So...Not sure if I want to play as the girl protagonist...

[CrimsonBlaze]

With all the new released videos of Pokemon Sun and Moon, specifically the Z-Moves, I'm starting to lean towards playing the girl protagonist as opposed to the male, which is a standard choice I make for any new Pokemon Gen that I play.

I'm aware that there is no difference between the boy and girl character aside from aesthetics, but it just seems like the girl protagonist makes the Z-Moves look more cooler and flashier while the male character might come off as silly.

The only issue I could find with choosing a girl character is if there is an option to customize their look. I'm no fashion expert, so I have no clue how to dress up a female avatar. I know this is optional, but I do like customization options wherever possible, even if they don't add or remove anything from the overall experience.

I have played games with female avatars that could have customized their appearance, but they were always served as a secondary purpose beyond aesthetics (clothing boosting stats in Splatoon or providing a special buff in the Xenosaga series). Also, the clothing/armor options are limited and aside from some visibly gender differentiating options (the school outfit for the Inkling Girl or the Swimsuits for the female party members), I never had any issues with dressing them in that manner.

However, from what I've experience with Pokemon X and Y, the clothing options might be quite vast, and I just don't want to have a hard time keeping my female avatar in the boring standard clothing or rolling the dice and making her look weird.

So I want to know Escapists, would you be cool dressing an avatar of the opposing gender, despite not knowing what to dress them in or would just stick to what you know?

 

[Lodgem]

I'm male but I wouldn't have any issue dressing a female character.

For example, when playing Mass Effect with a female protagonist I had some limited ability to choose her casual outfit, which made no real difference to game play. I could choose what I thought looked appropriate for her, regardless of whether I would have worn anything like that myself.

Ultimately the character's dress sense is whatever you want it to be, within the limits of what the game allows . You can't get her outfit wrong in any way.

 

[aozgolo]

Well the nice thing about it is that it's a one-critic fashion show, and that critic is also the wardrobe, so you only have to please yourself. Pick what you like aesthetically, it matters not anyone else's opinion, and generally where entire outfits are concerned, they are oft designed to appeal to some fashion sensibility or another, the exception comes more from RPGs where you can customize or choose each individual component like legs, sleeves, chest, feet, etc.

In terms of gender choice, typically in games where the choice is purely aesthetic I will go with female characters despite being a male, just because I prefer them. In games where there is an actual impact, even if it's just a matter of roleplaying, I will choose based off what sort of character I want to play as, unless of course there's romance options that are locked to specific genders, then I am guilty of conforming to particular characters solely to ensure proper compatibility with my chosen romantic interest.

Incidentally, playing Mount & Blade: Warband as a female character who only recruits female units and companions is a very fun little challenge.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Just how hard is it to outfit an avatar in a game, exactly? Pick the clothes you think are cool/hilarious/sexy/stylish/zany and roll with it. As long as you are happy with how the character looks, that's all that matters.

As a woman, I am used to outfitting male protagonists and there really is nothing special about it.

 

[Phasmal]

Well, dressing dudes is generally pretty easy, and seeing as a vast majority of games I've played in the past didn't allow you to choose gender, I'm quite used to being a dude in games.

But if Sun and Moon are anything like X and Y, the clothing options should be pretty easy to pair with each other.
I wouldn't worry too much about your character looking 'weird'. And if it bothers you a lot I'm sure you could look up the clothing online and it'll show you what it's meant to be worn with. I'm sure there's probably a site for that somewhere. If not, just look at the kind of things real women wear, and find something similar.

 

[Breakdown]

Don't give your character any clothes, she can run around in her underwear or whatever.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I much prefer the freedom that ladies have with their clothing. Am an experimental creature and fashion design is yet another art to practice and appreciate. Though honestly, most games don't give enough female clothing options that aren't all from skimpsville city for sleazy shittlebags. Some dresses can be like art upon art upon art, but nope...As long as the teenage boys get to see their endless sea of titties and ass, that's all that matters.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I'm sure you've seen women in real life dude. They don't do calculus every morning to pick out what to wear. It's just clothing and you're the only one seeing it anyway. Just dress your character in what you think looks good on her and go about your day. She won't be commenting on a mismatched top and pants.

 

[Satinavian]

I usually use female avatars most of the time. I am mal. So, no, i don't have a similar problem dressing an avatar of the opposite gender

And you can customize your pokemon character now ? I feel old.

 

[happyninja42]

With all the new released videos of Pokemon Sun and Moon, specifically the Z-Moves, I'm starting to lean towards playing the girl protagonist as opposed to the male, which is a standard choice I make for any new Pokemon Gen that I play.

