Guild Wars 2

tairneanach.8427:

Fallesafe.5932:

You can’t enjoy the game or become immersed in it unless you identify on a fairly deep level with your character.

Maybe you can’t, but this doesn’t go for everyone. And while I know this is an old, old argument, I’ve never seen anyone actually answer this to my satisfaction: How the heck are you able to more easily identify with an Asura, a Charr or a Sylvari than the opposite gender?

Because species have nothing to do with gender?
All playable species have both genders. And both share masculine and feminine aspects: Voice, body builts (does this word exist? Hey, I am German after all^^), clothes. So of course I can immerse with my male Asura wearing male clothes, having a male voice and wearing boxershorts when undressed – that is 100% me in real life as well. At least I can’t remember the last time I had breasts and required a bra when at the public swimming pool and I also may use the right restrooms if I don’t want to get booted by the restaurant manager or sued by the the real ladies that are understandingly not pleased with a guy in the women’s restroom.

Pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

It is pretty standard for men to find anything with the general female shape to be attractive. No matter how far away they appear.

Male pixel: .
Female pixel: .

Lyp Sao.1375:

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

It is pretty standard for men to find anything with the general female shape to be attractive. No matter how far away they appear.

Male pixel: .
Female pixel: .

GENERAL FEMALE SHAPE

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

Lyp Sao.1375:

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

It is pretty standard for men to find anything with the general female shape to be attractive. No matter how far away they appear.

Male pixel: .
Female pixel: .

GENERAL FEMALE SHAPE

“This principle of emergence is as pervasive a philosophical foundation of the viewpoint of modern science as is reductionism.”
Philip Warren Anderson

Main character(s): male
2nd characters/pvp-only characters etc: female

Odokuro.5049:

Does anyone else feel uneasy playing a toon of the opposite gender, I do.

I’m a guy, and even though most female toons are more pleasing on the eye to look at, playing one just makes me feel, “Strange”, not to mention the countless guys hitting on my toon, only to find out I’m a guy, and calling me well, some unpleasant names to say the least.

Like I want to make a female norn warrior, because I don’t like how the male norn’s torso seems to be shorter on one side than the other, lol.

It does not bother me one bit, and I have never been hit on a single time because of my character lol.in fact, I’ve been playing MMOs for 15 years and not once have I been hit on while playing a female toon!

And then there is me. Playing a skinny little Silvary ‘cause Humans are too buff or too barbie-like. *shrug
Gender? Well, that’s a mistery to this day.

Ashantara.8731:

Curunen.8729:

JohnnyJHB.7360:

Ivanova (Claudia Christian) voices the female norn.

Woah, seriously?! :o That’s really cool, I had no idea.

Yes, but to this day I still wonder who gave her the directional order to make her combat noises sound (wait, I don’t think using this term is allowed on here, so let me try this instead) like sounds that you are only used to hear in the bedroom. It pretty much ruined playing my female norn for me (beside the fact that they move like jogging super models instead of warriors).

I know. It’s wonderful. My two favourite norn female toons are named Barbie and Xena and I can assure you neither of them are properly dressed either.

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

Lyp Sao.1375:

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

It is pretty standard for men to find anything with the general female shape to be attractive. No matter how far away they appear.

Male pixel: .
Female pixel: .

GENERAL FEMALE SHAPE

I don’t know. That female pixel really has it goin’ awnnn.. ;D

my main will always be male(race depends on what i like at that moment of creation), and alts can be different gender different race w/e with different style just to shake up the variation

Odokuro.5049:

Does anyone else feel uneasy playing a toon of the opposite gender, I do.

I’m a guy, and even though most female toons are more pleasing on the eye to look at, playing one just makes me feel, “Strange”, not to mention the countless guys hitting on my toon, only to find out I’m a guy, and calling me well, some unpleasant names to say the least.

Like I want to make a female norn warrior, because I don’t like how the male norn’s torso seems to be shorter on one side than the other, lol.

I feel awkward playing the opposite gender character in MMO. In a single player game, it never bothered me but in MMO, it kinda does. I think it’s because in MMO you play and socialize with other players and it’s kinda nice to think that if you see a male character, or a female, those genders are the same IRL, so you know who you’re talking to without having to constantly ask and wonder.

