Am I Sexist?

[Legion]

Is this the wrong address?thought this was a gaming website,not some "oh-my-life-is-so-terrible-am-i-sexist-what-is-this-planet-women-huh-wat-listen-to-my-sob-story-best-soap-oprea-ever" website (facebook and twitter)

No, but as a new person you probably missed the recent debates on sexism in gaming. People are somewhat touchy about the subject, so the OP is merely creating a discussion to see whether people consider his behaviour to be sexist or not.

Do remember that nobody is forced to click on a topic, nor is it mandatory to reply to a topic if it doesn't appeal to you. So if you don't like it, you can always ignore it.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

I know people on either side of the argument, I personally play male characters in most games, unless I'm playing stealthy even then depends on my role, I think it's because most of the women I know hate violence, or are themselves not violent at all, whereas most guys I've know including myself have had moments of abject brutality come forth from within at times when it may or may not be appropriate.

I figure if I wanna play a big warrior who cleaves people in half with an axe or walks through a building coming out the other side dripping in hiw enemy's blood, and not seeming to give a shit, chances are I'll play a guy, we tend to be more able to emotionally distance ourselves from violence than women, I know I've distanced myself emotionally from many things, it comes easy.

In otherwords, since I relate to male characters, and see them as more fitting in the roles I normally play (warriors, heavy weapons personel, and barbarians), that's my thing, I can totally understand that some guys prefer a female aesthetic to their characters.

It's all good as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.

 

[lord.jeff]

He's not "assigning a personality."

I know. He already said that back when he said he can't play women and he definitely can't play straight women because he can't fathom what it's like to have a vagina and he definitely can't fathom what it's like to enjoy the feeling of a penis inside a vagina, for which reason he cannot comprehend a woman's personality well enough to mimic one.

EDIT: This is my five hundredth post. I wonder how many of those posts have been about sexism. I may need to question how much good I'm actually accomplishing.

With that logic you, you could argue no male author is allowed to write a female character because no male has an idea of what that feels like.

OT: From what you're saying you aren't sexist and as long as you don't treat females any different then you would a male in real life then your not sexist.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

But if I was to play as a man, how would I get my game-and-fap-breaks?


I really don't have anything usefull to contribute to this thread, but this joke had to be made.
But you may use this post to insult me in any way you see fit.
You could:
1. Imply that I am secretly homosexual and confused about my sexuality.
2. Call me out on being sexist for not also fapping to male characters.
3. Insult my inteligence and call me a sexual deviant and pervert.

But please refrain from insulting my avatar, since I quite like it.

 

[AngloDoom]

It's true - if you find the female form attractive you're either gay or sexist.

There is literally no other possibility, you're just going to have to accept that you're not normal like the rest of us, who literally cannot see the fleshy shell which surrounds a woman but simply peer straight into the soul of the individual with no bias and decide to pick our characters in a game based on their raw personality.

 

[kyuzo3567]

Really easy way to settle this.... if we take the OP and reverse every mention of gender (OP is now a female who makes male avatars to play as etc...) is it still just as sexist?
If yes then we're all sexist because we've all done it, or will do it, at some point in time
If no, then that's a double standard and the OP shouldn't be a sexist

Personally I've always found I tend to play better with a female character, I have ever since I was young... I think it started with pokemon crystal actually...


and another thing.... avatars are a bunch of friggin code... you can't really be sexist and discriminate to something that exists only in virtual reality with no thought, emotions, personality etc...

 

[theheroofaction]

I really don't see the problem. If you're going to stare at an avatar for three hours, it might as well be a sexy avatar.

 

[darlarosa]

I think your not necessarily sexist. However I think you present an interesting perspective that does come from objectification.

Let's break it down into basics

1)You play female characters because you enjoy their aesthetics, which is objectification in some way.
2)You do not play female characters in more intensive rpgs
3)You play male characters when you want to get into a story or scenario.

