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

[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.

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.

Actually, I do think the designs of the characters can greatly help or hinder a game. A stupid looking character can be a real bummer, while a cool looking one can make an awesome game more so.

And a game where you are essentially playing "you", how "you" look matters in Pokemon. I dont want to play as Red, or Ash, or Ethan, or May. I want to play as me in Pokemon.

I also think Dead Rising is a good tester for aesthetics and feel, atleast referring to clothing, because aesthetics in gaming is kind of a MAJOR element, being a visual medium. It does feel different to kill hoards of zombies in normal clothes, versus a dress, bear hat, and Mega Man boots.

I think Mechwarrior, Pikmin, and every RTS ever, aesthetic was very important. If Pikmin wasnt a colorful unique looking series, it would be less charming. If all RTS games look the same, they wouldnt be so interesting.

Aesthetic isnt just clothing. And even clothing, I dont want to go on my Pokemon adventure in the dumb outfits the guys wear. I liked the freedom X and Y gave me, and I want it to be permanent. (And expanded) Animal Crossing: New Leaf is one of the few games that let me look however I want, and that made the game all the more better for it. (Another game where aesthetic is key)

 

[Scarim Coral]

Wow, is it really that foreign for dressing up the oppersite gender to you OP?

I mean don't you ever played a jrpg with female characters with their apperance change according to the armor they're wearing like Xenoblade Chronicle?

Ok even if we're talking about realistic clothing like in Pokemon X and Y, it isn't any different. If you'r gonna make the female character skimpy clothing or a skirt, go ahead! NO ONE is going to judge you like some sjw/ feminist out there!

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

Two fashion tips I can give you. 1: don't over design. You don't have to fill every slot on the character. Less can be more. 2: Don't make everything the same color it's boring. Try to get a few colors that look good together.

 

[CaitSeith]

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.

In Pokemon X/Y, the female character has almost the double of clothing items (over 200) than the male character (about 100). It's a big gap and personally I was kinda sad that there were so fewer options for my male character.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

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.

Pft, specificity, caveats and disclaimers are exactly what teh internetz needs more of.

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.

Sure, that's a male defined culture and the generally default male gaze. One example that always stands out to me is - the otherwise superbly engaging - Trip from Enslaved: Odyssey To The West, whose boob-tube'n'skintight jeans combo never suited the world or the action.

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.

But wouldn't you agree that things aren't actually that bad? I'm not sure there are any customisation options, but Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn is a good example of character design suiting its world, free from male gazey nonsense. Hell, for one of the biggest gaming icons just look at how nu-Lara [http://static.srcdn.com/slir/w1000-h1166-q90-c1000:1166/wp-content/uploads/Rise-of-the-Tomb-Raider-box-art.jpg] was depicted on the cover for Rise.

There is, I'd argue, a very visible, very prominent regard for more cohesive design when it comes to female leads. It might not be across the board, sure (I'd say Overwatch's female designs are simultaneously diversely interesting yet also regressively objectifying), but it's very much part of the healthy critique of the industry.

Though long, flowing dresses will require a succulent physics engine to address the hypnotic waves in the wind.

Pft, just give me a decent looking ponytail that doesn't clip through shoulders or backpacks on Fallout 4 and I'll be happy[er]. I'd say the current state of stuff like longcoat physics and wotnot is at an acceptable-bordering-on-good level, though, so progress marches on. Not many games exactly need high-end physics for long flowing dresses, per se. Maybe a David 'emosiuns!' Cage game, but, y'know, them's David Cage games and therefore dynamic fabric modelling is the least of their worries...

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

But wouldn't you agree that things aren't actually that bad? I'm not sure there are any customisation options, but Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn is a good example of character design suiting its world, free from male gazey nonsense. Hell, for one of the biggest gaming icons just look at how nu-Lara [http://static.srcdn.com/slir/w1000-h1166-q90-c1000:1166/wp-content/uploads/Rise-of-the-Tomb-Raider-box-art.jpg] was depicted on the cover for Rise.

There is, I'd argue, a very visible, very prominent regard for more cohesive design when it comes to female leads. It might not be across the board, sure (I'd say Overwatch's female designs are simultaneously diversely interesting yet also regressively objectifying), but it's very much part of the healthy critique of the industry.

Though long, flowing dresses will require a succulent physics engine to address the hypnotic waves in the wind.

Pft, just give me a decent looking ponytail that doesn't clip through shoulders or backpacks on Fallout 4 and I'll be happy[er]. I'd say the current state of stuff like longcoat physics and wotnot is at an acceptable-bordering-on-good level, though, so progress marches on. Not many games exactly need high-end physics for long flowing dresses, per se. Maybe a David 'emosiuns!' Cage game, but, y'know, them's David Cage games and therefore dynamic fabric modelling is the least of their worries...

