Poll: Protagonists of a different race/gender

[Lunar Templar]

In fact, if the only option is human in a rich fantasy/sci fi environment I'm a bit dissapointed. I get to be a human every day. I like variety in my games.

this, very much this, humans are boring, male humans even more so

 

[awmperry]

I've been playing pen-and-paper RPGs for more than twenty years - I'm quite happy playing anything at this point. (Unless they're voiced in the game with a very annoying voice, like two of the three male voices in Saints Row 2 - I just set it to the Jason Statham ripoff and get on with playing.)

What does put me off, though, is when I'm asked to be attracted to utterly unsympathetic characters (Kaidan, for instance), or "fall in love" with a male character (Kaidan, again). I don't mind playing a character attracted to males, but (being very straight) it doesn't resonate with me or create any immersion into the romantic subplot.

In KOTOR, for instance, I romance Bastila every time I play as male!Revan (could have something to do with Jennifer Hale's voice acting), but in at least three play-throughs as female!Revan I've never yet romanced Carth.

Similarly, in lots of playthroughs of Mass Effect and ME2, I've pursued (as male!Shep) romances with Liara, Ashley, Kelly, Miranda and Tali (not creepy bald girl, though). As female!Shep, though, although I've played a couple of the male-romance subplots, I just can't feel connected to them, so I generally don't bother. That said, it's hard not to enjoy a spot of female!Shep/Liara... (My wife's bi. I'm allowed.)

 

[SageRuffin]

I don't give a damn if the main protagonist is 25-year-old sock. If it's an interesting character, I don't mind playing as it.

 

[DaWaffledude]

Only bothers me in RPGs. In everything else I barely notice. It's probably got something to do with the whole idea of the character being you in RPGs.

 

[Eccentric_Jon]

I like playing as a black person (am white) so I can play this song while strolling down the street:And I think Prototype 2's main character is... uh... African American? Or maybe Dominican? Something like that. And I'm perfectly fine with that.

You sir, are my new god.
This cracked me up =p

 

[Trivun]

Personally, I never even try to relate to characters. Instead, I find it easier to imagine myself as a side-character, along for the ride, helping to kill the aliens or observing the descent into madness or maybe giving a few tips on strategy or puzzle-solving, but never the actual protagonist. Unless the whole point is that the protagonist is meant to be you. Games like 'Age Of Empires', for instance. Anyway, point is, it doesn't matter much to me. Therefore, I don't care about details in my protagonist like whether they're my gender or my race, or even whether they're gay or straight or if they had a bad childhood or whatever the hell you an think of. I'll either like the character or not, same as any character in the game, and that's that. Hell, even if I did try relating to the characters, how would it be easier for me to relate to the Master Chief (a big male augmented soldier-from-childhood with MJOLNIR armour) than, say, Chell (a female with an effective blank slate) when I'm like neither of them in the first place? Me being a slim, average build, young normal guy who spends more time making films or watching TV than killing alien invaders or escaping science labs...

 

[iFail69]

I actually often find myself with more in common with a female protagonist than a male one.

Don't know why, it just is how it is.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

I can go through games with a female protagonist, but it's just less immersive than with a male protagonist because she's that much more different than I am. I also like being able to act in-game how I'd act if I was in that situation, so it's weird seeing female-exclusive options even on the table, i.e. sleeping with Benny when you first meet him at The Tops in New Vegas.

I feel that it is more immersive the more different the prog is from me, therefore i usually shoose one of the opposite sex so I start off by establishing that I am not playing myself.

 

[ace_of_something]

I don't really worry about it too much. If a character is good they're good. Interestingly when I can make my own character I almost always, every time, make my guy look either Black or 'hispanic/asian-ish' I myself being fair skinned with gold hair. I think I like the idea of playing someone very different than me. Though I do tend to always make men. Part of this is because so many games make female avatars overly sexualized and I feel a little silly playing them.

My wife does the opposite she works hard to make the character look like her or as she says "I want it to look like me with a few less pounds"

 

[chowderface]

It doesn't bug me. As long as the game is good and the protagonist isn't a total tosspot, I don't really care about their particular race or creed.

And in games where you can design your own protagonist, I like to mix it up. Like, right now I'm playing Mass Effect as a middle-agey, vaguely Hispanic Shepard. Think Danny Trejo if you forgot what Danny Trejo looked like.

 

[Saulkar]

I also share that same sentiment. I am aghast that Bioware is only now including the ability to play as another race in Mass Effect with the upcoming sequel.

What? In ME1 the character creator was capable of creating a character of any race. The "Default Shep" is white, granted, and the voices don't change, but the player could have any skin tone and hair style they chose. Your comment is completely invalid.

I do not remember playing a Turian, a Krogan, an Asari, a Salarian, etc. You did not get to play any of these races/species.

Whats this now about being unable to play different races? Humans are a singular race biologically identical. Racism is a misnomer as humans are one species with no races. Thus your comment is completely invalid because you had no idea of what I was talking about. :3

P.S.
K9 - Species
Golden Retriever - Race
Malamute - Race

Fresh Water Fish - Species
Jack - Race
Bass - Race

Homo Sapien Sapien - Species
Caucasion - Homo Sapien Sapien
African - Homo Sapien Sapien
Asian - Homo Sapien Sapien

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[badgersprite]

Actually, where possible, I try to seek out and/or create protagonists of a different race/ethnicity to me. Gender, I can go either way, but I prefer female characters purely because of the lack of them. Even though its effect on the game is purely cosmetic, I find it hard to get invested in a generic white straight male protagonist.