I understand it not feeling "right" or normal if you don't play as one thing. I always prefer to play female characters, for me it just feels correct, as does making those characters usually appear African American. That is just a personal preference. IN that way I guess we are similar but it is just...interesting. On your end it seems to indicate not connecting to a female identity or being willing/able to. Essentially it comes off as taking the male character seriously as opposed to the female characters which are just nice to look at. It does not read so much as a gender or sexual identity feeling more appropriate, so much as an association thing.

 

[KiloFox]

okay...

i'm a guy myself, and i play a female in nearly every non-first person game i play. (even some first person games. my character model in Halo Reach is Female) and i've been asked countless times if i'm female IRL. because i don't do what i've seen a lot of "males playing females" (lets call them "crossgamers" hmm?) do. I.E. dress them slutty and overplay it. instead i model their style like most gamers would imagine a girl would (i'm assuming). i match it all and make it look nice, while still modest.

now unlike OP, i don't have a reason i can spout for doing so. i don't prefer (nessesarily) looking at the female form over a males. i'm gay, if anything that logic should have me playing a male all the time. i don't find role-playing a female easier eaither.

if i had to come up with a reason, i'd say gaming stereotypes.

lemme explain... in games, they tend to construct the male outfit to be big, bulky and badass. lots of spikes and shiny steel and stuff. usually with the character model about the size of a fridge. it does not fit my playstyle (i play rogues and assassins), how i look, (6'4", 148Lbs) or what i find nice to look at.
the female model and outfits tend to be slim and sleek, while still having a "i will fuck up your day" look to it. (when not being slutty) which fits my playstyle perfectly.

 

[Daverson]

Doc* Dave's Sexism Test:
1. Do you believe that women are inferior to men?
2. Do you believe that men are inferior to women?
If you answered no to both of these questions, you aren't sexist! Congratulations!

*Please note that Mr. Daverson has absolutely no formal medical training.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

Is this the wrong address?thought this was a gaming website,not some "oh-my-life-is-so-terrible-am-i-sexist-what-is-this-planet-women-huh-wat-listen-to-my-sob-story-best-soap-oprea-ever" website (facebook and twitter)

Yes, you have come to the wrong address. This is the off topic section, not gaming section. He can put whatever he wants in here as long as it's not against the rules.

 

[Seydaman]

Basically, when I'm playing an ARPG game or anything where I'll need to look at my character for a long time, I'll play a female. If I need to RP, I'll play a male.

The reason is pretty simple. While I would find roleplaying a woman a bit tricky, if I have a choice I'd rather stare at a virtual woman for hours than a virtual man. I just find a shapely female form a lot more appealing.

Sexism is defined as an attitude or behavior based on traditional stereotypes of sexual roles.

You play women when you want to stare at an ass, but you play men when you want to do something more serious than stare at an ass. Their roles seem to be divided by whether you would like to fuck them or whether you take them seriously.

That's pretty textbook sexism. Sorry.

Ah, quite interesting.

Personally, I usually play men in games where I choose. I connect better with my gender.

 

[Phisi]

I don't think it is sexism as they don't exist. It's not like you're hiring a female secretary to stare at their arse from your office. It's a game character.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Is this the wrong address?thought this was a gaming website,not some "oh-my-life-is-so-terrible-am-i-sexist-what-is-this-planet-women-huh-wat-listen-to-my-sob-story-best-soap-oprea-ever" website (facebook and twitter)

Nope, you're just in the off-topic section. You know, the spot on the forums that doesn't have to constrain to a specific topic like religion or politics and doesn't have to be about video games. In other words, people can talk about whatever they want over here. Want to talk to people about video games? Well here, let me direct you to the gaming forum.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/index/9-Gaming-Discussion

 

[excalipoor]

The recent outrage would have you believe that "sexism" belongs to the same category of words as "child molester" and "Hitler", but if a straight man finding women more aestethically pleasing than men while still rather roleplaying men is sexist, then I think the whole thing is massively overblown. Otherwise that's just making light of the whole issue.