I think perhaps I wasn't specific enough in description...it is true that the trend of female protagonist designs are already making improvements, that is very much evident. I was merely referring to female clothing option trends in character customisation. Havent playing overwatch yet, as full priced multiplayer modes make my finances and allegedly human soul weep. Games don't need a lot of things that they include, but the inclusion of the non-necessary is always appreciated. David Cage can bugger off though, I'm here only for the wavy fabrics, not his desire to live out his personal fantasies.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

In Pokemon X/Y, the female character has almost the double of clothing items (over 200) than the male character (about 100). It's a big gap and personally I was kinda sad that there were so fewer options for my male character.

That's nothing short of stupid. How hard is it to ensure that either option is equally valid in terms of choice when the option is just cosmetic?

 

[bluegate]

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?

Euhm, come again?

I dress up characters to conform with my tastes in clothes, not to conform with the tastes of the fashion industry...

 

[CaitSeith]

In Pokemon X/Y, the female character has almost the double of clothing items (over 200) than the male character (about 100). It's a big gap and personally I was kinda sad that there were so fewer options for my male character.

That's nothing short of stupid. How hard is it to ensure that either option is equally valid in terms of choice when the option is just cosmetic?

What does being cosmetic have anything to do with it? If you don't care about cosmetics, fine; but don't assume that makes them easy to do right.

 

[DoPo]

In Pokemon X/Y, the female character has almost the double of clothing items (over 200) than the male character (about 100). It's a big gap and personally I was kinda sad that there were so fewer options for my male character.

That's nothing short of stupid. How hard is it to ensure that either option is equally valid in terms of choice when the option is just cosmetic?

What does being cosmetic have anything to do with it? If you don't care about cosmetics, fine; but don't assume that makes them easy to do right.

Easy to do "right"? Don't know about that. I mean, I can see that you can do them wrong, but I think it's quite easy to do them "adequately". Whether you consider this to be "right" or not, is probably a separate issue.

 

[Adeptus Aspartem]

1. Pick Girl
2. Grind
3. Buy all the things
4. ???
5. Look pretty.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Wow, is it really that foreign for dressing up the oppersite gender to you OP?

I mean don't you ever played a jrpg with female characters with their apperance change according to the armor they're wearing like Xenoblade Chronicle?

As I've previously described, I'm not alien to the idea of changing clothes/armor of female characters, especially when their clothing was tied to game mechanics.

I'm considering choosing a girl character based solely on the fact that aesthetically the Z-Moves look more awesome when performed by the female lead and silly when performed by the male lead. With that in mind, and the high possibility that you will not be allowed to change the gender of your character on the fly (ala Splatoon), I am questioning on how to properly customize my character.

As an example, in Pokemon X, I play the male lead. Instead of essentially creating 'me,' I wanted my character to have an identity of their own, I kept the standard look of the character at first. After a while, I decided to dress them in clothes that I would feel comfortable in, but are still unique to the character (short sleeve tees = slim tees, regular fit jeans = skinny jeans, skating shoes = sneakers, etc.).

The issue with a female character comes that I don't know what 'comfortable' is like for women's clothing without it coming off as baggy or tomboyish. Again, I might be overthinking it, but I still like customization and I want to get it right for my female lead, if I choose her.

 

[Saelune]

Wow, is it really that foreign for dressing up the oppersite gender to you OP?

I mean don't you ever played a jrpg with female characters with their apperance change according to the armor they're wearing like Xenoblade Chronicle?

As I've previously described, I'm not alien to the idea of changing clothes/armor of female characters, especially when their clothing was tied to game mechanics.

I'm considering choosing a girl character based solely on the fact that aesthetically the Z-Moves look more awesome when performed by the female lead and silly when performed by the male lead. With that in mind, and the high possibility that you will not be allowed to change the gender of your character on the fly (ala Splatoon), I am questioning on how to properly customize my character.

As an example, in Pokemon X, I play the male lead. Instead of essentially creating 'me,' I wanted my character to have an identity of their own, I kept the standard look of the character at first. After a while, I decided to dress them in clothes that I would feel comfortable in, but are still unique to the character (short sleeve tees = slim tees, regular fit jeans = skinny jeans, skating shoes = sneakers, etc.).

The issue with a female character comes that I don't know what 'comfortable' is like for women's clothing without it coming off as baggy or tomboyish. Again, I might be overthinking it, but I still like customization and I want to get it right for my female lead, if I choose her.

We dont even know what clothing will be available yet. Just dont worry about it so much.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

What does being cosmetic have anything to do with it? If you don't care about cosmetics, fine; but don't assume that makes them easy to do right.

I think you misunderstand me. What I mean is that if you decide to do cosmetics in your game and provide several unique avatars (male/female, human/elf/dwarf etc.) for the player to choose from, how hard is it to ensure that all of them get roughly the same amount of cosmetic options? It is simply stupid that one option get's twice the amount of cosmetic choices the other gets.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Wow, is it really that foreign for dressing up the oppersite gender to you OP?

I mean don't you ever played a jrpg with female characters with their apperance change according to the armor they're wearing like Xenoblade Chronicle?

