Playing As the Opposite Gender in Video Games

[arkvoodle]

Incase the title didnt explain the thread enough for you, what do you think about people who play as the opposite gender characters in video games, MMOs and RPs.

Some find it disgusting because of their incredibly sexist minds and way of looking at life.
Others find it plain strange.


Personally, I find it perfectly fine for people to play as female characters in Video Games.

I sometimes play as the female characters in certain games, for example, SSB Brawl.
Depending on who i'm facing, i'll switch between the two genders. In one match Donkey Kong, in another Samus.

Even here on the forums, in two of the RPs, I play as both male and female characters.

So what is your opinion of this? Are you for or against it.
If you are against, discuss why.

 

[ancazur]

Considering there are far more male character than female in games, I have no problem with gender switching - I do it often. (Though Zelda is my girl in SSBB...)

And even guys playing as girls, I don't see it as a big deal. If you like the character, doesn't matter to me whether they're male or female.

 

[Ooccoo Watcher]

I don't see what the problem with playing as the opposite gender is. If people want to do it, they should do it.

 

[Zenox]

The only video game that I've ever considered playing as the opposite gender was Pokemon: Leaf Green, because, I mean, just look at her? Although, I never actually did that, I only considered it.

Otherwise, I've only ever played as male, although, I don't play a lot of games that give me much of a choice.

On the other hand, some RPG games (Such as the Elder Scrolls series) each gender has better stats than the other. Such as males have more strength, and females have more personality and magic. I would take that into consideration for stat-based reasons. I would choose a male if they were better fit for the style I wanted to play, or female for the same reasons. Not merely because I'm a boy.

All in all, it basically doesn't matter to me, so long as it doesn't affect the gameplay. I'll play as a girl if they have better stats or something, but otherwise, I'm mainly a guy.

 

[arkvoodle]

The thing is some people are too sexist to even think of this. My friend's cousin refered to it as "Disgusting". I asked why he thought that, and he couldnt give a valid reason. He just spat random sentences that had absolutely nothing to do with the conversation.

I don't see why people should have a problem with playing as the opposite gender.

 

[insanity76]

There are some great games where the protagonist is a female, and if you're gonna be so shallow as to refuse to play as a female character you're gonna miss out. And even games, fighting games for example, where you can choose your character's gender, I have no problem playing as a female. In fact I was best with Kim Wu in Killer Instinct, as well as with Blaze in Streets of Rage.

 

[yann]

Some of my favourite games of all time utilise female main characters.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, possibly my favourite game of all time uses Jill Valentine as the main character, and I have no problem with dealing with the fact I'm being represented in the game by a woman.

 

[NorthApple]

Being female myself, and as ancazur said, since the amount of male characters greatly outnumbers the amount of female ones in most games (what, 2 if you're lucky), it's pretty much unavoidable for me not to play as the opposite gender in things. So I never really thought it was an issue, actually, it seemed natural to me.
And even in games where you have an even choice, I still often pick/make a male character, because let's face it, they get all the good gear, weapons, stats and attacks XD Also, in things like the recent pokemon, they have so much better designs. Honestly, the female characters embarrass me XD

Though I guess, the reason why you play as the opposite gender has a lot to do with it- if it's for tactical purposes, then that's completely normal, but if say, it's just because the guy wants to see up the female characters skirt or something, then that's kind of disgusting. Eh.

 

[Master Kokiri 9]

Meh. I don't really care either way. Usual in games where I'm given the choice (such as Pokemon) I play as the guy simply because it doesn't affect anything except (in the case of the later two generations) the gender and theme of your rival (although Dawn/Lucas was more like an occasional partner in D/P/Pt).

In games like SSB, I take into consideration how adept I am with a character instead of just their gender. If I feel like playing with an agile character, I go to somebody like Shiek. If I want a powerhouse, I go to Donkey Kong or Samus. The gender doesn't affect my choice at all in that case.

Also, then there's the whole RPG thing. Sometimes I'll take a female character to center on if she has the kind of stats and abilities I need (IE if I'm going to a place where magic users are a must, then I focus on equipping my mages well regardless of their gender). Really, I don't care either way.

 

[ancazur]

Though I guess, the reason why you play as the opposite gender has a lot to do with it- if it's for tactical purposes, then that's completely normal, but if say, it's just because the guy wants to see up the female characters skirt or something, then that's kind of disgusting. Eh.

I wasn't going to say it... but yeah

Not saying my choice of favorite male characters isn't based on appearance at times, but hey. We have a lot to choose from, after all.

 

[Ventus]

FIGHTING GAME EXPLANATION

I am really FOR playing with Opposite Gender in games. In most fighting games (Super Smash Bros. series, Soul Calibur series, Street Fighter etc.), there are going to be some characters of one gender who can demolish other characters of the opposite sex. For instance, in Soul Calibur 3 & 4, I tend to use characters like Nightmare (a male) to spread havoc across the world, so to speak. But sometimes, I love using female characters, well, one character anyway: Amy. Amy is a good female character, to me at least. I just love using her for her quotes and combos.

Also, in SSB(Melee & Brawl exclusive), I love using Zelda from time to time. The lightning kick, among other things, is a great attack to me, and I love using her. While at times I tend to jump to Link or Mario, using a female character is still a viable option, especially when most male characters tend to stand little to no chance against other characters. On to RPGs.

Role Playing Games
In RPGs, I really don't care what the gender of the character is, except for the Fire Emblem series. In the FE series of games, you have what are known as "Supports", actions that you can take between your characters to develop bonds between them. Most of the time (ESPECIALLY the GBA games), I always try to get my characters married by endgame, simply because it does my heart good to see a good pairing. Sure, the girls are mostly weak at first in most RPGs, but with a little training, they can be some of your best units. And that concludes my little speech.

I am incredibly sorry if any of this sounds to be sexist, I am not in favor of one sex or the other! I play as both Link and Zelda in the SSB games, Nightmare and Amy in SC3/4, and tend to use Eirika and Ephraim in FE8.

 

[Dr3W21]

Personally I don't really care that much. Most games have male protagonists anyway!

 

[monkeefun]

I've gotta agree - being female, nine times out of ten I end up playing as a male simply because there are so many more male characters than females. In SSB though, I'm usually Zelda (she's kind of my "mascot" at this point, if you will). My fiance, however, will go back and forth between male and females. He insists Samus is one of the coolest characters ever, and has no shame in playing as her.

And then, one of his best friends often plays Mario Kart as Baby Peach, but I think that's less because he likes the character than because he likes to be obnoxious to everyone else.

 

[arkvoodle]

Though I guess, the reason why you play as the opposite gender has a lot to do with it- if it's for tactical purposes, then that's completely normal, but if say, it's just because the guy wants to see up the female characters skirt or something, then that's kind of disgusting. Eh.

I agree with that. That is when it becomes horrible.
The person who I was referring to in my post didn't give that as a reason. He's just incrdibly sexist.

While tactical, customisation and other things support the "For" argument, the sheer audacity of those who just choose the female characters to stare at them is beyond me.

 

[Smitie]

I don't really care what the gender of a video game character is when I play a video game. In most games you don't have a choice and since most video game heroes are guys, I often have to play as the opposite gender. When I have the choice (like in the newer pokemon games) I often chose the female character so that she can have my own name, but if the male version looks way more awesome I chose the guy anyways. In pokemon soulsilver for example I think the female character looks stupid with her gigantic hat and that is why I chose the guy just like in the old days when I had to be the guy