Males playing as females??

[GrandKamikazi]

Is it just me, or are a lot of the "female" characters in MMORPG's actually men? Ya see, I've had some bad experiences in MMORPG's where I find out that the people playing the female characters are...boys. Should this be allowed? Its kind of socially awkward when your talking to somone in a game and you either have to live with not knowing their gender, or ya have to ask them outright, which is also awkward. (Although when I ask, most people are sympathetic to my predicament.)

The only reason I can think of where people would want to play the opposite gender in a game is either, they want a sex change, or they're bored out of their minds and want to pass a few hours with a 'drunk' female char dancing on a table in a inn in Stormwind. If theres any other reasons, please postem.

So, I'm wondering if Aion should have a system where when you sign up, ya choose your gender, and then in that account you can only play as your ACTUAL gender. Preventing lots of socially awkward instances.

The only downsides to this that I can think of is that now, your little sister/brother will have to create a new acount to play a gender correct char, OR it will alienate a lot of people from buying Aion.

So, do you agree with me? Or do you think people should be able to play both female and male characters under one account?

P.S Females who actually play female chars, take no offense, I know that there are actual female gamers out there, and u guys r AWESOME!

For once in my life I'd like to post something that is actually meaningful...

[Dakin]

Something inside me feels wrong if I play female chars in MMOs - so I don't.

[Rekuja]

haha i had a feeling someone would make a post about this

I just can't do it, feels weird and ecky. Some guys i knew that did this on FFXI and WoW told me their reasons lol

"I would rather look at a females behind 99% of the time"
"the males look stupid"
"the armor looks better on females"

that being said, i knew a girl that played a male char on FFXI because she didn't like the female models lol

still, i just can't do it.. like i said before. The male characters on Aion actually look pretty cool unlike the male chars on other games

[Midgarsormr]

Well, here's my opinion, kiddo: I find it strange and unappealing, and you must have a -very- good reason as to why you're doing this. It's not funny to pretend to be a female and then try to seduce online geeks (lol) for equipment, and money, etc. That **** ****es me off sooooo badly. I have to whisper to my friend or think to myself "I've worked a lot harder for that and he/she got it as soon as she asked the leader", or something like that. So, most men actually make female characters just to have advantages like this and it sickens me. If you have a good excuse, like, in FFXI, someone becomes a mithra because they plan on being a ninja or thief and they want the DEX and AGI bonus that the race gives, then I respect that.

[GrandKamikazi]

Note- I don't play femal characters...just FYI.

Rekuja, the reason of "I'd rather look at a females behind 99% of the time" is hilarious. But why only 99% of the time? O_o

[Rekuja]

Originally Posted by GrandKamikazi

Note- I don't play femal characters...just FYI.

Rekuja, the reason of "I'd rather look at a females behind 99% of the time" is hilarious. But why only 99% of the time? O_o

haha don't ask me i don't play a female char i guess if they looked at it 100% of the time they would be killed every 30 seconds

[Yakuzan]

I don't like the poll options >.>... I have nothing against people playing opposite genders in-game but only depending on the reason. If it's for RP I don't mind, if it's just preference I don't mind either but if it's just to try and get attention by shouting "**** Service 5k/h" or to stare at a 3d butt then it's wrong in my opinion. I've seen lots of players(males) in WoW playing female toons because they were getting more gifts from male characters.

[Zinrae]

Yeah, I do sometimes, but I definitely do not pretend to be female.

Now think about this for a minute:
Does it really matter if the person sitting on the other end of "the internet" is male or female?

[GrandKamikazi]

Originally Posted by Zinrae

Yeah, I do sometimes, but I definitely do not pretend to be female.

Now think about this for a minute:
Does it really matter if the person sitting on the other end of "the internet" is male or female?

Not really, but its nice to know.

Originally Posted by Yakuzan

I don't like the poll options >.>... I have nothing against people playing opposite genders in-game but only depending on the reason. If it's for RP I don't mind, if it's just preference I don't mind either but if it's just to try and get attention by shouting "**** Service 5k/h" or to stare at a 3d butt then it's wrong in my opinion. I've seen lots of players(males) in WoW playing female toons because they were getting more gifts from male characters.

Sorry bout the poll options . Think of them as this.

"YES!" = I do play as the opposite gender for whatever purpose.
"Sometimes...heheheh." = I sometimes do just for the fun of it.
"...freak." = People who play as the opposite sex in games are pervies/I don't play as the opposite sex, but I'm cool with ppl who do.

You can specify in your post.

Originally Posted by Rekuja

haha don't ask me i don't play a female char i guess if they looked at it 100% of the time they would be killed every 30 seconds

I c...I think...