Although, I have to point out, there is something very weird about the fact that people have no problem identifying with an elven, dwarven, argonian, alien, orcish or any other non-existent race protagonist, but the second it's a black guy or a woman, "NOPE! Can't relate! THAT'S JUST TOO WEIRD!"

Just sayin'.

 

[Darth_Dude]

I dont really feel comfortable playing a female character, I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, but it's just not something I'd do. I prefer playing a male character, someone I can project my morals and attitudes towards things or events.

...so, you say that female character isn't capable of upkeeping neither moral standards nor attitudes ?

Man, that's an exaggeration at best...

No no, I just find it easier to be a male character, as I find it easier to project my personality onto it.

I dont really feel comfortable playing a female character, I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, but it's just not something I'd do. I prefer playing a male character, someone I can project my morals and attitudes towards things or events.

...so, you say that female character isn't capable of upkeeping neither moral standards nor attitudes ?

Man, that's an exaggeration at best...

Its more or less personal preference, is what I got from it, he would rather play as a Male because he is a male, thus easier to project onto, while being a guy playing a female in a game like Mass Effect for example, I couldn't stand it because it would bring something up that I wouldn't have said in general. I point back up though, if a character is well written, then its easier to 'grapple' onto the character then a poorly written one.

Exactly! You took the words right out of my mouth

 

[TheDarkestDerp]

*shrugs* People are people to me, never have seen much difference. If the character's well-written enough, gender and race shouldn't really matter, generally speaking.

 

[Versuvius]

I'd like an alien protagonist. Something not human or mammalian humanoid just for something new. Like with the now out of print Fallout based PnP RPG. Deathclaw reporter with a modified APC so it can drive it and crack driving skill anybody? Fuck yeah!

Well okay not a particularly good example but it was still hilarious.

 

[RedHighwind07]

I don't really care, since I don't project onto my character much, but that's just me. Also, my favourite protagonist is Carl Johnson from GTA San Andreas. I'm pretty much indifferent to race and gender because I don't give a toss. Although I have to laugh at all the people who wouldn't play as an Arabic or black person. Is not being able to readily identify to a character because of their ethnicity or beliefs really a cause for not playing something? I don't get why people are like "Ohhh, I can't project onto the character if he isn't Mr. Generic White Ruggedly Handsome Hero No.354". Video Games aren't about that.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I do not remember playing a Turian, a Krogan, an Asari, a Salarian, etc. You did not get to play any of these races/species.

Those are different species, not races. You could play a human Shepard of any race by using the charater creator to make him/her black, white, oriental, etc. You could not play as a species other than human.

Humans are a singular race biologically identical. Racism is a misnomer as humans are one species with no races. Thus your comment is completely invalid because you had no idea of what I was talking about.

If you're going to try and get scientific, then you should do so accurately. There is one human species (homo sapiens) since our ancestors killed off the others, and many different races [http://www.racialcompact.com/racesofhumanity.html], or sub-species.

There are clear and obvious physiological and anthopological differences between the different human races that can be seen with the naked eye. If you get to the genetic level, there will be further differences that explain the above. If you cannot see the difference with your eyes alone, between someone from India, Sweden, Japan and Kenya for example, then you need to see an optician.

If you refer to "race" as a social construct, then I would agree with you that it should not exist.

 

[MammothBlade]

There are so many potential variations between characters of any race and gender, it's hard to tell. I would rather play as a White male or female, leaning towards female, but then it depends what they're like. Are their attitude, dress sense, and hairstyle appealling to me? I couldn't see myself as a naked White homeless person with a mohawk. At the same time, I don't want to play as a stereotypical "ghetto" Black protagonist, but when characters break the mould (such as Louis from Left4Dead), I find it easier if not quite as easy as a character of my own race.

However, I don't play to represent myself ingame, but a different, alternate reality version of myself. I often wonder what it would be like if I were a girl, or someone with different personal traits. I don't import "myself" into an rpg character, I make either an idealised, alternate reality, or more exaggerated version of myself. Or sometimes I make a completely different person entirely, albeit someone with whom I can sympathise.

 

[krazykidd]

Heh , i was actually thinking of making a thread similar to this , anyways my idea theif OP( lol joke) i'm black and i never usually play white female if yhe character is customizable , i also make her look and give her my girlfriends name for the lols . If it is just a pick male or female game i usuallt chose female . My girlfriend found it weird that all my WoW characters are female to which i respond , it's just a game i don't care. I don't see what the big deal is anyways . I have no clue what the big deal about immersion is , i made a thread on this , playing a different race/ sex doesn't change if i like a game or not so. I guess i could see why people prefer to play a character that resembles them but i'm not that picky, i don't think of myself as the character i realize it's just a game.

 

[everythingbeeps]

I play as a female whenever given the choice. It's easy because I've never been someone who needs to "relate" to the character in a video game. I don't put myself in the story. I see it as a game about a person, and I've found that many of these narratives are just more interesting with a female at the lead. Particularly games like Mass Effect or Saints Row 2, where said female is a supreme badass.