I always get this odd feeling when I’ve been friends with some one for a long while and think they’re male or female b/c they play those characters, only to find out they’re the opposite gender. It makes me think, oh gosh, have i said the wrong thing to them at some point. Then it creates this weird feeling as it’s shifted your perception of them. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling i get having talked to someone for a long while thinking they’re female, only to find out later they’re male, especially if you’ve discussed female related things. When you meet new ppl, it puts you on edge a little and a bit uneasy having to ask them what gender they are all the time. And when u don’t know the gender, it makes you be more cautious about what you’re saying.

I think it would be nice if everyone played a gender they’re actually are IRL as it removes that confusion, but I understand why ppl do it. This is not me being uncomfortable with my gender, it just removes doubts and makes things more clear as to who you are talking to.

Odokuro.5049:

Does anyone else feel uneasy playing a toon of the opposite gender, I do.

I’m a guy, and even though most female toons are more pleasing on the eye to look at, playing one just makes me feel, “Strange”, not to mention the countless guys hitting on my toon, only to find out I’m a guy, and calling me well, some unpleasant names to say the least.

Like I want to make a female norn warrior, because I don’t like how the male norn’s torso seems to be shorter on one side than the other, lol.

I don’t have this issue because I disagree that female toons are more pleasing on the eye. Characters are cartoons so I don’t prefer the look of one sex over another in the first place. In the second, 2/3 of GW2 species don’t even have an approximation of human anatomy so…no.

But I have always wondered why so many men say that looking at a cartoon female butt is somehow better than looking at a cartoon male butt. It’s a cartoon.

Djinn.9245:

Odokuro.5049:

Does anyone else feel uneasy playing a toon of the opposite gender, I do.

I’m a guy, and even though most female toons are more pleasing on the eye to look at, playing one just makes me feel, “Strange”, not to mention the countless guys hitting on my toon, only to find out I’m a guy, and calling me well, some unpleasant names to say the least.

Like I want to make a female norn warrior, because I don’t like how the male norn’s torso seems to be shorter on one side than the other, lol.

I don’t have this issue because I disagree that female toons are more pleasing on the eye. Characters are cartoons so I don’t prefer the look of one sex over another in the first place. In the second, 2/3 of GW2 species don’t even have an approximation of human anatomy so…no.

But I have always wondered why so many men say that looking at a cartoon female butt is somehow better than looking at a cartoon male butt. It’s a cartoon.

I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they’re either a bit insecure (I really like girls, honest! Let me tell you about it!) or are failing to properly communicate the distinction between finding a female character model more aesthetically pleasing and actually getting off on it. But yeah, I also find it a bit weird when people say this.

ok personally i think it is odd for dudes to play chick characters but i am old and old school. also, the whole “if i am gonna look as a butt all day” excuse is nonsense. i i have been gaming for over 20 years and i never spend any time staring at my characters behind. however, having said all that, it is your game, play it as you wish. if someone has a problem with that it is their problem not yours

Tiger Ashante.1792:

I always get this odd feeling when I’ve been friends with some one for a long while and think they’re male or female b/c they play those characters, only to find out they’re the opposite gender. It makes me think, oh gosh, have i said the wrong thing to them at some point. Then it creates this weird feeling as it’s shifted your perception of them. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling i get having talked to someone for a long while thinking they’re female, only to find out later they’re male, especially if you’ve discussed female related things. When you meet new ppl, it puts you on edge a little and a bit uneasy having to ask them what gender they are all the time. And when u don’t know the gender, it makes you be more cautious about what you’re saying.

I think it would be nice if everyone played a gender they’re actually are IRL as it removes that confusion, but I understand why ppl do it. This is not me being uncomfortable with my gender, it just removes doubts and makes things more clear as to who you are talking to.

I’ve had some people confused by this occasionally. If I was concerned that they might think I’m a different gender than what I am in reality, I’d probably be doing exactly that. But it doesn’t matter to me what gender others think I am, and I’m not offended if they make a mistake.

Liewec.2896:

i like having a mix,
i like my stupidly huge norn warrior dude and i like my sleek and sexy lady chars.

i dont see an issue with playing either

its not like when i choose to make a lady char i think i’m a woman,
infact if you think about it, its the more manly option!
because it means i’d rather spend my time with a scantily clad babe in the middle of the screen than a guy! XD

You know, sometimes it is a really good idea to write “characters” instead of “chars”. It sounds too much like “charrs”.

