Male and female characters in single player games.

[Sprogus]

Why don't more developers allow for either gender as the main character in single player games?

I mean if the character is well written and developed it shouldn't matter what gender the player wishes to play. What are the difficulties involved in setting this up? Different dialogue for the non player characters? Different model sets for the opposite gender? Surely you would only have to change some pronouns in the dialogue and setting up another model set can't be that difficult or costly.

By allowing for either gender wouldn't they be maximising their player base?

What does the escapist think?

 

[DyranLK]

This has already been put into practice (and has been since, like, ever) through RPG's, has it not? Your gender, appearance, traits -- they're all up to you to decide, and shape the way you progress throughout the story.

See, if we're talking about other, more linear games, such as Bioshock, Portal, or Spec Ops, just to name a few, then you've got to be kidding; gender most certainly does matter because it's an integral part of the composition of a character within those types of story-driven games, and would have a pretty noticeable effect on the interactions between that character and his/her environment if it was allegedly alterable. Especially if associations with male and female genders are frequently scattered throughout the game, either verbally or physically, as that will inevitably exacerbate problems/consistency issues with how the main playable character will interact with other characters or events, the only true, sensible way to alleviate the problem probably being the complete changing of its linearity to begin with and thus bringing us back to where we started: [essentially] an RPG, of sorts.

Not to mention, as you've pointed out, the unavoidable issue with extra voice actors and audio tracks just for the intention of adding a feature for a gender-change in the first place.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Sadly we still aren't at the point where gender doesn't matter, we all still expect things to play out differently based on gender.
So essentially you need at least one extra character plus flavor snips to all those NPCs around you, that is quite a bit of extra work for things that actually don't matter much.

I never find myself squirming at the though of playing the opposite gender, and if we are actually going towards equality maybe it's time to re-examine why some of you do.

 

[Sprogus]

This has already been put into practice (and has been since, like, ever) through RPG's, has it not? Your gender, appearance, traits -- they're all up to you to decide, and shape the way you progress throughout the story.

See, if we're talking about other, more linear games, such as Bioshock, Portal, or Spec Ops, just to name a few, then you've got to be kidding; gender most certainly does matter because it's an integral part of the composition of a character within those types of story-driven games, and would have a pretty noticeable effect on the interactions between that character and his/her environment if it was allegedly alterable. Especially if associations with male and female genders are frequently scattered throughout the game, either verbally or physically, as that will inevitably exacerbate problems/consistency issues with how the main playable character will interact with other characters or events, the only true, sensible way to alleviate the problem probably being the complete changing of its linearity to begin with and thus bringing us back to where we started: [essentially] an RPG, of sorts.

Not to mention, as you've pointed out, the unavoidable issue with extra voice actors and audio tracks just for the intention of adding a feature for a gender-change in the first place.

How would games like Bioshock or portal change if you were able to select a gender at the beginning of the game? Both of them are mute characters. All interactions towards those characters are one sided. Change a few pronouns and you wouldn't know the difference. I haven't played spec Ops but are you saying that females can't go through the same war scenario and not have the same outlook as a male at the end?

It is the events in life and how you deal with them that define a person not their gender, race, or sexuality.

 

[Batou667]

Depends on whether the protagonist is a player-insertion device or whether you're playing a pre-set role. A Tomb Raider game where you could be a male "Lara" would be weird. Even some games with famously mute protagonists (e.g. Half Life) still depend on the character's established sex, age, name, etc (half of the Alyx-Gordon interactions wouldn't make much sense if Gordon was female).

But in games where gender really doesn't matter, then I say go for it, offer female player models. Halo Reach would be a good example of that - Noble 6's gender is completely peripheral to the story arc, so the game lets you choose a female Spartan. Why the hell not, eh - anything that broadens appeal can only be a good thing.

 

[skywolfblue]

Different dialogue for the non player characters

Fixing a pronoun in a text based game is easy. But in a fully voiced game that's very expensive. Good voice acting isn't cheap, doubling the number of lines you have to do can really rack up expenses.

- Different model sets for the opposite gender

+ Different animations. Men and women have differences in the way they walk, run, and stand.

It is the events in life and how you deal with them that define a person not their gender, race, or sexuality.