I'm aware that there is no difference between the boy and girl character aside from aesthetics, but it just seems like the girl protagonist makes the Z-Moves look more cooler and flashier while the male character might come off as silly.

The only issue I could find with choosing a girl character is if there is an option to customize their look. I'm no fashion expert, so I have no clue how to dress up a female avatar. I know this is optional, but I do like customization options wherever possible, even if they don't add or remove anything from the overall experience.

I have played games with female avatars that could have customized their appearance, but they were always served as a secondary purpose beyond aesthetics (clothing boosting stats in Splatoon or providing a special buff in the Xenosaga series). Also, the clothing/armor options are limited and aside from some visibly gender differentiating options (the school outfit for the Inkling Girl or the Swimsuits for the female party members), I never had any issues with dressing them in that manner.

However, from what I've experience with Pokemon X and Y, the clothing options might be quite vast, and I just don't want to have a hard time keeping my female avatar in the boring standard clothing or rolling the dice and making her look weird.

So I want to know Escapists, would you be cool dressing an avatar of the opposing gender, despite not knowing what to dress them in or would just stick to what you know?

Would I be cool with it? Yes I would. While I would personally choose the male avatar, simply because I am more comfortable playing as a character that matches my gender (assuming the game has choices), I don't actively avoid picking the other gender for any reason. It's just a preference, nothing more.

However I've also got an avatar in Rock Band 4 called Awkward Erection, and he/she is basically decked out in every gender bending item they've got. They've got a very feminine figure, but a massive metal band hair/beard combination. They're wearing the half tuxedo/night dress outfit. Why? Because why not? I find it fun and enjoyable to have this sort of David Bowie inspired character with a goofy name be my drummer in the band with my friends. So no, I wouldn't have a problem playing a character, and dressing them up as the opposing gender. For one, women wear clothing that is traditionally "male" all the time. That being pants, shirts, jackets, suits, etc. This is hardly news. And men do the same thing, though they are admittedly in a more restricted format, usually in some kind of performance. At least around where I live, I don't see men actively wearing female clothing in the streets casually very often, if at all. In fact I can't think of a single time it didn't happen outside of some LGBT friendly location like a gay club or something. But I'm sure it does happen elsewhere.

So either way, dress the character how you want. Not every woman wants to wear dresses and frilly things, so playing a female character, but putting her in guy clothes is perfectly acceptable. Besides, you're the only one playing the game, so who cares what we think about it anyway?

 

[Sonmi]

Incidentally, playing Mount & Blade: Warband as a female character who only recruits female units and companions is a very fun little challenge.

I've been meaning to do that for a while now, get myself an army of 100 sword sisters, and then support either Adwa the Pearled One or Lady Isolla to rule Calridia.

 

[sageoftruth]

How does fashion work in this game? Can you change what your character is wearing mid-game, or are you stuck with you choice after you finish creating your character? If it's the former, I'd suggest doing what one would normally do at a clothing store and just try a bunch of different things on until something works.
Otherwise, either keep restarting until you get something you like, or check online screenshots for some inspiration.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

So I want to know Escapists, would you be cool dressing an avatar of the opposing gender, despite not knowing what to dress them in or would just stick to what you know?

I'm--- not sure I follow... What's the difference? Do you feel you need to be a robot in order to customise a robot character in a game? Or some kind of weird alien lizard thing?

Don't you have any opinions whatsoever on what you like aesthetically on women?

I've never played a Pokemon game in my life (maybe a few minutes on a Gameboy Colour?), so I'm not sure if it's relevant, but generally the sensible approach to any character of any gender - in any medium - is to make their apparel and aesthetic reflect who they are as an individual, i.e. what would they wish to or likely wear. Seems pretty self-evident. Failing that, just imagine you're a certain gender and roll with what you personally like, provided you have basic 'I like/I don't like' responses with shapes and colours.

It ain't rocket science.

I much prefer the freedom that ladies have with their clothing. Am an experimental creature and fashion design is yet another art to practice and appreciate. Though honestly, most games don't give enough female clothing options that aren't all from skimpsville city for sleazy shittlebags. Some dresses can be like art upon art upon art, but nope...As long as the teenage boys get to see their endless sea of titties and ass, that's all that matters.

I agree about the greater freedom women generally have with style, [ostensibly] allowed to cherry pick across the masculine/feminine spectrum, and being able to juxtapose both and make it look awesome.

As for endless seas of T&A; it depends wildly on the game. My own gaming landscape has barely any of that. Some of the biggest games around - or at least of the previous-ish gen - are actually impressively measured; Skyrim, Dragon Age, Mass Effect (with a few 'why the fuck is FemShep's vanilla casual wear a cocktail dress'n'heels when bloke-Shep's got that leather jacket/jeans combo?!'-caveats) to name a few. I'd say attitudes have shifted for the positive.