[TwilightAngel]

ill play both to see which one looks cooler

[Marchosias]

If they're trying to pass themselves off as women it's kinda weird I guess, but I have nothing against just playing another gender. I mean, I think the guys that actually go after women in MMOGs are a lot weirder than guys that pretend to be women. Whenever I roll a female character it's just because I like the look better than a male character. I guess I generally don't think of the character so much as "me" as I think of it as "my character." I still have an attachment to my character, it's just that I don't view it as a representation of myself... it's just my character. I mean, it's kinda like a male author writing about a female main character or vice versa. You develop the character, but it's not "you."

As for "not allowing" it, there are a number of problems. First and foremost is "how?" There's no conceivable way to limit character creation based on gender. It violates personal privacy. Second, who are you to say what other people can and can't do when they're not hurting anybody? If you think it's weird that's your problem, not theirs. If it's that big a deal just dissociate yourself with them. Finally, like I said before, I don't roll female characters because I "want to be a woman" or because I want to RP a female character, but because a lot of the time I just think they look better. Sometimes the guys are too emo or the guys just look stupid, and I don't want to stare at a character I don't like the look of for 75 game days... I'd go insane. So, instead of getting a "badass male" I get an attractive woman. Again, I've never tried to pass myself off as a woman, so as soon as I get into vent people make the connection, and if I'm never in vent with someone I probably don't have enough in-game interaction with them for it to make a difference. Oh, and when I say I get an attractive female, I'm not meaning this in that I'm making a character I'm actually physically attracted/going to rub one out to, merely than she, like a badass male, is aesthetically pleasing.

In the end, there's one logical solution, and that's to treat everyone the same. Don't make any assumptions about male or female characters and just treat everyone the same way and it shouldn't be a big deal.

Edit: I've seen a number of guys on these boards with female sigs/avatars, which are just as much a representation of yourself as a character in-game, but it doesn't mean I assume they're women... or pervs. It's just something they liked the look of and chose to use as a sig/avatar. Again, just don't make assumptions and it's not a big deal.

Edit 2: I'll admit that I'll give a gamer chick a few extra "hot" points (not literally... I don't give them points... but maybe I should? Could be fun), but that doesn't mean I'm going to treat them differently in-game. I mean, you're not going to get anything out of it, so what's the point... I mean, on the off chance that you (this is an abstract generalization, not a "you" aimed at anyone specific) did actually meet a girl through an online game, chances are you weren't just another face in the crowd of guys trying to give her **** in game, but someone that treated her like an equal, but I suppose this is a little off-topic.

[Etra]

Note: This topic angers me and I'm sorry if my reply offends people.

I sometimes do if the male characters are way too ugly for me. (WoW and a few other games.)

However, no offense or anything, but in my opinion, you deserve to get "scammed" for thinking the other player is a girl and giving "her" free stuff. I have so many girlfriends who cannot stand when guys think they need to help the girls because they are apparently helpless for some random, inconceivable reason. Seriously, you are not going to "score" with a girl online. So, stop trying to be the e-macho and treat them like the guys. Everyone will be better off.

As for guys pretending to be girls, that's your perception. I played in a guild for three months as a class leader (So I obviously wasn't a backwater who never talked), and everyone in the guild but five people thought I was a girl (Never said I wasn't, never said I was. It's none of your business.) Not because I was trying to act like one, but because of my overall grammar, sex, gender, and friend preferences.

I find it silly that people really care if the person controlling that avatar has a ***** with six-pack abs or some ****s and a ******. Who really cares? We aren't here to hook up or date, but to play a game. It's sad when I have girlfriends who play as male characters just to get away from guys "helping" them.

[Midgarsormr]

Originally Posted by Etra

It's sad when I have girlfriends who play as male characters just to get away from guys "helping" them.

Now, that's just silly. If you don't want freaks to help you because you're a girl, how about, not accepting the help. Or, telling them to back the hell off. No online girl turns down the help. Unless the person helping them is a severe pedophile who's whispering "Will you take off your armor if I help slay the dragon?"

[Etra]

Originally Posted by Midgarsormr

Now, that's just silly. If you don't want freaks to help you because you're a girl, how about, not accepting the help. Or, telling them to back the hell off. No online girl turns down the help. Unless the person helping them is a severe pedophile who's whispering "Will you take off your armor if I help slay the dragon?"

You're obviously not a girl, then. Some of the things these people do are just down right annoying. The fourteen year-olds following you around going "omg bewbs," the almighty server God thinking he owns all things female, etc. It's just easier to make a guy and enjoy the game without getting hounded for having pixel bewbies.

[Knite]

I have a recurring characters I play in every MMO. One is a female that I started because the character I wanted to make fit better as one. I don't pretend to be a girl. If someone asks, I answer truthfully and if I get involved with a guild, I let the leaders know right off the bat to avoid future tensions.

That said, all it is is creating a character. Its like telling the Japanese they can't draw anime girls. They're creating a character, too. Do they go home and put on short skirts and dye their hair pink? Well, some maybe, but for this analogy, no.