 

[Overusedname]

"The female body is a work of art. The male body is utilitarian. It's for gettin' around. It's like a Jeep."

- Elaine Benes​

I don't think you're sexist. You just want an aesthetic appeal to your character(s). There's nothing wrong with that.

Interesting thing about that quote. It might be from a women, but it still implies that woman are something to be looked at, were as men are the go-getters.

Don't quote war me on how oversensitive I am. It's literally my job to read into subtext.

I would say woman are more luxury cars, they go places and look nice, men are just kind of ugly and break down a lot.

Probably a smoother way of saying it, yes.

And it kinda makes sense, as women are longer lived more resistant to diseases. Men can run longer and lift more...and that's about it.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

It?s not sexist ? at least, not the negative definition of the word. If we?re going to deconstruct the technical definition of ?sexist? to its roots, then yes, it probably is. But that?s essentially saying male heterosexuality/the male sex drive in and of itself is sexist. If so, then every straight male is sexist, and any man that accuses another man of being sexist is a hypocrite. It?s as if these people are out to just demonize any hint of a man objectifying a woman. And no, objectification in and of itself isn?t bad, I don?t care what people want to say. That goes especially if it?s in a fucking video game of all things, where the majority of the female characters don?t have personalities (that is, if they even have any) outside of the confines of the game/game world, are just as fucking ridiculous as the hulking bags of meat that are the male characters, and, you know, don?t exist.

Now, I know about ?false equivalence?; that it?s wrong to compare male and female video game characters because they?re still both built with men in mind: e.g. Ryu being a ?male power fantasy?, Ivy being a ?male sexual fantasy?. And I?m not demeaning what is a valid opinion. But there?s nothing wrong with sexualized females/female characters, especially if they want to sexualize themselves in real-life. Just that there needs to be a balance of ?nothing more than eye candy? characters and ?eye-candy characters that are interesting? characters.

I thought we were meant to live in a society where people shouldn?t be ashamed of their sexuality and sexual behaviour, where people shouldn?t ?slut-shame?, and people shouldn?t start calling a man a pig because he glanced at a woman?s cleavage (I mean, as long as you?re not glaring like some intrusive freak, then it?s fine if you take a little peak at a girl?s legs, and she can hardly have a go at you if she?s wearing a miniskirt that she should know may be arousing to many men). The majority of men don?t objectify women or are potential rapists in real-life. This is a bit like the ?Is porn sexist? Yes, so what?? thread that I started a couple of days ago. Wanting to objectify a woman for, like, five minutes while you masturbate isn?t harmful to anyone, unless you?re so retarded or insane that you can?t distinguish between fantasy and reality. I mean, if we?re really going to do this, does having a preference for girls with pixie cuts mean that you pride masculinity over femininity, since you find females that much more attractive when they have a traditionally ?boyish? haircut, finding them instantly more relatable even outside of the sexual attraction (or something like that). Or both men and women still expecting men to make the first move in terms of dating and, consistently, marriage proposals (even though it?s mostly women that desire to get married, at least more than men)? Or, taking sex out of the equation, how about the fact that most people are just more comfortable with female workers in childcare than male? It?s grasping at straws, really. Where do you draw the line?

As for ?homophobic tendencies? (not even going to bother talking much more about that, since they just seem to be overthinking it to the point of actively looking for sexist undertones), I will admit that sometimes, I unintentionally cringe or otherwise find it awkward to see two men kissing, and in some occasions, even two women that may not be particularly attractive kissing. That doesn?t make me homophobic, though. Just that, let?s face it, it?s not ?the norm?; you know, you don?t see it every day, and since society has pretty much taught us to see most forms of male romantic contact as ?weird?, there?s just that unconscious reaction that a lot of us can?t help. I mean, I guess you could make an argument that I, or all of us (except, maybe, the majority of gay people themselves), are subconsciously homophobic, but I wouldn?t buy that, since I support gay rights and sexually progressive behaviours in general, and generally don?t have a problem with gay people.