Read your last paragraph again but think about a Charr. First I was like “wtf?”, then tolerance took over and it changed to “whatever floats your boat dude.”

It’s funny how many psychologists we have here that have a (distance-)diagnosis at hand, based on what kind of character you play in a game.

According to this study:

www2013.wwwconference.org/proceedings/p827.pdf

Our biggest finding was that
(a) gender swapping is prevalent across player gender and age, and it becomes more prevalent with the players’ age, experience, and activity;

(b) while in an online setting people try to make friends with the opposite sex, they turn out to be of the same gender in real life, indicating that assuming an alternative identity does not completely mask the real persona;

© female players tend to act more masculine and achievementoriented
when acting as a male than actual males do; and

(d) people’s personalities and strategies (such as when trading for items or gold) depend on their assumed identities, an example being that
female avatars, regardless of the player’s real gender, appear more
successful at trade.

@a: The older you get, the more likely you play a character of opposite gender. My interpretation of that is that the older you get, the less kittens you have left to give. When you are young, you are more concerned about what other people think about you, and the other sex is strange. Boys do not do girly things, right? When you are a man, you can do what you want. This is purely my interpretation of it, feel free to have a different one.

@b: This is so true, nothing more fun than beating the crap out of a boss with my girls’ club controlled by dudes. I always assume a male player behind female toons though, no surprises. My account name is male, so far, everybody has noticed and didn’t address me as female.

@c: nothing new, just like in real life when woman work in (traditionally) male roles.

@d: Non-issue in GW2 I think because trade doesn’t involve bartering. You don’t know the gender of the trader.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Dante.1763:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

I’ve seen threads like this several times over the years, in this forum and others. It’s always guys and female chars. I’ve never seen one for gals and male chars.

Well…im a girl, and i hate playing as a guy. I just dont see the big enough deal to make a thread for it..soo..

Yah. Same.

Maybe I should make a thread about females unable to play male chars because it makes us feel weird and we’re unable to relate to our chars….

Yes, I have hated games that forced me to play a male character. I got a grin when Portal came out because it was turnabout.

Strangely, I feel the opposite way when it comes to race. I am an altoholic but human was the last race I added to my menagerie. Even then, they are a variety of human races. I would need to check but I think the only caucasian human I have is because she is cosplaying someone.

I’m male and play female toons and just pretend I’m female when someone draws attention to gender or tries to flirt or whatever. I just let them know my toon is a lesbian that makes things easier to deal with from a personal perspective.

But really why not just flirt back or try to have fun with it? It’s just a game dude, you’re not a magical sword wielding gladiator in real life but you have no embarrassment pretending to be one online. Why should sexual orientation be any different?

so if I’m a gay dude and play a male character…
am I “weird” because I play the same gender I’m sexualy oriented in? ^^

srsly now, I don’t paly female chars myself, because I’m a dude and like to identify with the character I play… (…to some extend. I don’t pretend to be a sword weilding guardian in rl of course)
But I don’t expect anyone to have the same idea about playing (MMO)RPGs as me. So I’m fine with other guys playing female characters.

As a sidenote:
I do treat players with female characters like they’re female irl, at least until I know they’re not female. (Not that I’m flirting with them. Just in a way that… you know… men treat women different over all) If I say something unpleasant in the meantime, I can still apologize for it and tell them I thought they were female because of their female character.

Play what you want and don’t worry what others think, because people “most” people don’t really think much outside of their own adventures.

Tiger Ashante.1792:

Odokuro.5049:

Does anyone else feel uneasy playing a toon of the opposite gender, I do.

I’m a guy, and even though most female toons are more pleasing on the eye to look at, playing one just makes me feel, “Strange”, not to mention the countless guys hitting on my toon, only to find out I’m a guy, and calling me well, some unpleasant names to say the least.

Like I want to make a female norn warrior, because I don’t like how the male norn’s torso seems to be shorter on one side than the other, lol.

I feel awkward playing the opposite gender character in MMO. In a single player game, it never bothered me but in MMO, it kinda does. I think it’s because in MMO you play and socialize with other players and it’s kinda nice to think that if you see a male character, or a female, those genders are the same IRL, so you know who you’re talking to without having to constantly ask and wonder.

I always get this odd feeling when I’ve been friends with some one for a long while and think they’re male or female b/c they play those characters, only to find out they’re the opposite gender. It makes me think, oh gosh, have i said the wrong thing to them at some point. Then it creates this weird feeling as it’s shifted your perception of them. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling i get having talked to someone for a long while thinking they’re female, only to find out later they’re male, especially if you’ve discussed female related things. When you meet new ppl, it puts you on edge a little and a bit uneasy having to ask them what gender they are all the time. And when u don’t know the gender, it makes you be more cautious about what you’re saying.

I think it would be nice if everyone played a gender they’re actually are IRL as it removes that confusion, but I understand why ppl do it. This is not me being uncomfortable with my gender, it just removes doubts and makes things more clear as to who you are talking to.

I kind of agree with this sentiment. It creates this awkward cognitive dissonance when the character is not the same sex as the player, which isn’t at all a problem in single player games.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Dante.1763:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

I’ve seen threads like this several times over the years, in this forum and others. It’s always guys and female chars. I’ve never seen one for gals and male chars.

Well…im a girl, and i hate playing as a guy. I just dont see the big enough deal to make a thread for it..soo..

Yah. Same.

Maybe I should make a thread about females unable to play male chars because it makes us feel weird and we’re unable to relate to our chars….

Oh please, like anyone would care – the exact same discussion would ensue.

Don’t undermine the credibility of feminism by turning this into a feminist rage thing (like has become so common these days). Literally the only reason you haven’t seen threads from girls on the topic is because girls playing guys is not nearly as much of a norm as guys playing girls.

Einlanzer.1627:

Literally the only reason you haven’t seen threads from girls on the topic is because girls playing guys is not nearly as much of a norm as guys playing girls.

tbh i know a lot more women playing male chars than men playing female chars.

also, most of the time those guys give their female chars more or less neutral, or at least more “fantasy-like”, names, while the girls give their male chars obviously male names, often even name+surname.

Hyrai.8720:

Einlanzer.1627:

Literally the only reason you haven’t seen threads from girls on the topic is because girls playing guys is not nearly as much of a norm as guys playing girls.

tbh i know a lot more women playing male chars than men playing female chars.

also, most of the time those guys give their female chars more or less neutral, or at least more “fantasy-like”, names, while the girls give their male chars obviously male names, often even name+surname.

That’s anecdotal. In terms of the overall player base, it’s much, much less common.

Einlanzer.1627:

Literally the only reason you haven’t seen threads from girls on the topic is because girls playing guys is not nearly as much of a norm as guys playing girls.

According to the study I quoted above (and other studies before), this is not true.

www2013.wwwconference.org/proceedings/p827.pdf

First we see that over a third of players owned at least one
gender-swapped avatar. Table 1 shows that female players are more
likely to own gender-swapped avatars than male players (p<0.001).
This is consistent with past research that a sizable fraction of players
swap genders, and females tend to do so more than males ³⁷.

There are actually more female players who play male characters than the way around. This is not anecdotal, these are hard numbers in the paper. Your assumption is based on personal experience ^^

As for the reasons why we don’t see many threads from them on the topic, one can only speculate. Maybe they play male toons to not get hit on or harrassed, and posting here about it would reveal their account name.

Odokuro.5049:

Does anyone else feel uneasy playing a toon of the opposite gender, I do.

I’m a guy, and even though most female toons are more pleasing on the eye to look at, playing one just makes me feel, “Strange”, not to mention the countless guys hitting on my toon, only to find out I’m a guy, and calling me well, some unpleasant names to say the least.

Like I want to make a female norn warrior, because I don’t like how the male norn’s torso seems to be shorter on one side than the other, lol.

Nope. I play characters of both genders. I play some characters that vaguely share some features similar to me and I play some that look wildly different. That’s half the fun of being able to choose your own avatar in a game.

Faaris.8013:

Einlanzer.1627:

Literally the only reason you haven’t seen threads from girls on the topic is because girls playing guys is not nearly as much of a norm as guys playing girls.

According to the study I quoted above (and other studies before), this is not true.

www2013.wwwconference.org/proceedings/p827.pdf

First we see that over a third of players owned at least one
gender-swapped avatar. Table 1 shows that female players are more
likely to own gender-swapped avatars than male players (p<0.001).
This is consistent with past research that a sizable fraction of players
swap genders, and females tend to do so more than males ³⁷.

There are actually more female players who play male characters than the way around. This is not anecdotal, these are hard numbers in the paper. Your assumption is based on personal experience ^^

As for the reasons why we don’t see many threads from them on the topic, one can only speculate. Maybe they play male toons to not get hit on or harrassed, and posting here about it would reveal their account name.

