Is playing as a character of the opposite sex gay/fruity/homo/faggy?

[Benz]

seems I can't make a poll on my phone oh well, I'll make it later.

 

I wanted to get the discussion going anyway. What does everyone think? Is it fruity to make/play as a character of the opposite sex? What about for on-line games? What if you're role-playing with said character? Does cyber cross the line?

 

I have my own thoughts, but I want to hear everyone's first.

[FireDownBelow]

I don't think making a character of the opposite gender is that big of a deal. It's mostly aesthetics anyways. When I roll for a warrior or a barbarian, I typically choose a male simply because a male fits the image I have in my head. I don't think it makes a difference for online play, either. Provided you're just there to hack and slash.

 

If you're actually roleplaying in an online environment, rather than in a face to face tabletop game, choosing the opposite sex comes across as misrepresentation. Frankly, I've FFRPed with women that have played men and men that have played women and people that have played trannies. I don't really care. However, that's just me and nine times out of ten, I knew the gender of the mundane. Would it have bothered me had I not know? I like to think no, but there exists that possibility.

 

I'm being long-winded. Point: actually roleplaying as the opposite gender creates a series of assumptions and expectations that can become awkward and lead to a feeling of betrayal that gives way to anger. Players should eventually notify the others of the situation. And cyber...well, I think that's a LOT awkward. You want a 'one night stand'? I guess the truth doesn't need to be told. However...you want to make it a regular thing...it's only fair to tell.

[Reverend Jax]

Only if your flirting/cybersexing.

 

When playing Guitar Hero, I used to always play as a chick, cause I give chicks that play guitar sexy. When I got Rock Band and you could create your avatar, I much preferred trying to create a look at was as close to my look or my idealized version of myself to help along the fantasy that I am a rock star.

 

My older sister's name is Christena and in her professional life she likes going by Chris because it's gender ambiguous and she says that sometimes that helpful in business (perhaps if you need to write a threatening legal letter). My cousin Marcela has gone by the nickname Marco since she was a kid, and she says there is a world of difference when she goings into chat rooms with a username that has 'Marco' in it.

 

So yeah, so long as you're not leading others on in a flirtatious way, there's nothing wrong or gay with it.

[Drifter]

If the character is just something you control like a puppet then you're a misogynist. If the character is an extension of yourself then you're gay. :P

[Silent Bob]

I don't think making a character of the opposite gender is that big of a deal. It's mostly aesthetics anyways. When I roll for a warrior or a barbarian, I typically choose a male simply because a male fits the image I have in my head. I don't think it makes a difference for online play, either. Provided you're just there to hack and slash.

 

If you're actually roleplaying in an online environment, rather than in a face to face tabletop game, choosing the opposite sex comes across as misrepresentation. Frankly, I've FFRPed with women that have played men and men that have played women and people that have played trannies. I don't really care. However, that's just me and nine times out of ten, I knew the gender of the mundane. Would it have bothered me had I not know? I like to think no, but there exists that possibility.

 

I'm being long-winded. Point: actually roleplaying as the opposite gender creates a series of assumptions and expectations that can become awkward and lead to a feeling of betrayal that gives way to anger. Players should eventually notify the others of the situation. And cyber...well, I think that's a LOT awkward. You want a 'one night stand'? I guess the truth doesn't need to be told. However...you want to make it a regular thing...it's only fair to tell.

 

I kinda feel the opposite way. I think it makes more sense for people to play opposite characters in roleplaying. If they're just hacking and slashing, why wouldn't they be their own gender? But if they're roleplaying and they have some kind of storyline in their head for the character and they're playing as that character, then the character can be whatever it needs to be. Just as long as they don't continue to persona "out of character" I suppose.

 

Occasionally, it also comes down to an aesthetic choice. Like Jax, I'd sometimes play a female Guitar Hero character when I play GHIII. They removed the two characters I played in the previous games, and the only character with decent design and animation, in my opinion, was Judy Nails so I'd play her a lot. Until I unlocked God, of course.

[Maldron]

No.

[Reverend Jax]

Agreed (about playing as God is GH3).

 

Also, does that mean if a guy chooses to play a game with only a female character (eg Metriod or Tomb Raider), he's gay. Females would be very limited if they could on ly play games with female characters available.

[Lycaon]

I've known women that play male characters online because they get left alone more, and men that played female characters because they're more likely to get help or items form guys.

 

I don't think it's gay, but if you only crossplay, that strikes me as a bit odd. And if you're going to cyber without full disclosure about your gender, it is (in my opinion) misrepresentation and a bit wrong.

 

Of course, identity on the web is an interesting subject as well.

[Ganny McVagflaps]

Yes, being in a World of Warcraft guild is gay.

 

Wait...what was the question?

[Benz]

I'd say it's not, except cybering or if you view your character as an extention of yourself. Other than that, why not? It can be good eye candy to watch rather than just watching some dude.

[Maldron]

Here's my thing. In WOW, I was a caster fairly exclusively. My main was a warlock, I had a Druid and Mage in their early sixties, and a priest that was in her late fourties. All of them were female characters. The people that knew me knew I was a guy, and I explained to them thusly: I'm a mage. I shouldn't look like a bodybuilder. And that's all that was available for the male characters, a bunch of burly over-muscled men.

 

And I'd have tried to be a blood elf, until they changed the fucking avatars to AGAIN make them have a beefy upper body for no damn reason. Why they made the upper body constantly expand to simulate breathing is beyond me, I found it disgusting.

[Benz]

Undead aren't all that big and buff up top, they're just skin and bones unless they changed it recently...

 

But I had an Undead Warlock 70 main originally, then I switched to Blood Elf Paladin 70. Both males. The only female I had was an Undead Warrior in her 40's. The appropriately named Etatas... or E-tatas.

 

People were shocked to find our GM and Main Tank was a girl, especially when they got on Vent. It kinda weirded me out a little too, everytime I met a female character with a male voice (on vent) but that's just because the voice didn't match the appearance.

[Maldron]

Then you're not looking. The top half of the undead male is easily three times the width of the bottom. The only thing hiding that fact is that they walk with their legs spread apart instead of standing up straight.

 

Plus I can't stand playing as the horde. The Barrens, man. I can never survive the doldrums that is the barrens.

[Lycaon]

Then you're not looking. The top half of the undead male is easily three times the width of the bottom. The only thing hiding that fact is that they walk with their legs spread apart instead of standing up straight.

 

Plus I can't stand playing as the horde. The Barrens, man. I can never survive the doldrums that is the barrens.

Barrens chat is the cesspool of WoW. On any server.

[Jesi]

As someone who Roleplays extensively I see this a LOT... more men playing female characters than the other way around, though it does happen. Women tend to play male characters because they're left alone. No tactless requests for cyber, no stupid catcalling. Men play women characters for a variety of reasons, some of them are sensible, but more than enough times it's for sex. Why? I don't know. But I have come across a number of female characters that were driven by men - Boys, really, as they tend to be teenagers who think trying to pretend to be female and hit on other females is ZOMG TOTALLY HAWT... when really he's cybersexing another guy. I've spun up male characters before, but really I just can't assume that role very well. My character is a night elf, and female. But she's been around forever and the way I portray her, she commands a certain level of respect so I don't run into the riffraf that a lot of female players might. Unless you're going after sexy chat, or you've gotten to know someone who you want to be friends with outside the game, if you're going to play a character opposite your gender, it doesn't really matter. In those special circumstances though, the parties involved deserve to know the truth.

[MetalHeart]

This has probably been mentioned, but I've been told by male friends that play female characs that they'd rather watch a woman run from behind all day than a man in games, lol.

[Jesi]

This has probably been mentioned, but I've been told by male friends that play female characs that they'd rather watch a woman run from behind all day than a man in games, lol.

 

There's that, too. Maybe it's me, but after almost 60 levels, I don't look at my character's ass, I look ahead at what I'm supposed to kill. That, or I hit 'autorun' and switch screens for a few minutes.

[Maldron]

I seriously don't know what you're talking about. My entire time playing over four female characters in WoW, I was never once propositioned for anything, by anybody.

[Jesi]

I seriously don't know what you're talking about. My entire time playing over four female characters in WoW, I was never once propositioned for anything, by anybody.

 

 

I guess it's a server thing. I'm on Earthen Ring, which is one of the older servers, and it's an RP server. Where most of the time people don't do that much roleplaying, I've been witness to a lot of the propositioning and unsolicited inappropriate behavior many, many a time in my tenure there.

[MetalHeart]

There's that, too. Maybe it's me, but after almost 60 levels, I don't look at my character's ass, I look ahead at what I'm supposed to kill. That, or I hit 'autorun' and switch screens for a few minutes.

 

 

Same here. Thing is, I see a generated computer character, so I don't find anything sexually pleasing in looking at other characters and their zero&one body parts. so I don't get it, lol.

 

But that's what people have told me. So weird!

[Maldron]

I guess it's a server thing. I'm on Earthen Ring, which is one of the older servers, and it's an RP server. Where most of the time people don't do that much roleplaying, I've been witness to a lot of the propositioning and unsolicited inappropriate behavior many, many a time in my tenure there.

 

Cenarius, also one of the older servers, home to a bunch of huge Raiding guilds. First priest to hit 70 was from there, too. My stays on RP severs were always brief due to the fact that they weren't my main server, but running up to twenty as a female and I got more origin stories than anything else.

[Silent Bob]

This has probably been mentioned, but I've been told by male friends that play female characs that they'd rather watch a woman run from behind all day than a man in games, lol.

 

I've heard that many times, that's got to be the weakest excuse I've ever heard.

 

Same here. Thing is, I see a generated computer character, so I don't find anything sexually pleasing in looking at other characters and their zero&one body parts. so I don't get it, lol.

 

Completely agree.

 

...except for female night elf dancing. That's still hot.

[Benz]

Then you're not looking. The top half of the undead male is easily three times the width of the bottom. The only thing hiding that fact is that they walk with their legs spread apart instead of standing up straight.

 

Oh, yeah that's true, but they still look like skin and bone. I'm used to seeing mine in a robe and they look more anorexic than the Oleson twins.

Barrens chat is the cesspool of WoW. On any server.

 

I have no idea what you are talking about. pssst hey where's Mankrik's wife? Oh and can you spare some money?

 

As someone who Roleplays extensively I see this a LOT... more men playing female characters than the other way around, though it does happen. Women tend to play male characters because they're left alone. No tactless requests for cyber, no stupid catcalling. Men play women characters for a variety of reasons, some of them are sensible, but more than enough times it's for sex. Why? I don't know. But I have come across a number of female characters that were driven by men - Boys, really, as they tend to be teenagers who think trying to pretend to be female and hit on other females is ZOMG TOTALLY HAWT... when really he's cybersexing another guy. I've spun up male characters before, but really I just can't assume that role very well. My character is a night elf, and female. But she's been around forever and the way I portray her, she commands a certain level of respect so I don't run into the riffraf that a lot of female players might. Unless you're going after sexy chat, or you've gotten to know someone who you want to be friends with outside the game, if you're going to play a character opposite your gender, it doesn't really matter. In those special circumstances though, the parties involved deserve to know the truth.

 

I agree, both deserve to know the truth.

 

Also, I gave RP servers a few shots. I tried the server you and SiBob were on originally, but I couldn't find you guys, I really really wanted an Undead Warlock, and the conversations would have been "Kek" "Bur"

 

I tried it a second time also as Alliance, ran into someone like you described. A female human named "Courtesan" lol. It didn't pan out because other than the inn in Goldshire I didn't see much RP going on, and my main guild was getting better at raiding, we took down Razorgore in Nef's Lair and that was that. From then in 2 months time we took down Nef, so all my time was dedicated to that.

There's that, too. Maybe it's me, but after almost 60 levels, I don't look at my character's ass, I look ahead at what I'm supposed to kill. That, or I hit 'autorun' and switch screens for a few minutes.

 

Ditto.

 

I've heard that many times, that's got to be the weakest excuse I've ever heard.

Completely agree.

 

...except for female night elf dancing. That's still hot.

 

Oh come on, SiBob, why else would I pick Female Undead for E-tatas other than the hawtness. Rotting flesh and bone, and one of her /silly's is "Of course they're real! They're not mine, but they're real!" in this older Katherine Hepburn / smoker's voice.

 

Speaking of the dancing.. I'mma post a video here on that lol.

[Benz]

Here ya go SiBob (and everyone) Enjoy!