*sigh* ?Sexist? is such a shock label nowadays that it has about as much meaning as ?racist?, or ?Nazi?. Let?s just accept that women will always be desired, many humans will always be dicks about it, and there?s not much we can do about it. We can give it 50 years and have a female President like what almost happened with Hilary Clinton, but I guarantee you rape of women more than men won?t have magically gone away, just like, for all our efforts, a black president like Barack Obama doesn?t mean institutionalized racism hasn?t been wiped clean off the face of the planet.

"The female body is a work of art. The male body is utilitarian. It's for gettin' around. It's like a Jeep."

- Elaine Benes​

I don't think you're sexist. You just want an aesthetic appeal to your character(s). There's nothing wrong with that.

Interesting thing about that quote. It might be from a women, but it still implies that woman are something to be looked at, were as men are the go-getters.

Don't quote war me on how oversensitive I am. It's literally my job to read into subtext.

I think it was meant as a joke, but as sexist as this may make me sound, I think there's some truth in it. The male body does seem to be more practical than the female body. Most of the clothes for men aren't designed to be sexually arousing, and the majority of men I know are content with just wearing a T-shirt and jeans on a daily basis.

While the female body is much more flexible in many senses of the word, and women have clothes tailored specifically for their body type, such as figure-hugging dresses or miniskirts that accentuate the slenderness and smoothness of their legs in a way that many men (especially if they're not a transvestite, as in actively trying to look like a woman) simply can't pull off. But obviously, they can wear "male" clothes too, but those can be tailored for them too in the form of jeggings or skinny jeans (yes, skinny jeans work better on men than women, ACCEPT IT, DUDES).

But of course, that's not all women are meant for, and that's not all men are meant for either. We're not in the fucking 19th century, where women were nothing more than glorified fuck-toys and men were treated as disposable work-machines. Men can be sexy, otherwise the female heterosexuality/the female sex drive and this very population wouldn't even exist, and women can be workers too.

 

[Quadocky]

Well the character model was most likely designed unintentionally or intentionally for your demographic anyway so I don't know.

I would say yes it is sexist, but not a sort of malignant sexism, rather an implied accidental sexism that is harmless but in the big picture may or may not contribute to the objectification of women. Just as long as you are not contributing to unhealthy stereotypes while playing as a female character it should not be a problem.

I actually see people who play as the opposite gender to be weirdos actually (given the shallow ideal being very common in some games which bothers me to no end). But, this isn't to say that I do not play characters based on aesthetic appearance. In fact, I think I almost always will in some way. However I avoid outright objectification and sexualization. I find there to be something wrong when 75% of female characters appear to be busty lesbians in revealing outfits. Of course I am exaggerating somewhat but if you played Champions Online this seem to be a very common theme. I personally find it creepy.

My favorite aesthetic mostly depends on the archetype of the character. If I am a wizard I make a character who wears robes and has a beard. If I am a warrior I make a character who has the capacity to wear bulky heavy armor and giant weapons. BUT I will most likely be a male first and foremost because... I am male, I like to place myself into the game.

Also for some reason I find it to be dishonest to play as a female character when I am in fact male.

 

[JimB]

With that logic, you could argue no male author is allowed to write a female character because no male has an idea of what that feels like.

Yes. Yes, you could. I know because I've seen it done. It was stupid and insulting then, and it will be stupid and insulting now if someone decides to go that route again, but you definitely could use "penis is the foundation upon which all personality is built" as an argument to say that no man can understand or write any woman at any point in the development of the human species.

 

[Subscriptism]

Anyone who says there is any underlying thing going on there is a wannabe psychologist or an idiot, you are not sexist, you are fine.