Poll: When Gender Is A Choice, Which Do You Choose?

[RJ 17]

Most of the time my first character in a game is a male unless I know that female characters have revealing outfits, then I will make a female.

You know, I really appreciate your honest in that matter. I won't deny the fact that that's part of the reason I prefer to play as females as well. But in all honest, it really is because I really enjoy the thought of a female hero...the fact that the fate of the world (as is usually the case in games) rides on the shoulders of a powerful woman is appealing to me. Nothing wrong with it if they happened to look attractive while saving the world though. :3

The one exception is Mass Effect where I played a FemShep because Jennifer Hale did such an amazing job and I felt it was miles better than ManShep.

And again I agree with you here in the sense that I thought that Jennifer did a fantastic job as FemShep. If you ask me there's more emotion in her portrayal of Shepard than the guy who did MaleShep. I just find her a lot more "believable" as Shepard than MaleShep.

 

[TheMigrantSoldier]

Depends on the game. I chose the female option in M&B because it was more "challenging" and female in Mass Effect because Jennifer Hale doesn't sound like a robot. While I do like to think of my different RP characters as virtual personas, they're still fictional entities.

 

[Clowndoe]

I can't vote because I alternate. Call me a misogynist, but when I play a male character I tend to pick the goofiest options available, but with a woman I tend to leave the options default or pretty.

 

[Caiphus]

Male/Male. Pretty much all the time. When I used to play MMOs I'd generally make my healer alts female. And I usually plan on doing playthroughs of RPGs as women, but never get around to it. Never even played as Femshep.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

When it's a case of gender choice, your character is usually supposed to be a representation of yourself or at least, someone you're putting your own shoes in, usually. Because of that, I pick a male. If it's a case of actual characters though, as in ones that have back stories and personalities, then I have no preference for any gender, just the character that's the most interesting to me.

 

[Asita]

If the gender is little more than an incidental detail, I suppose I gravitate more towards female than male for my characters. If subsequent media shows a canon portrayal, then I tend to try to fit the canon as best I can (Case in point: My first playthrough of KoTOR used a female protagonist. The revelation of that character's true gender by the time of TOR made me go back and do a 'canon run' with the male variation). Romance options can also sway me. I started off Mass Effect using FemShep as my main, then went back and switched to MaleShep after I learned about the love interests available in Mass Effect 2. Similarly, Dragon Age had me use a Male Warden because I felt that it made a more interesting subplot with Morrigan, whereas I went with a Female Hawke in Dragon Age 2 because I felt it played off of my Warden nicely and the romance and subplots were such that I felt nothing really pulling me to Male Hawke. Still, female does seem to be my effective default.

 

[MysticSlayer]

For a first play through I almost always choose male. I want to play through the world as my own person, or as my equivalent within the game's world. When I start getting involved in more serious role playing as characters other than myself, then it depends on who I'm trying to role play as. Normally, though, I almost always have a female character going once I get past my first play through.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Female 90% of the time. Occasionally I'll get a whim to play a male character, especially if it suits my concept, but most of the time I'll lean female. No real reason. If you require a reason, feel free to pick one from the list below that best suits your own suspicions.

1. I prefer the female aesthetic
2. If I have to look at a butt it might as well be a girl butt hurr hurr hurr
3. I like to trick lonely men into giving me treasure in MMOs
4. I have severe gender dysphoria and I can only express it through computer games
5. I'm a guy in real life and this is supposed to be escapism
6. I do it to impress women because I'm a White Knight hurr hurr hurr
7. Female characters universally voiced by Jennifer Hale

 

[Weaver]

I usually split 50/50. Just try to keep things mixed up I guess.

 

[Mikejames]

I switch it up. I guess it depends on my interpretation of the character?

 

[nokori3byo]

With Bioware games, I tend to do at least one playthrough as male and female, the first being a combat-oriented male and the second being a stealth or magic oriented female. Don't know why; that's just how I roll.

 

[Kennetic]

Male here. I usually play as a male the first time and then create a female later. On FFXIV though, the male models look flamboyant as hell so I play as a human female as they're the only one that look halfway decent.

 

[Redd the Sock]

Male playing female. Yes, I'll be honest and admit it's because if I'm going to be looking at a character for an extended period of time, I'd like it to be something I'm attracted to. From there it becomes a bit of a habit. I just never really project myself into a character.

 

[Easton Dark]

I'm a guy who always chooses a guy, except in Mount and Blade: Warband. Never played as a male in that game, always female.

I like being the character who gets dumped on all the time but then turns around and pushes peoples shit in, and since it's a medieval society in Mount and Blade, that's what a tough lady does.

So if any other game makes society like that, I'll play a female there too, no question. But mostly I like to make myself, and since I'm a guy, seems pretty simple.

 

[Camaranth]

Female playing as female most of the time. (Although in Saints Row 2-4 character my Boss is a silver skinned face tattooed, blue haired hermaphrodite alien)

For Bioware games the first is a rogue female and a blind play-through picking the options I like to think I would choose. Then a warrior jerk male. then a super good magic user who's gender depends on what I liked most from the previous plays, and if I have the will for a 4th or more plays it's based on whatever story I want to see.

 

[Abomination]

Zero preference but similar to Easton Dark

except in Mount and Blade: Warband. Never played as a male in that game, always female.

I like being the character who gets dumped on all the time but then turns around and pushes peoples shit in, and since it's a medieval society in Mount and Blade, that's what a tough lady does.

So if any other game makes society like that, I'll play a female there too, no question. But mostly I like to make myself, and since I'm a guy, seems pretty simple.

I will always do a playthrough as a downtrodden character rising above it all.

On the flip side I will also try and play a character who would be the most stereotypically suited to that role and situation.

If gender happens to be a deciding factor in that I'll play whatever gender works in that way.

If gender isn't a deciding factor I'll flip a coin.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

I usually do a male character for my original run because of roleplaying reasons and then when i do a replay i'll usually go for a female one. For Dragon Age i did each gender alternately until i had played all the origin stories, and in Mass Effect i'm only on my second playthrough. One male paragon, the other a female renegade.

Both are soldiers though, i can't say i'm too fond of the idea of biotic class because it seems like you'd have to break flow a lot in order to fiddle around with your power selections. Or am i wrong about that? Was wondering about playing vanguard for my next playthrough...

 

[Thebazilly]

I tend to prefer playing female characters. I sometimes play a male character on a second playthrough, or if I dislike the design of the females.

 

[Abomination]

Oh, forgot the one exception. In MMOs I will only play males as I sometimes roleplay in those games and I despise males who try to pretend to be women outside of the game.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Male that likes to play as female character's, simply for obvious shallow reason's, but also because I find female characters easier to sympathies with (white knight comlpex?).

Also it adds some variety to the usual staple of brunette/bald white guys.

I don't really 'roleplay' so I wouldn't say I'm motivated to play as a faux simile to myself, if its something like Saints Row however then I'll give it a go.
More character creators need to have the option to change stuff down the line, even if it's just haircuts.