As I've previously described, I'm not alien to the idea of changing clothes/armor of female characters, especially when their clothing was tied to game mechanics.

I'm considering choosing a girl character based solely on the fact that aesthetically the Z-Moves look more awesome when performed by the female lead and silly when performed by the male lead. With that in mind, and the high possibility that you will not be allowed to change the gender of your character on the fly (ala Splatoon), I am questioning on how to properly customize my character.

As an example, in Pokemon X, I play the male lead. Instead of essentially creating 'me,' I wanted my character to have an identity of their own, I kept the standard look of the character at first. After a while, I decided to dress them in clothes that I would feel comfortable in, but are still unique to the character (short sleeve tees = slim tees, regular fit jeans = skinny jeans, skating shoes = sneakers, etc.).

The issue with a female character comes that I don't know what 'comfortable' is like for women's clothing without it coming off as baggy or tomboyish. Again, I might be overthinking it, but I still like customization and I want to get it right for my female lead, if I choose her.

Define "properly".

In X I simply went what ever clothing you can buy in the game from the blue camo to that hister loothing one from that expensive clothing shop in that city with the tower. After I bought all of them, I just went with whatever clothing I think look the coolest for my character then trying to think if the clothing has any hidden stats or ability or to be realistic. I mean you would assume all trainers would be wearing camping gear no cos they travel around the country?

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Wow, is it really that foreign for dressing up the oppersite gender to you OP?

I mean don't you ever played a jrpg with female characters with their apperance change according to the armor they're wearing like Xenoblade Chronicle?

As I've previously described, I'm not alien to the idea of changing clothes/armor of female characters, especially when their clothing was tied to game mechanics.

I'm considering choosing a girl character based solely on the fact that aesthetically the Z-Moves look more awesome when performed by the female lead and silly when performed by the male lead. With that in mind, and the high possibility that you will not be allowed to change the gender of your character on the fly (ala Splatoon), I am questioning on how to properly customize my character.

Define "properly".

In X I simply went what ever clothing you can buy in the game from the blue camo to that hister loothing one from that expensive clothing shop in that city with the tower. After I bought all of them, I just went with whatever clothing I think look the coolest for my character then trying to think if the clothing has any hidden stats or ability or to be realistic. I mean you would assume all trainers would be wearing camping gear no cos they travel around the country?

Right.

So by 'properly,' I mean based on the character's 'identity.' Like I previously stated, I don't have avatars that represent me, but rather create an identity for themselves while having them share traits that are equivalent to my own. In the case of a female lead, I would want her to be a feminine girl, so the statements of 'just dress her like you would dress yourself' or 'put her in whatever you like' aren't very helpful. Again, I'm only going by what has been available in X and Y, but even if the same clothing were available, it would still be difficult for me to find the female equivalent of 'comfort clothing.'

 

[Roguebubble]

Right.

So by 'properly,' I mean based on the character's 'identity.' Like I previously stated, I don't have avatars that represent me, but rather create an identity for themselves while having them share traits that are equivalent to my own. In the case of a female lead, I would want her to be a feminine girl, so the statements of 'just dress her like you would dress yourself' or 'put her in whatever you like' aren't very helpful. Again, I'm only going by what has been available in X and Y, but even if the same clothing were available, it would still be difficult for me to find the female equivalent of 'comfort clothing.'

If it's like X and Y then each piece of clothing will have a tag that corresponds to a theme and fanfare animation when you put clothes. In X and Y the female themes were: Basic, Classic, Elegant, Exotic, Feminine, Sporty and Special so you could use those as a starting point. It's not something you should to overthink, after all this is a Pokemon game so the most of the clothes are everyday stuff that people wear regularly, but just keep asking "Do these clothes and their combined aesthetics reflect my character's personality?"

 

[CaitSeith]

What does being cosmetic have anything to do with it? If you don't care about cosmetics, fine; but don't assume that makes them easy to do right.

I think you misunderstand me. What I mean is that if you decide to do cosmetics in your game and provide several unique avatars (male/female, human/elf/dwarf etc.) for the player to choose from, how hard is it to ensure that all of them get roughly the same amount of cosmetic options? It is simply stupid that one option get's twice the amount of cosmetic choices the other gets.

You're right. I misunderstood you, sorry. You're also right about making quantities of dressing options between different avatars balanced seems relatively easy. But as far as I can tell, Pokemon X/Y developers weren't going towards cosmetics balance. The reason why girls in Kalos region have more options in each clothing category still eludes me. My assumption: developers wanted to imitate real life.

 

[gsilver]

If given the choice, I just go with whatever character design I like more, which for some reason usually ends up being females in anime-style graphics and male characters in realistic styles.

And in things like RPGs where you make an entire party, I usually end up with a mixed composition of male and female characters.


As an aside, I've never understood the player performing a self-insert into a game. Whenever an ingame character is a mute, or whatever, I just find that BORING, and don't find myself ever pretending that the in-game character was me, even when I was younger.