Life would be boring if we didn't use any distinguishing markers for each other. Gender, race and sexuality are all great things, and they shouldn't be ignored. It's only when people use it to downtrod others that it's a problem.

Or to put it into a simplified form: I think we should embrace diversity and men and women being a little more different then a simple pronoun and model change.

 

[Full]

This has already been put into practice (and has been since, like, ever) through RPG's, has it not? Your gender, appearance, traits -- they're all up to you to decide, and shape the way you progress throughout the story.

See, if we're talking about other, more linear games, such as Bioshock, Portal, or Spec Ops, just to name a few, then you've got to be kidding; gender most certainly does matter because it's an integral part of the composition of a character within those types of story-driven games, and would have a pretty noticeable effect on the interactions between that character and his/her environment if it was allegedly alterable.

If Jack were a female from the ground-up, I don't feel Bioshock would be any different. Different character name, add female combat grunts and change the character interactions from "lad" and "Boy-oh", to "lass" and "lady" or something. BAM, Bioshock with a female character. And if Chell were a man, it would definitely not be very different.

 

[mohit9206]

if there is an option in games to either play as male or female i always pick female because its fun to play as a female and kick some ass. recent examples for me being mass effect 2, saints row 3, etc. and i love tomb raider games too. some male gamers feel ashamed to play as female characters i dunno why and they are just plain stupid

 

[hazabaza1]

Expense probably has an issue. If it's a modern game Voice acting will be an expectation, so they'll need two different voice actors for the protagonist, and people will need to re-do some lines unless they do it like Saint's Row.
Then there's also model budgets, animation budgets, if there's customization then it'll need to be done for males and females.

 

[Cabisco]

Expense probably has an issue. If it's a modern game Voice acting will be an expectation, so they'll need two different voice actors for the protagonist, and people will need to re-do some lines unless they do it like Saint's Row.
Then there's also model budgets, animation budgets, if there's customization then it'll need to be done for males and females.

Good point.

I think this will be a big part of the reason why you don't see as many interchangable genders, plus the fact that since no one is really demanding it their is no need to go to those extra lengths/expenses to give it to the audience.

 

[Erttheking]

I don't think this is a good idea. You can't just cut out a character and replace them with an opposite gender clone and not have the story feel altered. It works in games where choice matters and it's supposed to be "your" story like Mass Effect and most RPGs, but it would feel cheap if all characters in gaming had no defined gender. I want Samus Aran, not Sam Aran, and I want Adam Jensen, not Eve Jensen. That's just not who they are.

 

[Feylynn]

Gender does alter character interaction. Persona 3 Portable is the single best example I have for this.

Almost all of the dialogue is rewritten and a lot of the social links are custom made for the protagonist and in those instances it works really well. I imagine it was also a lot of work going back to square 1 and reasoning out how the characters would believably interact with a female versus a male.
Things like one of the male protagonist's friends is far more brotherly and protective of the female protagonist despite her equal competence and other characters reminding him that her gender doesn't enter in to how strong and qualified she is.

A non-spoiler example of where they didn't change anything that struck me as odd is The Tower social link. The man asks if you've ever considered shaving your head.
As a male this makes sense as responding with an effective "No way that's gross" gets him to lecture you on the fact that you'll age and lose it eventually no matter what you want.

But female pattern baldness is much less prevalent, happens at an older age, and is a much bigger deal. I don't see it as conveying the same lesson very effectively, especially considering the protagonist is 16 in either case.

That was a really wordy way of saying: "It's a lot of work and people act much differently."
That said I'm going to close this out with P3P's inclusion of a female character made every single moment 100% better experience for me and it is always worth the effort to do it right if you do it at all.
Even if it's not cost efficient it is a huge selling point for some of us.
I'm not that interested in Persona 4 Golden purely because it doesn't have the female protagonist that P3P had.

 

[Eddie the head]

Personalty I think playing as a female in Fallout:NV helps you see the truth of the Legion. What I mean by that is if change your perception of anything I think it's worth putting in. But I tend to not play a lot of games but play a few a lot.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Why don't more developers allow for either gender as the main character in single player games?
By allowing for either gender wouldn't they be maximising their player base?