Plus, there's nothing stopping very skimpy, showy apparel being artful if it fits the character and world.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Just pick whatever you feel is visually appealing?

I mean that is how most of get dressed when we face the world, right?

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

]I agree about the greater freedom women generally have with style, [ostensibly] allowed to cherry pick across the masculine/feminine spectrum, and being able to juxtapose both and make it look awesome.

As for endless seas of T&A; it depends wildly on the game. My own gaming landscape has barely any of that. Some of the biggest games around - or at least of the previous-ish gen - are actually impressively measured; Skyrim, Dragon Age, Mass Effect (with a few 'why the fuck is FemShep's vanilla casual wear a cocktail dress'n'heels when bloke-Shep's got that leather jacket/jeans combo?!'-caveats) to name a few. I'd say attitudes have shifted for the positive.

Plus, there's nothing stopping very skimpy, showy apparel being artful if it fits the character and world.

Admittedly, i resorted to hyperbolic imagery due to a rushed yet lazy attempt at getting my point across. It loses momentum and fun when one has to stop each point to add disclaimers, and I ramble too much already. Of course, nothing is stopping skimpy from being artful, but let's not kid ourselves that that is often the reason for the abundance of such wear in this genre of entertainment especially. And of course not every game is as one-track minded with clothing. But there is still huge untapped potential to improve and expand on the meagre offerings currently. Though long, flowing dresses will require a succulent physics engine to address the hypnotic waves in the wind.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I'm of the opinion that unless the gender of the protagonist actually comes up in the plot(beyond various NPCs adding a 's' to some dialogue) or is reflected in the gameplay itself, Jet Force Gemini style, then it really doesn't matter. At all.
Flip a coin, or better yet don't even bother to give us the option.

If the gameplay and story don't change at all based on the gender of the protagonist, then I'd hardly call it a choice, and certainly not one worth making any fuss about at all. Like OP said, purely aesthetic. Like being able to pick between black and yellow shoes, or blue and white.

 

[Saelune]

I'm of the opinion that unless the gender of the protagonist actually comes up in the plot(beyond various NPCs adding a 's' to some dialogue) or is reflected in the gameplay itself, Jet Force Gemini style, then it really doesn't matter. At all.
Flip a coin, or better yet don't even bother to give us the option.

If the gameplay and story don't change at all based on the gender of the protagonist, then I'd hardly call it a choice, and certainly not one worth making any fuss about at all. Like OP said, purely aesthetic. Like being able to pick between black and yellow shoes, or blue and white.

Most games dont let you wear whatever clothing you want. An aesthetic sure, but aesthetic is important in gaming.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I'm sure you've seen women in real life dude. They don't do calculus every morning to pick out what to wear.

That's not quite true.

To pick out their clothes, women first pull every piece of clothing they have out and lay it on the floor. Then they organize them based on color, clothing style and size.

Once they have everything laid out its time to whip out the DIVING BONES, ancient magical femurs of long dead dragons passed down from mother to daughter that when thrown into the air, cast four different shadows across their clothing. These shadows summon the Devil (wearing prada) who infuses their outfits with satanic magic, bringing them to life. Once their clothing is living, they are forced to fight their clothes in hand to fabric combat.

Last outfit standing is what they wear for the day.

This is amazing and now my favorite post I've seen on this forum. Thanks for the hearty fucking laugh.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I'm of the opinion that unless the gender of the protagonist actually comes up in the plot(beyond various NPCs adding a 's' to some dialogue) or is reflected in the gameplay itself, Jet Force Gemini style, then it really doesn't matter. At all.
Flip a coin, or better yet don't even bother to give us the option.

If the gameplay and story don't change at all based on the gender of the protagonist, then I'd hardly call it a choice, and certainly not one worth making any fuss about at all. Like OP said, purely aesthetic. Like being able to pick between black and yellow shoes, or blue and white.

Most games dont let you wear whatever clothing you want. An aesthetic sure, but aesthetic is important in gaming.

Only like...5% of the time I'd argue. Because the aesthetics never really matter that much. I mean would...Halo have been less fun if Master Chief's armor was black? Or had a fully filled breast plate? Or would RE4 have been less goofy if Leon was wearing a three-piece suit? Or Ashley less annoying if she had blue shoes? What about the Last of Us? Would the zombies have been harder to kill if Ellie had a hat? And if so, does a blue hat make zombies harder or easier? What if its a purple sun hat with flowers? Is that no-clipping?

See what I mean?

And most games it doesn't even matter. Mechwarrior, Pikmin, every RTS game ever, every other game outside the Sims and arguably Fallout and Bioware games.

Aesthetics should be the very literal last thing a game worries about.