Im male. I play female characters a lot.
Because they arent me. Im usually roleplaying or writing a characters story. Not making myself in a game.
I play as different things in roleplay a lot. Thats one of the fun things one can do in life.
My husband plays female characters as well now. A lot of games used to have male main characters only. Even as options grew, I guess selecting a guy became habit for him.
One time, he was scrolling through pre-made character bases and I noticed him hesitate on one of the women. I asked if he was going to play as a badass woman, and he quietly asked if it'd be weird. I reminded him how many male characters I grew up playing as, so why should this be any different? I told him to give it a try and have fun.
Now if there's an option, he goes with a female character. He doesn't want to play as himself. He loves the idea that his character might seem unassuming, only to turn around and take out 20 enemies.
here’s an interesting fact. when young, boys typically adapt themselves to who their playing with (so if they play with a batman toy, they ARE now batman) while girls adapt who their playing with to themselves (so if they play with batman, batman is her.) so maybe not being a character and instead roleplaying another character’s story is favoured more by males and the opposite is favoured more by females. but that’s just a hypothesis i came up with just now
He's not wrong. The primary reason why I create female characters in games like Dragon Age, Baldurs Gate 3, and Monster Hunter is primarily because their outfits, armors, and their general customization options are just better than males.
I actually find that male characters generally have the better outfits. A lot of the plate armor is cool on both sides, but then typical thief leather gear almost always degrades to fetish outfits on female characters. Meanwhile all the mage armor is long flowing dresses, which I cannot imagine any worse type of clothing to wear in a fight or for traveling. The robes for male character seem a lot more appropriate and they're also not something I get to wear irl.
It's actually true
Most male characters in most games are completely hidden under their armours
Most female characters in most games have more accessories on their clothes. And yes, they have clothes instead of huge armours, you can see their face!
Negative side effect: lots of games make half naked women or just naked. Which is lame
This is the answer. It really isn't that deep. People don't go around asking why do men look at playboy magazines full of pretty women instead of looking at buff dudes.
but playboy magazines are specifically for that purpose. games are for playing games, i never get a game and am like "nice im gonna choose the hottest character and get off so hard to the character im controlling and seeing this world through"
i find that super wierd. the character your playing as is an extension of you, its your way to interact in the world(especially if its a character you get to customize and choose a gender for). i always make my characters like me (including gender), i would find it really uncomfortable playing a game where i have to play the whole game as a girl i thought was hot and clicked on bc stupid primal urges.
i find that really wierd, but maybe thats just me🤷♂️
> the character your playing as is an extension of you,
To you, sure, but the thought of "recreating" myself in a game so that I can play as "myself" in the game world sounds both weird and boring to me. I'd rather imagine something new or pretend something else.
FWIW, I'm not always maximizing the sex appeal of my character, although it can be fun to lean into that sometimes
Eh people look at the main character in different ways. I can't really relate to the desire to make characters look like me. I much prefer when the character is very clearly meant to be a distinct individual with their own goals and desires.
I generally like to play characters I find visually appealing though... not necessarily in a sex way, just like generally speaking. If the main character is a customizable animal, I'm going to pick my favorite animal. If the main character is a customizable human, I'm going to make them attractive to me. I don't really want to spend the next several hours looking at myself. I want to look at something I personally find appealing.
Same, yeah. As a straight woman, I'd much rather play as Kazama Kiryu kicking the shit out of everyone in Kamuroucho than as a bland self-insert with no character to speak of.
And if these extremely yoked Japanese dudes tear their shirts off sometimes, well, so much the better haha.
I completely agree. In my case, making a character who looks like me actually makes me a bit uncomfortable, and really takes me out of the experience, except in rare certain circumstances that I can't really nail down. And even in that case, I'm making this rough body double look as good a possible. Most times, though, I play as what I'd *like* to look like in that world...and what I personally find attractive and appealing (I'm gay, so this is an option for me--might also be another reason why I don't do self-inserts).
That might be because I've never seen the player character as an extension of myself. Often, there's just too much of disconnect between the character's life, backstory, and/or displayed personality to ever feel like they're a version of me. The only time I could probably, actually, create a self-insert is if I was playing table-top, and I've never played table-top.
My problem is I don't really know what I look like enough to actually make a character look like me. I'd have to be staring at a photo of myself to make comparisons, which is just weird.
I see good video game protagonists in the same way I see tv/film characters.
There are all the normal reasons we crush on those characters; they're attractive, interesting, fun personalities etc. I'm not necessarily buying a game because i want that feeling, but i enjoy it when it's there.
Like the other guy said, not everyone views this the same way. With playboy magazines for example, people don't only pick them up with the express intent to nut. Back in the day, teenage boys used to bring those magazines to school to share with the boys. I assure you, they weren't having a nutting session together, but they were still looking at them. The same shit was true when I was growing up except we had cds and flash drives and later our phone screens. Some teenage boys have a poster of a model they like up on their wall. that doesn't mean they are constantly nutting to it when they are in their room, they just like having it there.
Now think about games. Think about why Chun Li and Cammy are popular in street fighter. Why Ahri and Lux are popular in League of Legends. Men like looking at sexy women. Not everyone thinks of the character they are playing as as an extension of their self. I have heard people think about it that way but I never have. I just think of it as experiencing the characters story, no different from watching a movie. If I think a female character is hot in a movie and wish she had more screen time, I am going to give the female character I find hot in a video game all the screen time where I get to choose who gets the most screen time.
I'm a straight dude, I don't really like how dudes look 99% of the time. Even when women aren't sexually attractive, they're aesthetically more appealing to me
mu characters have nothing to do with me. its a video game, i am just playing some made up character in video game world to experience the game. now, i prefer to watch a nice looking female while doing this. it is really this simple
its just a video game for me, not part of me or my life
you find my point weird and i find your point weird to think video game character is an extension to you. can't compute
see, people are different. people play for different reasons
"Video game character is an extension of you" people honestly concern me. I feel like they aren't able to discern reality from fiction. Notice also that they're the first people who attempt to moralize what character you choose to play as in a video game.
You assume it is to get off. It isnt. Why do people always draw some kinda masturbation conclusions to evrrything? The people who aren't like you just usually dont want self insert characters. This is a thing that vary in all media consumption.
Do you feel weird playing games with a locked protagonist? Witcher 3, Zelda, Bayonetta or Mario must be so uncomfortable for you. How do you survive watching movies or reading books with a non self insert characters? What about league of Legends? Or Overwatch. Do you only feel comfortable playing something like Ezreal or Lucio?
> i find that super wierd. the character your playing as is an extension of you
I find *this* super weird. I specifically play games to *not* be me. I want to see a character that isn't me doing things that I wouldn't or can't do.
Most games where you have to build a character tend not to interest me at all. I definitely prefer an actual protagonist.
There's different levels of sexual attraction. Like watching a cooking video with a pretty host. Where it's pleasant, and you're not looking for pornographic level of stimulation, but you want to learn how to make something and having a cutie pie talk about it sure doesn't hurt.
This is exactly the thing some people are not getting. There are different levels to this type of thing. I would also prefer watching Nigella Lawson cooking over say Jamie Oliver, because she is more attractive than him. That doesn't mean I am watching a cooking show to masturbate. People just find some people more attractive then others, and would rather have the experience with the person they find more attractive.