Yes, this would be awesome, and I approve.

See, if we're talking about other, more linear games, such as Bioshock, Portal, or Spec Ops, just to name a few, then you've got to be kidding; gender most certainly does matter because it's an integral part of the composition of a character within those types of story-driven games,

....

How would being female change Bioshock 1 in any way? How would being male affect Portal 1 or 2 in any way, other than possibly making Chell less iconic?

I agree that some games wouldn't work this way (Catherine) but the ones that wouldn't are really few and far between. And I think that two of your three examples are BAD examples because they feature silent protagonists where gender matters very little.

I mean, if it was Gwen Freeman in Halflife 2, would it really change anything? You're a silent protagonist after all.

In some games, like Deux Ex: HR, it would mean redubbing the whole game, since the player character talks a lot, but in (most) games with a silent protagonist, it would be hardly noticeable.

Expense probably has an issue. If it's a modern game Voice acting will be an expectation, so they'll need two different voice actors for the protagonist, and people will need to re-do some lines unless they do it like Saint's Row.
Then there's also model budgets, animation budgets, if there's customization then it'll need to be done for males and females.

And just quoting this here because it's an important point. Voice acting is one of THE most expensive aspects of games these days. Doing a female dub of a few lines (or writing dialogue that doesn't directly reference gender) isn't that hard, but dubbing two full sets of dialogue like in Mass Effect is expensive. As much as I'd love to play as Eve Jensen instead of Adam, I respect that it would be a bank-breaker to do so.

But silent protagonists? Those are cheap. Just edit your text. If the game is first person, you don't even need two character models - at most, you'd need male hands and female hands.

 

[KiloFox]

i am male, but i tend towards playing female characters (i refer to the act as "cross-gaming") there's no particular reason for it i can think of, it's just something i do. but it dosn't bother me when the game dosn't give you a choice in the matter. giving you the option is a lot of work on the developers part. work that could be used to give you a better story, make the models look better, add more features, et cetera. and if an overall better game comes to me at the cost of some customization options, y'know, i'm cool with that

caotcha: you win
damn right i do

 

[Cannibal Johnson]

I personally prefer playing as male character than a female. Now I won't blow off a game just because the main character is a female, but if given a choice I'll pick male everytime. I've tried playing female characters and it just doesn't work, the only one I can play is Samus from Metroid and Whats-her-face from Mirrors Edge. I think its just immersion, and its easier to relate to a male character than a female.

 

[Faulty Turmoil]

The easiest way to do, which is what people do, is to have it set up so that no one refers to your name or gender. Or at least most people don't. Personally I prefer playing as a female so if I'm ever given the choice I go with them.

However sometimes picking a gender wouldn't suit a game. If you've got a specific story laid out, and you want to focus it on the character, it has to keep the same character whether male or female becuase it's about that specific person.

Then there are the series that have had the same character for yonks. You don't want to change that character, not in the main games (spinoffs you could), at least not without a really good reason. What would Mario be without Mario? Or Splinter Cell without Sam Fisher? *cough* Blacklist[footnote]Yes I'm still bitter.[/footnote] *cough*

 

[Equality]

I never find myself squirming at the though of playing the opposite gender, and if we are actually going towards equality maybe it's time to re-examine why some of you do.

This. I've played as male and female characters in games - never been an issue.

However, Mass Effect is a good example, despite the shitty ending, of giving players the choice of male or female. The dialogue's the same and the only difference in the story, I think, is that Femshep can hump Garrus and Maleshep can't.

Even then - you've got people picking which one to play for very different reasons - players aren't just choosing the same sex character as themselves - some male players pick femshep, for example, just because of the better voice acting.

But this interchangeable character thing - are we really saying that men and women think, talk and act in the same way? All you have to do is change the voice and the character model?

I don't think so.

Despite all this "equality" stuff it's still true that generally men and women do respond to each other differently and have different expectations, abilities etc. There are always exceptions to this ... of course ... but we really haven't changed that much (like an article today that showed that a lot of women continue to prefer men who are taller, richer and smarter, no matter how much money that woman makes, or what job/qualifications she has - the short, unemployed guy is still the less attractive option).