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What gender do you play as in RPGs?

doswillrule · 2013-02-09T19:08:39-01:00

I feel like this thread has been done before, and I probably posted in it. But I'm collating my own thoughts for an article, and so I'm hoping for some fresh feedback. I almost uniformly start RPGs with a female player character. There are the rare examples where the voice acting or direct character arc are more interesting as a woman (Mass Effect), but for the most part, the characters and their experiences are very similar. So why do it, and why does it matter? Well, for me there's something innately more interesting about playing as a female than male. I guess there's an element of fantasy in it - games are all about escapism, so why not escape totally and inhabit the role of someone different from yourself? And I won't argue that the females I create are attractive, and that plays some minor part. But with most RPGs being either medieval or post-apocalyptic in theme, gender politics play a big role. There's something basely satisfying about killing scores of men as a levelled-up female character, but it also plays into the narrative. There are so many stories about young men's triumphs against adversity, and adventure tales, that to me, breaking that mould makes for a more interesting story. There are also certain examples where gender is acknowledged more directly, such as DA: Origins. Characters react differently to you in light of the rarity of women in the Grey Wardens, adding another element of struggle in an otherwise (happily) pretty gender-neutral world. It seems like polls either no longer exist or are currently broken, so list your gender and habits in your post. Thoughts and comments appreciated.

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Convenit

11 years ago

Most likely I would make a male and female character.

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