I’m not going to read the entire abstract to confirm, but it appears that this does not factor in total number of male players vs total number of female players, which is the statistic that matters most in this context. Unless something has drastically changed in the last handful of years, male players outnumber female players in most MMOs by huge margins – at least around 4:1, although it’s been moving toward greater parity in recent years.

So even if a smaller % of male players play female toons, it hardly matters. Female toons controlled my male players dominate the game world, while male toons controlled by female players do not, which is why this topic always mostly focused on the former. Of course, assumptions based on personal experience probably do play some role. Every girl I know that plays GW2 exclusively plays female toons, while many of the guys I know mix it up or only play girls.

Einlanzer.1627:

I’m not going to read the entire abstract to confirm, but it appears that this does not factor in total number of male players vs total number of female players, which is the statistic that matters most in this context.

And that’s where you’re absolutely wrong…
The statistic that matters the most (in this context) is the share of gender swapping players, looking at men and women seperately, not the total number of them.

Einlanzer.1627:

(…) girls playing guys is not nearly as much of a norm as guys playing girls.

obviously, as faaris correctly stated and undermined with a valid statistic, it’s much more of a norm around girls to gender swap, as it is around guys.

Faaris.8013:

The older you get, the more likely you play a character of opposite gender. My interpretation of that is that the older you get, the less kittens you have left to give. When you are young, you are more concerned about what other people think about you, and the other sex is strange. Boys do not do girly things, right? When you are a man, you can do what you want. This is purely my interpretation of it, feel free to have a different one.

What he/she/other said… at least for me.

Vagrant.7206:

Doggie.3184:

Male characters onry. Playing a female or a character I can’t relate to or represent as myself isn’t as fun or immersive. I also dislike hearing high pitched grunts and screams all the time. It’s excruciatingly bad in Asian games especially since they’re into intentionally making females as loud and absurd as possible.

Yeah, games with stereotypically Korean/Japanese voice actors encourage me to play more male characters — the absurdly high pitches for a warrior/fighter (come on, they’re strong, which means deeper voices) really kills any interest in the character.

I mean, that’s just stereotyping. A deep voice box doesn’t make you stronger/weaker.

Ok, here’s my (counter)-theory. If you are male and preferred playing with He-Man and Wrestling figures as kid, you clearly have a kitten -erotic tendency. Why would a male kid play with male muscle-men if it didn’t like the muscles and the looks? And Wrestling is the most kitten -erotic sport I can imagine. There is nothing wrong with that, and I like that they found their “playground”. Football teams and most other sports are clearly a hostile environment for homosexuality.

However, most men I know that play male characters in online-games show homosexual tendencies (which is fine I guess) once in a while (like watching male wrestling instead of female wrestling), although they would never admit it. Oh, and also I have a cousin and a brother-in-law who are homosexual, so that covers the “friend” argument. I’m free to write that here because it shows I’m not homophobic ^^

Conclusion: Men who play male characters in online games have homosexual tendencies

(Disclaimer just to make sure everybody gets it, since it’s difficult to use sarcasm and irony in forums: What I wrote is not my opinion, I just used the same structur of arguments Fallesafe used to claim that males who play female characters have feminine qualities in real life. I did that to show how ridiculous the argument is and that everybody can interprete it like he wishes. I also don’t think that having female traits as a man is a bad thing. Also, homosexuality is fine. Thank you for your attention)

I don’t fully agree with his assertion, but you aren’t using the same line of comparison. His was to do with aspiration to be something. With your example and his argument, guys would play with such toys because they want to become them and idolise them. If we applied your argument to his direct example, he would be saying guys play female characters because they are sexually attracted to them (which is not the point he is making). Point is, you guys have 2 different arguments.

Fallesafe.5932:

Maybe you can’t, but this doesn’t go for everyone. And while I know this is an old, old argument, I’ve never seen anyone actually answer this to my satisfaction: How the heck are you able to more easily identify with an Asura, a Charr or a Sylvari than the opposite gender?

Simple… the unconventional races correspond to particular aspects of temperament and personality. Asura appeals to people who idealize intelligence or humor. Sylvari appeals to people with a naturalistic and/or aesthetic ideal. And Charr appeal to people who idealize/admire strength and the projection of power.

Selecting a character is a very personal process. And men who play female characters are responding to feminine aspects in their nature. Don’t be afraid to admit it.

Charr are one of the most intelligent races in the game. Arguably on the level or higher than Asura in pure mechanical design, and definitely smarter than Humanity/Norns and Sylvari.

Einlanzer.1627:

Ardid.7203:

Girls are just prettier. Males and females prefer them in the end, without need for any sexual implication.
Its funny because its true.

I could argue that guys are prettier, and I could even argue this being a guy who is sexually attracted to women. In fact, it used to be pretty common in ancient societies.

See how that works? It’s called subjectivity and opinion. In reality, neither sex is objectively more attractive than the other, and arguing otherwise is pretty clearly absurd.

Not fully true. There are scientific studies which DO confirm women are better received in the customer service industry because both men and women would rather be greeted by the female form. This is probably due to our inherent belief (whether that’s natural or society induced) that women are more attractive overall.

To add something no one seems to of mentioned – It isn’t purely down to immersion or if you immerse yourself or not. It’s down to YOUR reality. Some people put more importance in their gender than others, and that can be down to the reality they live in. In some parts of the world/society/occupations, being male or female is very definitive as to how you live your life. People as such might not feel comfortable playing the opposite because its become so important to their identity, as with any facet of their existence in any other example.

wrathmagik.3518:

As for me. If i’m going to be looking at something for hours on end I’d rather it be a females rear then a mans lol

Original, I have never ever read/heard that before. The amazingly original and uniqueness of the reply aside, do all these men staring at waifu butts play terrible too? I don’t see how you stare at your character’s rear and play the game properly at the same time. Besides if you main Ranger I guess.

Hyrai.8720:

And that’s where you’re absolutely wrong…
The statistic that matters the most (in this context) is the share of gender swapping players, looking at men and women seperately, not the total number of them.

No, it is absolutely not wrong. People are going to comment on what they see most commonly in the game. If what they see in the game is girls played by guys, that’s what the majority of the discussion is going to focus on. And this is what they’re going to see, because the majority of players are male. The % of female players playing male toons is far less relevant if the ratio of male to female players is much greater than the difference in percentage between males playing females and vice versa.

I’m not sure how anyone can argue this. It’s preposterous.

Einlanzer.1627:

Ardid.7203:

Girls are just prettier. Males and females prefer them in the end, without need for any sexual implication.
Its funny because its true.

I could argue that guys are prettier, and I could even argue this being a guy who is sexually attracted to women. In fact, it used to be pretty common in ancient societies.

See how that works? It’s called subjectivity and opinion. In reality, neither sex is objectively more attractive than the other, and arguing otherwise is pretty clearly absurd.

Ardid.7203:

Not fully true. There are scientific studies which DO confirm women are better received in the customer service industry because both men and women would rather be greeted by the female form. This is probably due to our inherent belief (whether that’s natural or society induced) that women are more attractive overall.

That is quite a leap in logic. Assuming this is true, it’s far more likely because of associations between the female form and maternity and nurturing.

It’s almost certainly an emotional response that has nothing to do with aesthetic or sexual preference.

Einlanzer.1627:

Einlanzer.1627:

Ardid.7203:

Girls are just prettier. Males and females prefer them in the end, without need for any sexual implication.
Its funny because its true.

I could argue that guys are prettier, and I could even argue this being a guy who is sexually attracted to women. In fact, it used to be pretty common in ancient societies.

See how that works? It’s called subjectivity and opinion. In reality, neither sex is objectively more attractive than the other, and arguing otherwise is pretty clearly absurd.

Ardid.7203:

Not fully true. There are scientific studies which DO confirm women are better received in the customer service industry because both men and women would rather be greeted by the female form. This is probably due to our inherent belief (whether that’s natural or society induced) that women are more attractive overall.

That is quite a leap in logic. Assuming this is true, it’s far more likely because of associations between the female form and maternity and nurturing.

It’s almost certainly an emotional response that has nothing to do with aesthetic or sexual preference.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201101/women-are-more-beautiful-men

Interesting read. Physically attractive couples are more likely to have daughters, who knew?

Women it appears, also tend to be more attractive in general. One of the first google results, there is probably plenty more.

A lot of Bi people I have met also confirm this.

It could just be cause Women use make up to hide flaws though.

I play mostly male characters. I have one female character I created that I have played quite a bit early on, but haven’t played her in quite some time.

I have no problem playing a female character, but as others have said I am male and find immersion to be greater when I play male toons.

Everyone has their own preferences. None of them are wrong. Playing a character of the opposite sex to your own real life gender says nothing about anyone. Do you and what you want. As long as you are having fun, who cares?

This thread made me think of the perfect video on YouTube:D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iIPXhAmhIIw

To each their own on what they want to play.

For me, My main, the one I view as my avatar in game, is always a male. Everyone else is contingent upon design, or graphics, or in some cases, a name I have picked out.

Einlanzer.1627:

Tiger Ashante.1792:

Odokuro.5049:

Does anyone else feel uneasy playing a toon of the opposite gender, I do.

I’m a guy, and even though most female toons are more pleasing on the eye to look at, playing one just makes me feel, “Strange”, not to mention the countless guys hitting on my toon, only to find out I’m a guy, and calling me well, some unpleasant names to say the least.

Like I want to make a female norn warrior, because I don’t like how the male norn’s torso seems to be shorter on one side than the other, lol.

I feel awkward playing the opposite gender character in MMO. In a single player game, it never bothered me but in MMO, it kinda does. I think it’s because in MMO you play and socialize with other players and it’s kinda nice to think that if you see a male character, or a female, those genders are the same IRL, so you know who you’re talking to without having to constantly ask and wonder.

I always get this odd feeling when I’ve been friends with some one for a long while and think they’re male or female b/c they play those characters, only to find out they’re the opposite gender. It makes me think, oh gosh, have i said the wrong thing to them at some point. Then it creates this weird feeling as it’s shifted your perception of them. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling i get having talked to someone for a long while thinking they’re female, only to find out later they’re male, especially if you’ve discussed female related things. When you meet new ppl, it puts you on edge a little and a bit uneasy having to ask them what gender they are all the time. And when u don’t know the gender, it makes you be more cautious about what you’re saying.

I think it would be nice if everyone played a gender they’re actually are IRL as it removes that confusion, but I understand why ppl do it. This is not me being uncomfortable with my gender, it just removes doubts and makes things more clear as to who you are talking to.

I kind of agree with this sentiment. It creates this awkward cognitive dissonance when the character is not the same sex as the player, which isn’t at all a problem in single player games.

When I’m playing a game, I give ZERO thought to whether the other players are male or female. It just doesn’t matter at all to me playing the game. Now if you are trying to “meet people” online, you just have to remember that this is a game, not a dating site. People are purposefully pretending to be something they are not in order to have fun. This of course can include gender. No, people should not be required to play the gender they are irl.

PistolWhip.2697:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201101/women-are-more-beautiful-men

Interesting read. Physically attractive couples are more likely to have daughters, who knew?

Women it appears, also tend to be more attractive in general. One of the first google results, there is probably plenty more.

A lot of Bi people I have met also confirm this.

It could just be cause Women use make up to hide flaws though.

Women generally take care of their entire appearance more than men.

I’d rather be hit on for playing a female toon than psychoanalysed.

I like diversity in life and entertainment. I’m a guy and I have mostly guy toons but also a few female ones. My female Sylvari necro, for example, named “Joy and Sorrow” has one of my favorite theme/persona/style. She is a giver of life and a dealer of death. She embraces the entire cycle of life and death. As a female, she can give birth (well, not as a Sylvari but that’s beside the point) so thematically it makes sense for this toon to be female.

Plus, she kicks ass and is fun to play!

I’ve never been hit on in-game nor has anybody made fun of me. I wouldn’t care if they did anyway because I love this toon. “Join me, creation; I give you purpose.”

sigh….
why is it even an issue, i play mostly female but that’s just my thing, the only 2 guys i have is a charr warrior and a human ranger (that represents me in GW2)

Einlanzer.1627:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Dante.1763:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

I’ve seen threads like this several times over the years, in this forum and others. It’s always guys and female chars. I’ve never seen one for gals and male chars.

Well…im a girl, and i hate playing as a guy. I just dont see the big enough deal to make a thread for it..soo..

Yah. Same.

Maybe I should make a thread about females unable to play male chars because it makes us feel weird and we’re unable to relate to our chars….

Oh please, like anyone would care – the exact same discussion would ensue.

Don’t undermine the credibility of feminism by turning this into a feminist rage thing (like has become so common these days). Literally the only reason you haven’t seen threads from girls on the topic is because girls playing guys is not nearly as much of a norm as guys playing girls.

Feminist rage?? lol. No.

However, I am going to whisper something to you, so lean close

Men and women don’t think (or feel) the same
Yep. They don’t. It may be cultural or it may be biological but the two sexes aren’t identical in how they feel or react. In addition it’s more culturally allowed for women to take on “male” characteristics than men to take on “female” characteristics. Which would relate to more men being more uncomfortable having a female char than females being uncomfortable having a male char.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Which would relate to more men being more uncomfortable having a female char than females being uncomfortable having a male char.

Well it really depends on how you mean uncomfortable…

I find the prospect of staring at a mans hairy backside for thousands upon thousands of hours somewhat uncomfortable. I mean sure the GW2 men are basicly all supermodels with well toned buttocks, but still…

Edit: I managed to break censuring on the forum?! Better delete that line lol.

Dawdler.8521:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Which would relate to more men being more uncomfortable having a female char than females being uncomfortable having a male char.

Well it really depends on how you mean uncomfortable…

I find the prospect of staring at a mans hairy backside for thousands upon thousands of hours somewhat uncomfortable. I mean sure the GW2 men are basicly all supermodels with well toned buttocks, but still…

Edit: I managed to break censuring on the forum?! Better delete that line lol.

I did say more men than women.

So, I’m talking averages or % of population, not absolute all or none.

Edit: and I’m not talking about staring at backsides. I’m taking about being uncomfortable playing as the opposite sex.

Tiger Ashante.1792:

I always get this odd feeling when I’ve been friends with some one for a long while and think they’re male or female b/c they play those characters, only to find out they’re the opposite gender. It makes me think, oh gosh, have i said the wrong thing to them at some point. Then it creates this weird feeling as it’s shifted your perception of them. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling i get having talked to someone for a long while thinking they’re female, only to find out later they’re male, especially if you’ve discussed female related things.

To be fair, they probably understand when you make that mistake and probably don’t care that you did. Just make a mental note that Betsy McStabStab is actually a guy and move on.

Ashantara.8731:

Curunen.8729:

JohnnyJHB.7360:

Ivanova (Claudia Christian) voices the female norn.

Woah, seriously?! :o That’s really cool, I had no idea.

Yes, but to this day I still wonder who gave her the directional order to make her combat noises sound (wait, I don’t think using this term is allowed on here, so let me try this instead) like sounds that you are only used to hear in the bedroom…

Its not so bad if you like it.. :P

I made a super manly mesmer early on.

Then pink purple butterflies started exploding out of him when I played.

I rerolled as a chick and I think it was a solid choice.

First of all, I’m a woman and I have no trouble playing as male characters in the game. I like the idea of having characters unique from each other and I’m not the type of player that tries to create “myself” as a character and it’s not important for me to be able to “identify” with the character I play.
Second of all, I’ve been playing since 2014 and I’ve never had any players hit on my characters, even though some of them are females. Didn’t even know this was a thing.. At least not in Guild Wars.
Third of all, in Guild Wars, as with most MMORPGS and other computer games, the majority of players are men, so most female characters you see in the game are actually played by men.

And I think it’s very unnecessary to make claims about what kind of people chooses to play as certain characters. Your analysis only speaks for your personal thoughts and choices regarding characters, not anyone else’s.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Edit: and I’m not talking about staring at backsides. I’m taking about being uncomfortable playing as the opposite sex.

But the only thing that says you are playing “as” a female by definition is… what? Right. Visuals. So yes. It’s all about staring at backsides.

Plus, the “opposite sex” is so diffuse. Have we ever seen what’s in their pants? We havent really seen anyone pregnant either. Who knows, maybe that’s why Logan is so moody.

Einlanzer.1627:

Ardid.7203:

Not fully true. There are scientific studies which DO confirm women are better received in the customer service industry because both men and women would rather be greeted by the female form. This is probably due to our inherent belief (whether that’s natural or society induced) that women are more attractive overall.

That is quite a leap in logic. Assuming this is true, it’s far more likely because of associations between the female form and maternity and nurturing.

It’s almost certainly an emotional response that has nothing to do with aesthetic or sexual preference.

Women aren’t better received in that industry when they give an answer someone doesn’t want to hear. Anecdotal evidence from personal experience again, but I doubt that this would surprise anyone.