a girl RP character" when I see a male model in front of me. It might just be a game design thing that I have engraved that models are specific and aren't often modified by player will claiming their character isn't what they appear to be in game(i.e. claiming they're a buff female char but using a male char model). That's just my more technical side applying logic to game physics/graphics/modeling than being aware of player will to be imaginative lol. Which I guess also means I'm used to mmo's giving us proper body customization to allow that kinda imagination to thrive in the game without players having to claim otherwise(give us more options to customize SE )

[Crystal Chronicler]

I will say is hilarious to play a female character and then join a voice chat later and hear everyone's jaws drop. "YOUR A DUDE!?"

How is that surprising these days?! Honestly, the only times I see that happening is when they had intentions to develop something IRL. I did get rather stunned when I found a few guildies on WoW were women playing guys because they played it pretty solidly, but it's often best to assume the chick is a dude until proven otherwise, and even better so if one has a more lecherous mindset of trying to progress something IRL and instead just trying to be your friend.

 

Personally I simply refer to anyone by their characters gender until I hear them in voice.  Perhaps my quote there didn't have enough background. I was referring to a time in Tera when I played an Elin. For a few months I was in a guild but didn't use voice chat. So when I joined everyone was surprised.  Not that its fun to do it intentionally but its amusing and satisfactory when you can play a character well enough of the opposite gender.

Personally, I think that sounds hilarious. You got this tiny female character with a deep male voice. That's just pure funny.

[Crystal Chronicler]

I will say is hilarious to play a female character and then join a voice chat later and hear everyone's jaws drop. "YOUR A DUDE!?"

How is that surprising these days?! Honestly, the only times I see that happening is when they had intentions to develop something IRL. I did get rather stunned when I found a few guildies on WoW were women playing guys because they played it pretty solidly, but it's often best to assume the chick is a dude until proven otherwise, and even better so if one has a more lecherous mindset of trying to progress something IRL and instead just trying to be your friend.

 

Personally I simply refer to anyone by their characters gender until I hear them in voice.  Perhaps my quote there didn't have enough background. I was referring to a time in Tera when I played an Elin. For a few months I was in a guild but didn't use voice chat. So when I joined everyone was surprised.  Not that its fun to do it intentionally but its amusing and satisfactory when you can play a character well enough of the opposite gender.

 

 

 

 

Personally, I think that sounds hilarious. You got this tiny female character with a deep male voice. That's just pure funny.

 

 

 

 

Somehow this double posted. Please delete.

[Cocotsu]

 

There are times when I enjoy playing a male character, though. I enjoy playing as a male dwarf in games that have. Part of it is because of how unabashedly masculine they are with those huge beards and all, but is mostly because they tend to exemplify what I consider to be extremely positive male traits. These would be things like hard work ethic, loyalty, camaraderie, dependability, toughness, and strength to name a few examples. Also beards and Scottish accents. I see them as the working class Joes to the elves' aristocratic snobbery.

 

Dwarfs yes! Give me a game with good dwarfs in it and I will solidly play a dwarf! Diggy diggy hole!

[Crystal Chronicler]

 

There are times when I enjoy playing a male character, though. I enjoy playing as a male dwarf in games that have. Part of it is because of how unabashedly masculine they are with those huge beards and all, but is mostly because they tend to exemplify what I consider to be extremely positive male traits. These would be things like hard work ethic, loyalty, camaraderie, dependability, toughness, and strength to name a few examples. Also beards and Scottish accents. I see them as the working class Joes to the elves' aristocratic snobbery.

 

Dwarfs yes! Give me a game with good dwarfs in it and I will solidly play a dwarf! Diggy diggy hole!

I've had that song stuck in my head all day!

[Gegenji]

There's also some players I've seen who RP with male models but claim they're female in their search comment to support the body type of being a buff looking character. I kinda understand this one as FF14 doesn't allow body customization(/cry), and it isn't too hard to make male models look feminine and vice versa I imagine. I respect that but I do find it difficult at times to remember "oh right this person's actually a girl RP character" when I see a male model in front of me. It might just be a game design thing that I have engraved that models are specific and aren't often modified by player will claiming their character isn't what they appear to be in game(i.e. claiming they're a buff female char but using a male char model). That's just my more technical side applying logic to game physics/graphics/modeling than being aware of player will to be imaginative lol. Which I guess also means I'm used to mmo's giving us proper body customization to allow that kinda imagination to thrive in the game without players having to claim otherwise(give us more options to customize SE )

 

That's... one that's gotten me raising eyebrows pretty often as well. Though it's usually a guy using a female model because their character is "effeminate-looking." Which is all well and good, but it kind of ruins the whole point of it when your character does that exact thing - mistaken them as female - and the person OOCly gets upset with you. Like... the purpose was to have your character be kinda girly-looking, so you're upset when people mistake the character as a girl for being girly-looking? :dazed:

 

 

There are times when I enjoy playing a male character, though. I enjoy playing as a male dwarf in games that have. Part of it is because of how unabashedly masculine they are with those huge beards and all, but is mostly because they tend to exemplify what I consider to be extremely positive male traits. These would be things like hard work ethic, loyalty, camaraderie, dependability, toughness, and strength to name a few examples. Also beards and Scottish accents. I see them as the working class Joes to the elves' aristocratic snobbery.

 

Dwarfs yes! Give me a game with good dwarfs in it and I will solidly play a dwarf! Diggy diggy hole!

I've had that song stuck in my head all day!

 

...

 

(Not gonna lie, that's the song I had on loop when I was leveling Mining on Chachan.) :blush: