Poll: Roleplaying Opposite-Sex Characters

[Risingblade]

Maybe you have a thing for the kind of women you roleplay as?

 

[The Apothecarry]

Basically all RPG/MMORPG's I've played the male and female characters I had were more or less even. I usually pick a female character if it suits the class better. For example I'm more inclined to have male warriors but female mages.

That's a good point. I suppose it does fall into the gender stereotypes (not criticizing you, here), but t's important to make sure everything fits to you.

 

[Shadu]

I'm female, but I always play males. Why? Well, I happen to find the males more attractive to look at (when it's a video game) and if I'm roleplaying, I want the character to be different from myself. What's more different than the opposite gender?

If you were with a group that took it super seriously (and I know of one in my circle of "friends" personally) or you yourself took it super seriously, then I could see how that would cause issues. But for most people...who cares what gender you play?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Let's put it this way:

You've no problem playing a Dalek, a Lizardman, a Dinosaur or a mindset/alignment totally in opposition to you, but being a woman/man is a problem?

They're not THAT different. Basic rules being: (and yes, these are massively stereotyped)
Male: Lead with your shoulders, Express anger, Compete in most things physical, Focus entirely on one objective, Only relax when that main objective is achieved, fights should be quick and brutal.
Female: Lead with your hips, Express compassion, Compete in most things social, Spread your focus, only relax when the background objective is achieved, fights should be decisive and can be long-lived in coming.

Gay men tend to lead with hips, relax for background and long term fights. Lesbian women lead with shoulders, relax after main objective, short term fights.

Alterations from this depend on social upbringing/situations - but can go across the board in most Patriarchal societies. Matriarchal societies will alter both types towards their homosexual qualities.

Technology based societies will split genders apart. Spiritual based societies will bring them together.

As is normal, there will be differences - but if you start at the stereotype and determine which way they split from it, you'll have the beginning of a character. (You can throw the same mindset at races...An American will tend to over-emphasize British standoff-ishness, a Brit will over-emphasize American expression, but once you get the hang of it, they're reasonably easy to portray)

Just think on basics to start with. If your female is a gun bunny, she'll be unlikely to use a mini-gun (as without dermal plating/muscle-weave, it will strain her body), equally the guy is going to use the weapon with the biggest damage code and probably name the weapon.

If all else fails, just ask/watch a female roleplayer. Surprisingly, they find it as difficult to portray us as we find it to portray them, so you can give them pointers as well.

 

[IndianaJonny]

I had a bit of a debate with one of my RPG friends a while back.

Eight of the nine D&D characters that I've built are female, and the current Shadowrun character I run is a female. During one D&D session, he told me he thought it was weird that I kept building and running female characters mostly because he had to picture me in his head as a woman, be it a half-drow or dragonborn. Something about it creeped him out, but I see it only as building a character that is "different."

Nobody else in the group, including the GM, ever thought this was weird. He was the only one to say anything. He's had his characters make suggestive comments to mine and I never thought it was odd, but he said he'd prefer that I build male characters so he doesn't feel awkward.

I'd like to point out that these characters are never roleplayed as looking for romance. They aren't some innocent helplessly trapped in a moral dilemma or a damsel in distress. Usually they're a headstrong, self-sustaining fighter-type. My Shadowrun character, for example, is a psychopathic gunslinger based on the character of Revy from Black Lagoon. The only way to date her is to buy her a missile launcher

What's your GM's usual NPC-gender spread like? This can sometimes be an subtle reason for why your choice may stand-out regardless of party dynamics.

Edit: Oh, and if in-game 'situational' awkwardness arises for a character because of their gender then the awkwardness stays in-game. I don't suddenly think "Wow, this must be kind of creepy for Steve" or whatever.

(I'll admit, when I first saw the thread title I was thinking of a totally different style of 'roleplay')

 

[The Apothecarry]

Maybe you have a thing for the kind of women you roleplay as?

I have no doubt that the characters have something to with my subconscious desires. I'd love to spend a week with my Shadowrun character despite the fact that she's tailored to be a heartless ***** and a cold-blooded killer.

 

[The Apothecarry]

I had a bit of a debate with one of my RPG friends a while back.

Eight of the nine D&D characters that I've built are female, and the current Shadowrun character I run is a female. During one D&D session, he told me he thought it was weird that I kept building and running female characters mostly because he had to picture me in his head as a woman, be it a half-drow or dragonborn. Something about it creeped him out, but I see it only as building a character that is "different."

Nobody else in the group, including the GM, ever thought this was weird. He was the only one to say anything. He's had his characters make suggestive comments to mine and I never thought it was odd, but he said he'd prefer that I build male characters so he doesn't feel awkward.

I'd like to point out that these characters are never roleplayed as looking for romance. They aren't some innocent helplessly trapped in a moral dilemma or a damsel in distress. Usually they're a headstrong, self-sustaining fighter-type. My Shadowrun character, for example, is a psychopathic gunslinger based on the character of Revy from Black Lagoon. The only way to date her is to buy her a missile launcher

What's your GM's usual NPC-gender spread like? This can sometimes be an subtle reason for why your choice may stand-out regardless of party dynamics.

(I'll admit, when I first saw the thread title I was thinking of a totally different style of 'roleplay')

The GM usually has a lot of male NPCs. I never though of looking at that and never really considered it.

 

[Faux Furry]

Some RPGs have a fixed gender. For instance, there really isn't an option for women who want to play JRPGs (and even a few WRPGs) an avatar of the same sex as themselves, you should know. Maybe the reasoning is that they wouldn't want to check out another woman's butt for 30-100 hours (or that guys like Yuri [http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/T/Tales%20of%20Vesperia/Everything%20Else/Give%20JRPGs%20a%20Chance/RAW/Yuri--article_image.jpg] from Tales of Vesperia look enough like women), anyway, so why bother?

I know that I would play a third-sexed avatar if such things were available (outside of flash games in certain places on the Internet) or a robot (if Sega ever gets around to releasing another Phantasy Star Online}. Being the same gender, species, age, race or even made of meat all of the time gets dull.
RPGs are there to let one see new world through someone else's eyes without having to go through a messy optic transplant.

 

[The Apothecarry]

Some RPGs have a fixed gender. For instance, there really isn't an option for women who want to play JRPGs (and even a few WRPGs) to play an avatar of the same sex as themselves, you should know. Maybe the reasoning is that they wouldn't want to check out another woman's butt for 30-100 hours (or that guys like Yuri [http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/T/Tales%20of%20Vesperia/Everything%20Else/Give%20JRPGs%20a%20Chance/RAW/Yuri--article_image.jpg] from Tales of Vesperia look enough like women), anyway, so why bother?

I know that I would play a third-sexed avatar if such things were available (outside of flash games in certain places on the Internet) or a robot (if Sega ever gets around to releasing another Phantasy Star Online}. Being the same gender, species, age, race or even made of meat all of the time gets dull.
RPGs are there to let one see new world through someone else's eyes without having to go through a messy optic transplant.

Shadowrun can be fun like that. Want a robotic limb? Cybereyes? We got it covered.

 

[l3o2828]

I've done it a lot and i think theres nothing wrong with it at all.

 

[IndianaJonny]

The GM usually has a lot of male NPCs. I never though of looking at that and never really considered it.

Ah, then she may well be an odd sight in a "man's world". I bet that does things for your 'Recognition Factor'.

 

[Harkonn3n]

Hmmm... im not sure, whenever im given a choice to play as a female, i do.. even though im male i just find i relate to a female character better. Although im not RPing as a female, im just playing as myself and what i would do, just in a female body.

If i want to RP, i'll actually make a male character, because thats easier for me to project some other personality onto.

I agree with this, if I'm ever given the option of gender, 99% of the time I choose female.
In real life, I'm attracted to females and feel the innate desire to protect and care for them.
In the gaming world.

I'm not *attracted* to my character, but I can appreciate the beauty of what I've created. (There's a difference between emotional appreciation of beauty and physical attraction of a fictional character)

So when I'm gaming with my female protagonist, I feel the need to fight harder, play skillfully, avoid damage. (Psychologically, it all stems from my subconscious desire to protect women)

 

[Khenal Baroney]

It really depends. As somebody said before, playing the "gold digger/slut" just makes the game awkward. Quite often, the gender of the character has little impact on the actual character. I just finished re-watching the Extra Credits on Female characters. Very few characters really need their gender to stay as that character.

Another thing to consider is the perspective. Many guys play a lady in 3rd person games. To paraphrase an old PVP comic; If you are going to stare at an ass all day, make it a nice ass. Sometimes these characters get the unfortunate stereotype, but often the player plays exactly the same and simply enjoys the view a bit more as they play.

 

[Doctor What]

In one of my New Vegas files, I played a super smooth talking slut girl. I don't think I ever shot a gun at all...actually.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Id otn see anything wrong with it. it lets me get out a more feminine side i cant normally show for fear Worry of five guys jumping me in the street for being a pussy (thats not even exaggeration).

I know I had to do it multiple times. the first time cause we needed a female character, and cause I was one of the admins in the game, I had to play her, as well as my male character. Since then, I've done it just for fun, and when I do TWEWY rps, I'll constantly have my two person team be one male, and one female.

Its like the guys that play pokemon games as the girl, or vice versa. you just want to be different.

You could really ask the same question about playing a different race colour then you are.

 

[Candidus]

When you eliminate aspiration as a motive for making a male character- because you don't aspire to be any cooler or stronger than you are, because you're already cool and strong enough, then you obviously default to attraction.

I make characters with features that I find aesthetically pleasing. That's women. Nothing strange about it. Case closed.

 

[The Apothecarry]

The GM usually has a lot of male NPCs. I never though of looking at that and never really considered it.

Ah, then she may well be an odd sight in a "man's world". I bet that does things for your 'Recognition Factor'.

If notoriety has anything to do with it, then it's some sort of plan in my GM's head. Besides, I think anyone would remember a foul-mouthed Chinese-American woman with two handguns, a half-tattoo sleeve, and a nicotine addiction.

 

[plugav]

No, there's nothing wrong with it. It most certainly does have roots in your subconscious, but whose character choice doesn't?

By the way, the title of the thread reminded me of a game my friend participated in, where the GM had everyone play characters of the opposite sex (it was a mixed group of players). He said it was fascinating, because everyone was unintentionally revealing all their stereotypes and misconceptions about the other gender.

 

[ZeroMachine]

You don't expect a woman to charge into battle breathing fire and cutting down dragons with a six-foot sword.

Maybe you don't, but I grew up on JRPGs. That stuff happened every Tuesday

 

[The Apothecarry]

When you eliminate aspiration as a motive for making a male character- because you don't aspire to be any cooler or stronger than you are, because you're already cool and strong enough, then you obviously default to attraction.

I make characters with features that I find aesthetically pleasing. That's women. Nothing strange about it. Case closed.

Very well said, sir. I like that.