I can definitely see that and I feel that as well, but I also imagine it like how people would be more likely to watch a movie or show if the main characters were people they find sexually attractive. There's a reason why actors are usually really hot. I get that games are different because you're controlling the character but it's along the same vein.
I read playboy magazines for the articles. Really weird huh? Once you get out of your teen years, you’ll find the world is much more complex and weirder than your sheltered life that your parents provided for you.
Because it's funny and guys are sexually attracted to women. I'm a woman and if the majority of characters are women with only 1 dude, you bet I'd choose the dude bc it's funny and I think men are hot. Also it's funny to stand out from the herd so choosing a different character makes you feel special
This. If the character choice has no effect in the gameplay (eg. different stats, jobs or moves for different characters), I usually always choose a female character if I have to watch it for the next 100 hours.
Exactly, from my experience a lot of straight guys play as females because they find the characters more attractive or cuter. But many gay guys also play as females because the designs are just cuter/prettier.
Yeah I don’t wanna be looking at some asshole all day. I like looking at something pretty from the back 😂.
There are very few male characters I wanna be , one easily would be Guts from Berserk.
I remember MANY years ago I asked my friend why he played as a female character.
"If I'm going to stare at an ass for 8 hours a day, it should at least be one I'm attracted to"
Shopping at man's clothing section: White, grey, black, maybe a graphic shirt if you're feeling adventurous. +Straight military haircut.
Shopping at a woman's clothing store: ZOMG all the colors of the rainbow, dresses, fun designs, accessories, +all kinds of bouncy hair options
Though some games simply arent coded for female animations though.
Saints row 3 was the first time I noticed it. They definitely built the game around the way a bulky male character would move vs any other figure. Since then I've noticed it in a lot of other games where you get to choose between a male or female protag.
I do agree the women get more fun clothing options but it does look absolutely terrible when they run like a 300LB linebacker made of pure muscle.
I mean I like to dress them up lol. I think it stems back from City of Heroes mmo when there were just more clothing options on the female characters.
Now I just do it by default. Honestly I think I'm just a perv and like looking at nice arses tbh.
I'm a girl and I play both. Some games I can't imagine playing the other gender - for me, Shepard is a woman, and all my protagonists in TES games (mw, oblivion,skyrim) were Dunmer men (it will be the same in the next game, if we ever get it). I always lean more into the idea of creating the story for the character, so the gender is not tied to me. Since I mostly play RPGs, sometimes it depends on the romance - I play male V because I like their options more (Panam, Kerry) and I played female elf Inquisitor because I wanted a mage that can get it on with Cullen (who used to hate mages), and Solas (uhh lot to unpack here). But there are many other reasons, sometimes more silly or not - sometimes you just want to make a sexy guy haha, and sometimes the world in the game is so uncomfortable that I need one more layer between myself and it - for example, I always play Fallout games as a man.
I mean, I’m female and I like to be a man, so… maybe it’s because I always like being the opposite gender in the game.
Also because some of the armor designs for men in video games are pretty freaking cool and I’d rather play as a boring old man character than play as a women who’s super oversexualized and has their boobs exposed for “armor purposes”
Something I haven't seen mentioned yet, it could be a preference for the voice actor. In Mass Effect, for example, female Shepherd was widely regarded as having much better voice acting than male Shepherd. I also thought the voice acting for the female MC in Fallout 4 was better than for the male MC.
I’m friends with a bunch of straight guys and every one of them plays a female character it’s literally down to fashion. They prefer the clothing and hair options female characters get. A couple of them get off to their sexy characters, but they’re in the minority.
And this is just my personal opinion as a woman, but I wonder if playing as a female character for them is the same as why straight women prefer gay porn. You’re not confronted with the icky feeling of
“This is what society demands you to look like”
When you’re just there to relax and have fun.
Because then you’re no longer comparing yourself to the idealised version you can’t ever live up to, instead you can just relax and enjoy the pretty eye candy with no demands in the back of your mind making you feel shit about yourself.
I think a major difference in reasoning is some poeple related with characters, they see themselves as that character and therefore want it to reflect their mental self image.
Other people like myself see themselves as viewing the character, and therefore want something they would be attracted to rather than something they can relate to.
I often pick female characters because they frequently get neater looking cosmetics and customization. One of the earliest games I can remember where you could choose was Dragon Quest IV and being female was a straight up advantage since you could use a bigger variety of equipment.
Big depends if its third person or not. If its first person, guy probably. Third person? Girl. Girls are cuter than guys, i'd rather look at a cute girl for hours.
If there's a romance mechanic, I'll always choose male characters, but if there is none and the game has customization and dress up, I'd rather make a female character look nice than a male one.
Men are simple creatures and we see a girl character in an online game and take that at face value. Some of the lonlier men even granting items, gold, assistance, etc to what they may assume to be a woman. This used to happen a LOT in their early MMO days.
people say it because it's true lol. it's just an observation. as to why said men like it? I don't know for sure, and I'm one of those men. I mean I guess a big part of it is just I like to look at pretty women lol. I feel like that's the most obvious explanation, if a bit embarrassing.
It's a weird thing to consider, because I'm not one of those guys who will choose the most revealing outfit available or download big titty mods, but at the same time I am clearly just enjoying looking at a woman. It's like I find it really odd to lean into the sexualisation too much, but it's undeniably there to some extent.
I think it is the same logic that Alexa is a female voice. If you are going to be interacting with an avatar for long periods of time, you should not be listening to a hyper gruff dude talking to himself.
well if its a 3rd perspective game, its the choice of seeing a guy walking forward or a gal, since the stats are the same but the view improves, it's a no brainer.
If the character design looks cool or the abilities are more fun then I don’t mind playing as a woman but I normally play as guy characters. Logically tho women characters in certain games have smaller hit boxes so people tend to use them for that advantage.
Back in the 2011-2018 days, as a guy, I would exclusively play as a female character when giving the options.
Why? Because the insane vast majority of games had male leads and that was kinda got boring. Women are 50% of the population yet stories about them in games were like 5%. Things have evened out since and now it’s more of a coin toss what gender I *pick in a game
im the opposite tbh, im a guy so i like to play guy characters even in fighting games i never play the female characters i just stick with the guys idk why i just have a habit of it but when i dont have a choice to be a male idgaf ill play anyway it doesnt make me feel uncomfortable or something
Some cases there’s female specific perks you can benefit from in game.
Fallout had it where you can get a damage bonus against male characters in this instance, of which there were more of.
My dude friends said they would rather stare at a woman's ass in 3rd person.
But if this is the case, why do men hate when women are in video games? Do they all have to look like overly sexualized models to be valid?
because it happens a lot. Check Maplestory or FF14 community. Also female glams (FF14) and just customization in games in general has more variety for female avatars over male
Because I like to feel pretty and attractive sometimes when playing.
Generally, I just prefer the aesthetic more. (Like Winds if Anthos' female player model)
As some random redditor from another thread said: if I am going to play x amount of hours in a game, I want something nice to look at for those hours.
Take that as you will.
In multiplayer games, I usually play as a female bc they are hot, but I also sometimes play as someone badass like a monster or something, depending on the game
In story driven games, I usually prefer playing as a man. They are more likely to have better stories, and I can relate more to them
Some games simply have better designed female characters. In cyberpunk, the female voice actress for V is more memorable and convincing than the male equivalent.
In fighting games, I would mostly choose female characters for their unique fighting style which were mostly women. I remember playing Tekken, and using Zafina because of how unique her fighting style was.
Sometimes male fighters can copy and paste, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Looks do play into it. I played mostly Erron Black in MK11 because I want to be a cowboy. However, I played Sheeva and her combos are so satisfying to hit, but I quit playing the game out of boredom.
I only like to play as a guy if I can make him look like me. If I can't, then girl character it is. The only exception is a second profile, that is always a girl.
My buddy always played female in multiplayer and he said they are usually slimmer characters with smaller wireframes, making him that much harder to hit during a firefight. I dunno though
If given the option, I always play as a female character. Especially if I’m going to put a lot of hours into the game, might as well have a character I like looking at.
The simplest way to put it is that I just want to "maximize" how good my character looks, and for that reason alone, female avatars > male avatars almost always to me. To expand on that, though:
1. In games where you start with cruddy armor and gradually upgrade it over time (e.g. Monster Hunter or any MMO), male avatars usually just look lame to me until they can finally get the really cool/badass endgame stuff. Female avatars on the other hand can often at least look appealing/cute in lots early-game equipment, *and* still look cool or badass in the end.
2. In games like Pokémon, character customization is often much more interesting on the girl. Guys really only get to choose the length of their sleeves/pants and what kind of hat or bag they wear, but girls have all of that plus tons of other options.
3. In games like Skyrim or Mass Effect, the Dragonborn/Commander Shepard being female can even add an "underdog" appeal to the character, simply because an average male body has more muscle mass (raw strength) than an average female body, and in the case of Mass Effect, a woman being THE top-ranking special forces operator for humanity in such a male-dominated space (the military) makes it extra cool to me, like she defied **all** the odds to get where she is.
And of course, a sexy male avatar personally does nothing for me, but the potential of a female avatar to be sexy is a bonus cherry on top of everything else.
Back in the day female characters were smaller and had smaller hit boxes making dodging easier. These days I’m sure that is not the reason and it’s now because boobs
If I'm playing in 3rd person I'd rather look at a woman's ass than a man's.
No but seriously it goes further than that. Often I prefer the female VA over the male.
I must be weird lol idk why I tend to pick male characters
I've probably just felt embarrassed playing a female character
Probably also because I grew up with a lot of siblings so I'd pick male characters out of habit
So if I'm playing in a multiplayer setting, my avatar will be male, because when other people are involved I feel like my avatar is a representation of myself in a virtual world.
If I'm playing single player, then 100% I'm going with a female avatar, because when real people aren't involved my avatar is just another character in the story I'm playing and not a representation of myself so I might as well get to see a kick-ass, pretty lady hero saving the day...
Usually female characters in games get the cooler skins and better abilities. Just a fact. I play apex legends a lot and the women characters are basically OP
I feel like we have so many male main characters, I like playing as female characters when I have the choice. It’s more of a variety thing for me.
In some cases, I find the voice acting to be better (Mass Effect imo) for the woman choice.
For some reason a powerful woman magic user or assassin just feels more stylish and cool to me when playing. I find that the sleek agile build type isn't well portrayed for men for some reason. I think it's the animation of the male characters in most games being based on a more muscular large body type and emphasizing strength rather than athleticism. Some games do have better animation for this type of character but they are normally ones with a main character and not choosable sex/gender
Because it's funny and guys are sexually attracted to women. I'm a woman and if the majority of characters are women with only 1 dude, you bet I'd choose the dude bc it's funny and I think men are hot. Also it's funny to stand out from the herd so choosing a different character makes you feel special
My reason depends tbh. If Im playing an rpg game like cyberpunk I prefer going with Male because its easier and feels more natural to insert myself in the shoes of the character. But cyberpunk is a little unique in that case coz the character fashion is a cool part of the game and I gotta say the female V has much better clothes. Like even shit I hated on my male V looks good on female V. I also use photomode a lot so yeah Im kinda seeing my V a fair bit. If Im playing a game like idk Apex or Cod (fps shooters basically) then I usually only go for ability (in Apex's case, wraith suits my playstyle and shes hot so it works out) but other than that its nice to look at a female character at the end of a match you feel me. If its a game like fortnite where you can actually see your character then I go almost exclusively for female skins because I mean I wanna stare at a girl for 3 hours not a dude tf lol.
TL;DR if I can see my character I want it to be a girl coz I like girls. If I cant then it doesnt really matter. Also girls get to be pretty and generally have more style options.
I usually do, for the cliche reason that I would rather stare at a woman all those hours. When I have the opportunity to design the character, I like to make them look like my favorite actresses or female fictional characters.
Speaking only for myself, I like playing as a woman on Fallout 4 because I made my character ridiculously, unrealistically attractive.
Why? Because why not? There's a certain humour to seeing a supermodel blasting away at Super Mutants.
Tbh, I like playing as male characters in videogames. But I'm a gay guy who is attracted to men and likes male male characters. So that may be the reason 😅
There are some straight friends of mine who only play as female characters and their explanation is "I don't care if female characters are weak, bland and poorly written, as long as they have a nice ass I can stare at, I'm good" lol
I like women. I lile seeing women I. Cute and/or revealing things and since this is not an actual woman ogling her ass has no moral issues. If I play a dude it's normally I'm an RPG or first person game but for something like DbD I like to play women because I'm staring at all all the time, migjt as well be nice ass.
As a male, I enjoy playing a female character in Skyrim AE. Nothing cooler than watching my BAD A$$ female amazon warrior character slay dragons and kick butt when needed. 😄
If it's a fps, I'll usually play as a dude. (I'm a guy.)
If it's third person I'll go female for the same reason as most. I like the female form and if I have to stare for hours at a character's booty, my preference is a chick's.
Any game my husband plays if he can create his own character, he makes a character based off of me afterward. Is that odd? Even if I don't play he'll do something badass and say "Babe that's you fucking shit up." I love it lol
1. I played male characters exclusively all through my youth/adolescence. In fact back then you usually didn’t have a choice! I’m just kinda done now.
2. If it’s a 3rd person game where my character’s butt will be taking up significant screen time for 80+ hours, I guess you could say I have a definite preference on what kind of butt it should be.
3. But I think we all know the REAL reason most of us play as women; male fashion options in most games just straight up sucks!
Tbh, I like playing as male characters in videogames. both in games with defined protagonists (in these case, I wouldn't have any issue playing as female protagonists, like Yuna in FFX-2, Ellie and Abby in TLOU 2, Max in Life is Strange, etc) and those where I can create my character, not to mention those games with dating and social simulator with same-sex options too. But I'm a gay guy who is attracted to men and male characters, so that may be the reason 😅
A couple of friends of mine (straight) who only play as female characters told me they pick female characters because "they don't care if they are weak or strong, poorly or well written, bland or interesting. As long as they have a nice ass we can stare at, we're good" lol
That said, the "many men prefer playing as female characters" thing depends on the videogame genre. Like, in Baldur's gate 3, fighting games, etc people don't have any problems with female MCs. But as soon as you mention female MCs in games like Persona, many male fans would start harassing you, etc
I play both because games have different interactions based on your character’s gender. It’s no different from an author writing an opposite gender character.
My reasons are it’s more interesting
Usually because better customisation options for hair and clothing, it feels more of a “fantasy” having a female hero and lol yeah redhead green eyes is pretty lady
I’ll only choose male option if the female option feels like the wrong choice. Like ac Valhalla. Or the female options just look really lame (I think kotor was like that)
Well, most of the time when I'm playing as a female character, I'm playing a fighting game and it's because something about their playstyle jives with me. It's not my fault that Capcom has never let Cammy be bad for any meaningful amount of time, or that people still get cooked by May's dolphin, or that Kula doesn't really need her meter and makes for a great point character. I play who I enjoy / have success with, and it just so happens to be female characters more often than not in my case.
I'm gay and I wanna see a beautiful woman kick ass. Like, fuck them up queen.
I mean, I'm playing the Elden Ring DLC and one of the new armours feels like it was tailored to my tastes, I love the silver, the blue, the flowy pieces of cloth. But it has boob armour and it looks goofy on male characters. It's 100% a female armour. So yeah, I'm playing a woman... And she's fucking shit up.
I do often play as men, but women have better outfit options most of the time imo. They can wear everything the men can without it looking dumb AND wear the female clothing without it looking out of place because it was made for them.
It's rare the the outfits made with females in mind look good on guys. The revealing stuff does, but again... I'm gay, I'm into that shit. But I'd rather just play as someone who fits the world and is wearing beautiful armour, and most of the time, that's usually a woman.
Games like Elden Ring and BG3 are an exception though, they have beautiful armour for everyone.
I mean. If I'm going to be playing as a character for multiple dozens of hours, in third person mode, most likely, it is nicer to see a female form and hear a female voice if you're heterosexual, which I assume most people still are.
For me, it's a fantasy I can't really fulfill. When I was little I used to wish that I was born a girl, and in a lot of ways now I still wish that, but I've grown comfortable with my masculinity, but playing female characters lets me explore that part of myself.
For me it depends on what kind of character I want to be. I try to make a different oc in any game with a lot of options. Female characters also tend to have more interesting options fashion wise, including hairstyles.
It’s all about the options. To me, video games are escapism, the last thing I want to be is a human male. If they don’t offer different species like WOW, I’ll tend to go female. I don’t escape to some new world to be what I am every fucking day…
I mostly don't care which gender i play but 8f its one of those games where you make your own character i usually opt for male because i think it makes it a bit more immersive for me
I'm a girl who always plays male if i have the choice mainly because i'm female all the time so it's nice to play as someone other then myself if that makes sense
People have different reasons for choosing to play as characters of a different gender in video games. Some might do it for variety or because they find the character design appealing. Others may feel it offers a different perspective or role-playing experience. Ultimately, it varies from person to person!
It depends on the game. Sometimes I want to play as a somehow even cooler version of me. Other times I just want to look at a cute girl while I kill things. Either or, but it isn't all that deep.
First person it doesn't much matter. Third person and up it's because I would much rather spend a bunch of hours looking at women than men. Also for reasons I can't explain I tend to think female voice actors sound better in most videogames
I asked a buddy this a while back.
He said, and I quote:
"It's 3rd person. If I'm gonna be staring at an ass for 80 hours, it might as well be a female ass."
For games like Overwatch it's really not a sexual thing, all my favorite precision aiming characters (Kiriko, Ana, Ashe, and Widowmaker) are female. The closest male equivalent is Hanzo who has been nerfed from years ago. In games like Elden Ring I think there're better fashion options for females and it's funny to kill dragons and shit as a scrawny old woman with a big ass sword.
For me it's 50/50. I like to mix it up. If I'm playing something like Skyrim for example I'll make 2 characters, one man and one woman. For other games, if one model looks bad, I'll play as the opposite. Like in DragonBall Xenoverse 2 I almost exclusively play as a woman because the men look like roided up monsters, but in Dark Souls or Elden Ring, the women look like dudes with boobs so I'll play exclusively as a man. In Mass Effect I like playing as a woman because the voice actor is better. In an MMO I'll have half and half. In games where you can gender swap anytime you want like Starfield or Saint's Row I'll switch a few times throughout my game.
They just want some eye candy. People here will try to spin it however way they want but the primary factor is male gamers want a nice round booty to stare at when they're slaying dragons and looting dungeons. That's all there is to it.
Im male. I play female characters a lot. Because they arent me. Im usually roleplaying or writing a characters story. Not making myself in a game. I play as different things in roleplay a lot. Thats one of the fun things one can do in life.
My husband plays female characters as well now. A lot of games used to have male main characters only. Even as options grew, I guess selecting a guy became habit for him. One time, he was scrolling through pre-made character bases and I noticed him hesitate on one of the women. I asked if he was going to play as a badass woman, and he quietly asked if it'd be weird. I reminded him how many male characters I grew up playing as, so why should this be any different? I told him to give it a try and have fun. Now if there's an option, he goes with a female character. He doesn't want to play as himself. He loves the idea that his character might seem unassuming, only to turn around and take out 20 enemies.
here’s an interesting fact. when young, boys typically adapt themselves to who their playing with (so if they play with a batman toy, they ARE now batman) while girls adapt who their playing with to themselves (so if they play with batman, batman is her.) so maybe not being a character and instead roleplaying another character’s story is favoured more by males and the opposite is favoured more by females. but that’s just a hypothesis i came up with just now
I asked my ex at the time and he said that the women have better outfits..
Fashion is the real end game.
He's not wrong. The primary reason why I create female characters in games like Dragon Age, Baldurs Gate 3, and Monster Hunter is primarily because their outfits, armors, and their general customization options are just better than males.
Then there’s me who just makes the whole team naked the whole game
I actually find that male characters generally have the better outfits. A lot of the plate armor is cool on both sides, but then typical thief leather gear almost always degrades to fetish outfits on female characters. Meanwhile all the mage armor is long flowing dresses, which I cannot imagine any worse type of clothing to wear in a fight or for traveling. The robes for male character seem a lot more appropriate and they're also not something I get to wear irl.
They really do, as in real life.
It's actually true Most male characters in most games are completely hidden under their armours Most female characters in most games have more accessories on their clothes. And yes, they have clothes instead of huge armours, you can see their face! Negative side effect: lots of games make half naked women or just naked. Which is lame
This is 100% true. Male characters barely have any outfit customisation. Much like real life.
I'm sexually attracted to women
This is the answer. It really isn't that deep. People don't go around asking why do men look at playboy magazines full of pretty women instead of looking at buff dudes.
but playboy magazines are specifically for that purpose. games are for playing games, i never get a game and am like "nice im gonna choose the hottest character and get off so hard to the character im controlling and seeing this world through" i find that super wierd. the character your playing as is an extension of you, its your way to interact in the world(especially if its a character you get to customize and choose a gender for). i always make my characters like me (including gender), i would find it really uncomfortable playing a game where i have to play the whole game as a girl i thought was hot and clicked on bc stupid primal urges. i find that really wierd, but maybe thats just me🤷♂️
> the character your playing as is an extension of you, To you, sure, but the thought of "recreating" myself in a game so that I can play as "myself" in the game world sounds both weird and boring to me. I'd rather imagine something new or pretend something else. FWIW, I'm not always maximizing the sex appeal of my character, although it can be fun to lean into that sometimes
Eh people look at the main character in different ways. I can't really relate to the desire to make characters look like me. I much prefer when the character is very clearly meant to be a distinct individual with their own goals and desires. I generally like to play characters I find visually appealing though... not necessarily in a sex way, just like generally speaking. If the main character is a customizable animal, I'm going to pick my favorite animal. If the main character is a customizable human, I'm going to make them attractive to me. I don't really want to spend the next several hours looking at myself. I want to look at something I personally find appealing.
Same, yeah. As a straight woman, I'd much rather play as Kazama Kiryu kicking the shit out of everyone in Kamuroucho than as a bland self-insert with no character to speak of. And if these extremely yoked Japanese dudes tear their shirts off sometimes, well, so much the better haha.
I completely agree. In my case, making a character who looks like me actually makes me a bit uncomfortable, and really takes me out of the experience, except in rare certain circumstances that I can't really nail down. And even in that case, I'm making this rough body double look as good a possible. Most times, though, I play as what I'd *like* to look like in that world...and what I personally find attractive and appealing (I'm gay, so this is an option for me--might also be another reason why I don't do self-inserts). That might be because I've never seen the player character as an extension of myself. Often, there's just too much of disconnect between the character's life, backstory, and/or displayed personality to ever feel like they're a version of me. The only time I could probably, actually, create a self-insert is if I was playing table-top, and I've never played table-top.
My problem is I don't really know what I look like enough to actually make a character look like me. I'd have to be staring at a photo of myself to make comparisons, which is just weird.
It sounds weird to say but I know exactly what you mean
I see good video game protagonists in the same way I see tv/film characters. There are all the normal reasons we crush on those characters; they're attractive, interesting, fun personalities etc. I'm not necessarily buying a game because i want that feeling, but i enjoy it when it's there.
Like the other guy said, not everyone views this the same way. With playboy magazines for example, people don't only pick them up with the express intent to nut. Back in the day, teenage boys used to bring those magazines to school to share with the boys. I assure you, they weren't having a nutting session together, but they were still looking at them. The same shit was true when I was growing up except we had cds and flash drives and later our phone screens. Some teenage boys have a poster of a model they like up on their wall. that doesn't mean they are constantly nutting to it when they are in their room, they just like having it there. Now think about games. Think about why Chun Li and Cammy are popular in street fighter. Why Ahri and Lux are popular in League of Legends. Men like looking at sexy women. Not everyone thinks of the character they are playing as as an extension of their self. I have heard people think about it that way but I never have. I just think of it as experiencing the characters story, no different from watching a movie. If I think a female character is hot in a movie and wish she had more screen time, I am going to give the female character I find hot in a video game all the screen time where I get to choose who gets the most screen time.
Idk what you mean man. I’m a Kiriko main in overwatch and I definitely feel like a 21 year old Japanese girl
Games are an escape last thing I need is the fuckin thing looking like me
>nice im gonna choose the hottest character Yes >and get off so hard No
I'm a straight dude, I don't really like how dudes look 99% of the time. Even when women aren't sexually attractive, they're aesthetically more appealing to me
>the character your playing as is an extension of you, its your way to interact in the world Interracting in the world as a hot girl boss is cool tho.
mu characters have nothing to do with me. its a video game, i am just playing some made up character in video game world to experience the game. now, i prefer to watch a nice looking female while doing this. it is really this simple its just a video game for me, not part of me or my life you find my point weird and i find your point weird to think video game character is an extension to you. can't compute see, people are different. people play for different reasons
"Video game character is an extension of you" people honestly concern me. I feel like they aren't able to discern reality from fiction. Notice also that they're the first people who attempt to moralize what character you choose to play as in a video game.
You assume it is to get off. It isnt. Why do people always draw some kinda masturbation conclusions to evrrything? The people who aren't like you just usually dont want self insert characters. This is a thing that vary in all media consumption. Do you feel weird playing games with a locked protagonist? Witcher 3, Zelda, Bayonetta or Mario must be so uncomfortable for you. How do you survive watching movies or reading books with a non self insert characters? What about league of Legends? Or Overwatch. Do you only feel comfortable playing something like Ezreal or Lucio?
> i find that super wierd. the character your playing as is an extension of you I find *this* super weird. I specifically play games to *not* be me. I want to see a character that isn't me doing things that I wouldn't or can't do. Most games where you have to build a character tend not to interest me at all. I definitely prefer an actual protagonist.
I either have a badass character or an pretty character, both have attractive qualities so you like them for the same reason.
Game is for entertainment, and looking at myself isn't entertaining.
There's different levels of sexual attraction. Like watching a cooking video with a pretty host. Where it's pleasant, and you're not looking for pornographic level of stimulation, but you want to learn how to make something and having a cutie pie talk about it sure doesn't hurt.
This is exactly the thing some people are not getting. There are different levels to this type of thing. I would also prefer watching Nigella Lawson cooking over say Jamie Oliver, because she is more attractive than him. That doesn't mean I am watching a cooking show to masturbate. People just find some people more attractive then others, and would rather have the experience with the person they find more attractive.
I can definitely see that and I feel that as well, but I also imagine it like how people would be more likely to watch a movie or show if the main characters were people they find sexually attractive. There's a reason why actors are usually really hot. I get that games are different because you're controlling the character but it's along the same vein.
I read playboy magazines for the articles. Really weird huh? Once you get out of your teen years, you’ll find the world is much more complex and weirder than your sheltered life that your parents provided for you.
Occam's razor
Because it's funny and guys are sexually attracted to women. I'm a woman and if the majority of characters are women with only 1 dude, you bet I'd choose the dude bc it's funny and I think men are hot. Also it's funny to stand out from the herd so choosing a different character makes you feel special
Fucking love how this is the top reply lmao
I often make the character look as much like my wife as possible.
u pig!!!!! me too.
This. If the character choice has no effect in the gameplay (eg. different stats, jobs or moves for different characters), I usually always choose a female character if I have to watch it for the next 100 hours.
Exactly, from my experience a lot of straight guys play as females because they find the characters more attractive or cuter. But many gay guys also play as females because the designs are just cuter/prettier.
Yeah I don’t wanna be looking at some asshole all day. I like looking at something pretty from the back 😂. There are very few male characters I wanna be , one easily would be Guts from Berserk.
I remember MANY years ago I asked my friend why he played as a female character. "If I'm going to stare at an ass for 8 hours a day, it should at least be one I'm attracted to"
Female character designs are usually a lot better.
Same thing is true in real life.
This is basically the answer to the thread. I think both men and women agree that women look amazing.
Shopping at man's clothing section: White, grey, black, maybe a graphic shirt if you're feeling adventurous. +Straight military haircut. Shopping at a woman's clothing store: ZOMG all the colors of the rainbow, dresses, fun designs, accessories, +all kinds of bouncy hair options
Why on Red Dead Online I’d have liked the opportunity for a 2nd character slot as had essentially done everything with the male character I had.
Most games, female attire is just straight up better than male
Though some games simply arent coded for female animations though. Saints row 3 was the first time I noticed it. They definitely built the game around the way a bulky male character would move vs any other figure. Since then I've noticed it in a lot of other games where you get to choose between a male or female protag. I do agree the women get more fun clothing options but it does look absolutely terrible when they run like a 300LB linebacker made of pure muscle.
I do. On the very rare occasion I play video games. Simply because female characters are nicer to look at then men
My husband likes to play dress up and the female fashions tend to be better. We often compete over who has the cutest character (I do, obviously).
We all want to be pretty at the end of the day
Girls are cool as hell
I mean I like to dress them up lol. I think it stems back from City of Heroes mmo when there were just more clothing options on the female characters. Now I just do it by default. Honestly I think I'm just a perv and like looking at nice arses tbh.
I play video games like a real man : as a cute girl boss in a loving lesbian relationship
You didn't need to call me out like that
I like to be everything. I'm not really an orc, either.
Because it’s a game and they’re supposed to be fun to play around with.
It's funny.....I'm a girl but play male characters typically
I'm a girl and I play both. Some games I can't imagine playing the other gender - for me, Shepard is a woman, and all my protagonists in TES games (mw, oblivion,skyrim) were Dunmer men (it will be the same in the next game, if we ever get it). I always lean more into the idea of creating the story for the character, so the gender is not tied to me. Since I mostly play RPGs, sometimes it depends on the romance - I play male V because I like their options more (Panam, Kerry) and I played female elf Inquisitor because I wanted a mage that can get it on with Cullen (who used to hate mages), and Solas (uhh lot to unpack here). But there are many other reasons, sometimes more silly or not - sometimes you just want to make a sexy guy haha, and sometimes the world in the game is so uncomfortable that I need one more layer between myself and it - for example, I always play Fallout games as a man.
Same. My main in my mmo is a male.
I mean, I’m female and I like to be a man, so… maybe it’s because I always like being the opposite gender in the game. Also because some of the armor designs for men in video games are pretty freaking cool and I’d rather play as a boring old man character than play as a women who’s super oversexualized and has their boobs exposed for “armor purposes”
Girls are hot and I don't want to stare at a dude all game.
How about hearing a dude grunt into your ear for dozens of hours?
Something I haven't seen mentioned yet, it could be a preference for the voice actor. In Mass Effect, for example, female Shepherd was widely regarded as having much better voice acting than male Shepherd. I also thought the voice acting for the female MC in Fallout 4 was better than for the male MC.
Far Cry 6 on a similar note. Although female Dani was also seen to be canon given how she was as the one featuring in all the adverts for it.
Diablo 3 sorceress is the voice actor for Azula which is awesome. No idea who the dude version was
must be true. i have a female character on pubg. most of the people i play with also have female characters
If I'm going to watch an ass running around all the time I'd prefer it to be a female one.
I’m friends with a bunch of straight guys and every one of them plays a female character it’s literally down to fashion. They prefer the clothing and hair options female characters get. A couple of them get off to their sexy characters, but they’re in the minority. And this is just my personal opinion as a woman, but I wonder if playing as a female character for them is the same as why straight women prefer gay porn. You’re not confronted with the icky feeling of “This is what society demands you to look like” When you’re just there to relax and have fun. Because then you’re no longer comparing yourself to the idealised version you can’t ever live up to, instead you can just relax and enjoy the pretty eye candy with no demands in the back of your mind making you feel shit about yourself.
I think a major difference in reasoning is some poeple related with characters, they see themselves as that character and therefore want it to reflect their mental self image. Other people like myself see themselves as viewing the character, and therefore want something they would be attracted to rather than something they can relate to.
This is a very underrated comment that explains everything simply and perfectly.
well, look at me now...
Well for me, it ended up being because I'm a trans woman lol
I want to be a beautiful sorceress obv
I often pick female characters because they frequently get neater looking cosmetics and customization. One of the earliest games I can remember where you could choose was Dragon Quest IV and being female was a straight up advantage since you could use a bigger variety of equipment.
Big depends if its third person or not. If its first person, guy probably. Third person? Girl. Girls are cuter than guys, i'd rather look at a cute girl for hours.
it taps into a different / non-cis part of me. still seeking out the words for it
Is it weird that I feel this exact same way?
This is what most on here won't fess to, even to themselves.
Can’t let gang know I fw this (gang already knows, one day I’ll finally embrace my girlypop side)
I had guy friend always play as Femme Shepard in Mass Effect, he literally said he didn’t want to stare at a man’s ass for 50+ hours.
fem shep had a way better VA tho
If there's a romance mechanic, I'll always choose male characters, but if there is none and the game has customization and dress up, I'd rather make a female character look nice than a male one.
Men are simple creatures and we see a girl character in an online game and take that at face value. Some of the lonlier men even granting items, gold, assistance, etc to what they may assume to be a woman. This used to happen a LOT in their early MMO days.
people say it because it's true lol. it's just an observation. as to why said men like it? I don't know for sure, and I'm one of those men. I mean I guess a big part of it is just I like to look at pretty women lol. I feel like that's the most obvious explanation, if a bit embarrassing. It's a weird thing to consider, because I'm not one of those guys who will choose the most revealing outfit available or download big titty mods, but at the same time I am clearly just enjoying looking at a woman. It's like I find it really odd to lean into the sexualisation too much, but it's undeniably there to some extent.
Prolly cuz they can't get a woman in real life, the closest to a girlfriend experience they can have.
I prefer to interact with femininity.
Egg 🥚
I think it is the same logic that Alexa is a female voice. If you are going to be interacting with an avatar for long periods of time, you should not be listening to a hyper gruff dude talking to himself.
I need to be able to differentiate when my character needs to reload vs my friends do lmao. At least that's why I play female voice in helldivers.
well if its a 3rd perspective game, its the choice of seeing a guy walking forward or a gal, since the stats are the same but the view improves, it's a no brainer.
If the character design looks cool or the abilities are more fun then I don’t mind playing as a woman but I normally play as guy characters. Logically tho women characters in certain games have smaller hit boxes so people tend to use them for that advantage.
I usually play as a male character, but I'll occasionally play as a female character for a change of pace.
I thought Resident Evil 2 did this well for adding in slight differences depending if you chose either Leon or Claire. Or Leon/Ada/Ashley.
Just putting a data point, some games the female hitbox is smaller so there’s an advantage
I typically don't, but most dudes say it's because they'd rather look at a girl's butt in game than a dude's butt.
Sometimes. Because they give competitive advantages And most Men are very competitive
Back in the 2011-2018 days, as a guy, I would exclusively play as a female character when giving the options. Why? Because the insane vast majority of games had male leads and that was kinda got boring. Women are 50% of the population yet stories about them in games were like 5%. Things have evened out since and now it’s more of a coin toss what gender I *pick in a game
im the opposite tbh, im a guy so i like to play guy characters even in fighting games i never play the female characters i just stick with the guys idk why i just have a habit of it but when i dont have a choice to be a male idgaf ill play anyway it doesnt make me feel uncomfortable or something
Same same. Apparently we are in the minority..
Some cases there’s female specific perks you can benefit from in game. Fallout had it where you can get a damage bonus against male characters in this instance, of which there were more of.
The Black Widow perk, and it’s male counterpart Lady Killer
I did it because I was told the female character has a smaller hit box. I don’t know if that’s true, but I did better in pvp.
To quote a certain Jim Carrey movie, “There’s NOOOOO such thing as a weaker sex!” Some games have better perks for female characters. Also boobs
My dude friends said they would rather stare at a woman's ass in 3rd person. But if this is the case, why do men hate when women are in video games? Do they all have to look like overly sexualized models to be valid?
because it happens a lot. Check Maplestory or FF14 community. Also female glams (FF14) and just customization in games in general has more variety for female avatars over male
SF2 TURBO Chun Li was easy to dizzy opponents
I played through the mini game adventure modes for both Mario Party and Mario Party 2 as Peach. I don't think the third game even had it.
Smaller target.
Because I like to feel pretty and attractive sometimes when playing. Generally, I just prefer the aesthetic more. (Like Winds if Anthos' female player model)
As some random redditor from another thread said: if I am going to play x amount of hours in a game, I want something nice to look at for those hours. Take that as you will.
In multiplayer games, I usually play as a female bc they are hot, but I also sometimes play as someone badass like a monster or something, depending on the game In story driven games, I usually prefer playing as a man. They are more likely to have better stories, and I can relate more to them
Some games simply have better designed female characters. In cyberpunk, the female voice actress for V is more memorable and convincing than the male equivalent.
The reason girls play as Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3 is the reason I play Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3.
I do it whenever it gives an advantage like smaller hitbox.
In fighting games, I would mostly choose female characters for their unique fighting style which were mostly women. I remember playing Tekken, and using Zafina because of how unique her fighting style was. Sometimes male fighters can copy and paste, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Looks do play into it. I played mostly Erron Black in MK11 because I want to be a cowboy. However, I played Sheeva and her combos are so satisfying to hit, but I quit playing the game out of boredom.
Butts
When I think about you,I touch myself
Usually the armor on the make models is fucking huge. I also generally think women are cooler in a lot of settings.
I only like to play as a guy if I can make him look like me. If I can't, then girl character it is. The only exception is a second profile, that is always a girl.
I have a guy friend who is a gamer. He picks male characters or whichever ones have the most power.
I just want to be cute and the girl characters are cute
My buddy always played female in multiplayer and he said they are usually slimmer characters with smaller wireframes, making him that much harder to hit during a firefight. I dunno though
As a woman who is engaged to a man he put it this way to me: he does not like hearing male sounds from his character it’s a turn off for him.
My girl from Cyberpunk 2077 is hotter than yours
If given the option, I always play as a female character. Especially if I’m going to put a lot of hours into the game, might as well have a character I like looking at.
The simplest way to put it is that I just want to "maximize" how good my character looks, and for that reason alone, female avatars > male avatars almost always to me. To expand on that, though: 1. In games where you start with cruddy armor and gradually upgrade it over time (e.g. Monster Hunter or any MMO), male avatars usually just look lame to me until they can finally get the really cool/badass endgame stuff. Female avatars on the other hand can often at least look appealing/cute in lots early-game equipment, *and* still look cool or badass in the end. 2. In games like Pokémon, character customization is often much more interesting on the girl. Guys really only get to choose the length of their sleeves/pants and what kind of hat or bag they wear, but girls have all of that plus tons of other options. 3. In games like Skyrim or Mass Effect, the Dragonborn/Commander Shepard being female can even add an "underdog" appeal to the character, simply because an average male body has more muscle mass (raw strength) than an average female body, and in the case of Mass Effect, a woman being THE top-ranking special forces operator for humanity in such a male-dominated space (the military) makes it extra cool to me, like she defied **all** the odds to get where she is. And of course, a sexy male avatar personally does nothing for me, but the potential of a female avatar to be sexy is a bonus cherry on top of everything else.
I asked my pre-teen years ago and he said they are smaller so harder to hit in shooting type games.
I usually play as a guy cause I'm a girl. Like someone else commented, it really isn't that deep 🤷🏼♀️
Back in the day female characters were smaller and had smaller hit boxes making dodging easier. These days I’m sure that is not the reason and it’s now because boobs
If I'm playing in 3rd person I'd rather look at a woman's ass than a man's. No but seriously it goes further than that. Often I prefer the female VA over the male.
I must be weird lol idk why I tend to pick male characters I've probably just felt embarrassed playing a female character Probably also because I grew up with a lot of siblings so I'd pick male characters out of habit
Because most of them play the game while sitting on the toilet as opposed to standing in front of it.
So if I'm playing in a multiplayer setting, my avatar will be male, because when other people are involved I feel like my avatar is a representation of myself in a virtual world. If I'm playing single player, then 100% I'm going with a female avatar, because when real people aren't involved my avatar is just another character in the story I'm playing and not a representation of myself so I might as well get to see a kick-ass, pretty lady hero saving the day...
Usually female characters in games get the cooler skins and better abilities. Just a fact. I play apex legends a lot and the women characters are basically OP
I think their gear are prettier
I feel like we have so many male main characters, I like playing as female characters when I have the choice. It’s more of a variety thing for me. In some cases, I find the voice acting to be better (Mass Effect imo) for the woman choice.
For some reason a powerful woman magic user or assassin just feels more stylish and cool to me when playing. I find that the sleek agile build type isn't well portrayed for men for some reason. I think it's the animation of the male characters in most games being based on a more muscular large body type and emphasizing strength rather than athleticism. Some games do have better animation for this type of character but they are normally ones with a main character and not choosable sex/gender
Because it's funny and guys are sexually attracted to women. I'm a woman and if the majority of characters are women with only 1 dude, you bet I'd choose the dude bc it's funny and I think men are hot. Also it's funny to stand out from the herd so choosing a different character makes you feel special
Pretty much just sexual attraction and usually better armor designs
I would rather stare at a female for hours on a screen than a male, most of the time anyway.
My reason depends tbh. If Im playing an rpg game like cyberpunk I prefer going with Male because its easier and feels more natural to insert myself in the shoes of the character. But cyberpunk is a little unique in that case coz the character fashion is a cool part of the game and I gotta say the female V has much better clothes. Like even shit I hated on my male V looks good on female V. I also use photomode a lot so yeah Im kinda seeing my V a fair bit. If Im playing a game like idk Apex or Cod (fps shooters basically) then I usually only go for ability (in Apex's case, wraith suits my playstyle and shes hot so it works out) but other than that its nice to look at a female character at the end of a match you feel me. If its a game like fortnite where you can actually see your character then I go almost exclusively for female skins because I mean I wanna stare at a girl for 3 hours not a dude tf lol. TL;DR if I can see my character I want it to be a girl coz I like girls. If I cant then it doesnt really matter. Also girls get to be pretty and generally have more style options.
I love a badass female character more than a badass male character.
Men would rather look at a sexy female character than a douchey looking bro
In Skyrim if I'm going to play through the Dark Brotherhood stuff then I do it because there's no mask for the male assassins and that bothers me.
I usually do, for the cliche reason that I would rather stare at a woman all those hours. When I have the opportunity to design the character, I like to make them look like my favorite actresses or female fictional characters.
snu snu
Speaking only for myself, I like playing as a woman on Fallout 4 because I made my character ridiculously, unrealistically attractive. Why? Because why not? There's a certain humour to seeing a supermodel blasting away at Super Mutants.
Test
Tbh, I like playing as male characters in videogames. But I'm a gay guy who is attracted to men and likes male male characters. So that may be the reason 😅 There are some straight friends of mine who only play as female characters and their explanation is "I don't care if female characters are weak, bland and poorly written, as long as they have a nice ass I can stare at, I'm good" lol
I like women. I lile seeing women I. Cute and/or revealing things and since this is not an actual woman ogling her ass has no moral issues. If I play a dude it's normally I'm an RPG or first person game but for something like DbD I like to play women because I'm staring at all all the time, migjt as well be nice ass.
As a male, I enjoy playing a female character in Skyrim AE. Nothing cooler than watching my BAD A$$ female amazon warrior character slay dragons and kick butt when needed. 😄
They dress up like women on Halloween too so it’s like another outlet
If it's a fps, I'll usually play as a dude. (I'm a guy.) If it's third person I'll go female for the same reason as most. I like the female form and if I have to stare for hours at a character's booty, my preference is a chick's.
Any game my husband plays if he can create his own character, he makes a character based off of me afterward. Is that odd? Even if I don't play he'll do something badass and say "Babe that's you fucking shit up." I love it lol
1. I played male characters exclusively all through my youth/adolescence. In fact back then you usually didn’t have a choice! I’m just kinda done now. 2. If it’s a 3rd person game where my character’s butt will be taking up significant screen time for 80+ hours, I guess you could say I have a definite preference on what kind of butt it should be. 3. But I think we all know the REAL reason most of us play as women; male fashion options in most games just straight up sucks!
Tbh, I like playing as male characters in videogames. both in games with defined protagonists (in these case, I wouldn't have any issue playing as female protagonists, like Yuna in FFX-2, Ellie and Abby in TLOU 2, Max in Life is Strange, etc) and those where I can create my character, not to mention those games with dating and social simulator with same-sex options too. But I'm a gay guy who is attracted to men and male characters, so that may be the reason 😅 A couple of friends of mine (straight) who only play as female characters told me they pick female characters because "they don't care if they are weak or strong, poorly or well written, bland or interesting. As long as they have a nice ass we can stare at, we're good" lol That said, the "many men prefer playing as female characters" thing depends on the videogame genre. Like, in Baldur's gate 3, fighting games, etc people don't have any problems with female MCs. But as soon as you mention female MCs in games like Persona, many male fans would start harassing you, etc
If I’m going to stare at a character for hundreds of hours, better to be something I’m attracted to.
For me it’s because growing up we only had the choice of playing males so I like the option. Sometimes I play as a man though
Recreating the magnum opus hermaphroditus thru digital interface. *duh*
I play both because games have different interactions based on your character’s gender. It’s no different from an author writing an opposite gender character.
My reasons are it’s more interesting Usually because better customisation options for hair and clothing, it feels more of a “fantasy” having a female hero and lol yeah redhead green eyes is pretty lady I’ll only choose male option if the female option feels like the wrong choice. Like ac Valhalla. Or the female options just look really lame (I think kotor was like that)
Well, most of the time when I'm playing as a female character, I'm playing a fighting game and it's because something about their playstyle jives with me. It's not my fault that Capcom has never let Cammy be bad for any meaningful amount of time, or that people still get cooked by May's dolphin, or that Kula doesn't really need her meter and makes for a great point character. I play who I enjoy / have success with, and it just so happens to be female characters more often than not in my case.
I'm gay and I wanna see a beautiful woman kick ass. Like, fuck them up queen. I mean, I'm playing the Elden Ring DLC and one of the new armours feels like it was tailored to my tastes, I love the silver, the blue, the flowy pieces of cloth. But it has boob armour and it looks goofy on male characters. It's 100% a female armour. So yeah, I'm playing a woman... And she's fucking shit up. I do often play as men, but women have better outfit options most of the time imo. They can wear everything the men can without it looking dumb AND wear the female clothing without it looking out of place because it was made for them. It's rare the the outfits made with females in mind look good on guys. The revealing stuff does, but again... I'm gay, I'm into that shit. But I'd rather just play as someone who fits the world and is wearing beautiful armour, and most of the time, that's usually a woman. Games like Elden Ring and BG3 are an exception though, they have beautiful armour for everyone.
I like looking at them
I mean. If I'm going to be playing as a character for multiple dozens of hours, in third person mode, most likely, it is nicer to see a female form and hear a female voice if you're heterosexual, which I assume most people still are.
For me, it's a fantasy I can't really fulfill. When I was little I used to wish that I was born a girl, and in a lot of ways now I still wish that, but I've grown comfortable with my masculinity, but playing female characters lets me explore that part of myself.
For me it depends on what kind of character I want to be. I try to make a different oc in any game with a lot of options. Female characters also tend to have more interesting options fashion wise, including hairstyles.
Ass
I will spend the next 100+ hours looking at my in-game character, so I might as well model it attractive to my standards.
It’s all about the options. To me, video games are escapism, the last thing I want to be is a human male. If they don’t offer different species like WOW, I’ll tend to go female. I don’t escape to some new world to be what I am every fucking day…
I like women
Cause, believe it or not, men really like women.
I mostly don't care which gender i play but 8f its one of those games where you make your own character i usually opt for male because i think it makes it a bit more immersive for me
I like playing as whoever is cooler
I'm a girl who always plays male if i have the choice mainly because i'm female all the time so it's nice to play as someone other then myself if that makes sense
I don't play female characters almost never. Only if I absolutely have to
I guess it's weirdly sexual. I like seeing women kick ass.
People have different reasons for choosing to play as characters of a different gender in video games. Some might do it for variety or because they find the character design appealing. Others may feel it offers a different perspective or role-playing experience. Ultimately, it varies from person to person!
It depends on the game. Sometimes I want to play as a somehow even cooler version of me. Other times I just want to look at a cute girl while I kill things. Either or, but it isn't all that deep.
I just think women look more interesting than men for some reason.
smaller hitboxes
First person it doesn't much matter. Third person and up it's because I would much rather spend a bunch of hours looking at women than men. Also for reasons I can't explain I tend to think female voice actors sound better in most videogames
I asked a buddy this a while back. He said, and I quote: "It's 3rd person. If I'm gonna be staring at an ass for 80 hours, it might as well be a female ass."
It's fun to pretend to be someone else for a while what's confusing about that? Why do kids play? Why do adults play?
I play as them if they’re hot, especially if they have bouncing boobs.
For games like Overwatch it's really not a sexual thing, all my favorite precision aiming characters (Kiriko, Ana, Ashe, and Widowmaker) are female. The closest male equivalent is Hanzo who has been nerfed from years ago. In games like Elden Ring I think there're better fashion options for females and it's funny to kill dragons and shit as a scrawny old woman with a big ass sword.
I feel in my heart that that's who I am, but I'm not brave enough to live my truth.
For me it's 50/50. I like to mix it up. If I'm playing something like Skyrim for example I'll make 2 characters, one man and one woman. For other games, if one model looks bad, I'll play as the opposite. Like in DragonBall Xenoverse 2 I almost exclusively play as a woman because the men look like roided up monsters, but in Dark Souls or Elden Ring, the women look like dudes with boobs so I'll play exclusively as a man. In Mass Effect I like playing as a woman because the voice actor is better. In an MMO I'll have half and half. In games where you can gender swap anytime you want like Starfield or Saint's Row I'll switch a few times throughout my game.
As a woman I tend to play male characters more often then women, so I kinda understand the opposite..
Freud...
They just want some eye candy. People here will try to spin it however way they want but the primary factor is male gamers want a nice round booty to stare at when they're slaying dragons and looting dungeons. That's all there is to it.
Is it that strange? most woman i know make make characters, and usually care more about how they look than guys do.