Male gamers: how do you feel playing games with female protagonists?

If the character is well written then I don't give a **** what Race/Gender I play.

I'm male. As long as the game is good, I could not care less.

[QUOTE="RageQuitter69"]

[QUOTE="Jackc8"]

I always enjoy female protagonists moreso than Male.  Males are generic and done to death.  Females tend to be more interesting.  Much nicer to look at too if I'm going to be following one around for the whole game.

Pffrbt

Interesting way to look at it.

Not really since every other person that plays a female protagonist says the same thing.

I prefer to play as male characters because I am a male and games with characters are more immersive if I am offered such a character to play as. Playing as females lessens immersion for me and it does affect the games I purchase.BranKetra

[QUOTE="BranKetra"]I prefer to play as male characters because I am a male and games with characters are more immersive if I am offered such a character to play as. Playing as females lessens immersion for me and it does affect the games I purchase.Lulu_Lulu

I don't care who I play as, just give me a well written character and I'm there.  That's why I can't stand games like Gears of War, the characters are so poorly written that I have no interest in playing.  I played the new Tomb Raider and thought Lara was a very well written character (her supporting cast not so much).  Really, if male gamers complain about female characters then do you think female gamers are eager to go and play as boring macho-men?  Again, if the character is well written then I'd imagine male and female gamers wouldn't care if the character is male or female.

In Mass Effect I play as female Shepard because her voice actor is better than male Shepard.  Again, give me a quality character and I'll play as them.

I'm indifferent. I don't typically enjoy interjecting my own personality into games so there's never a matter of whether or not I feel represented. I enjoy creating characters and having them play out their lives in games. I'd rather analyze and/or make decisions based upon the character I've created.  I guess it's something from theatre that will never quite leave me.

[QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"][QUOTE="BranKetra"]I prefer to play as male characters because I am a male and games with characters are more immersive if I am offered such a character to play as. Playing as females lessens immersion for me and it does affect the games I purchase.BranKetra

[QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"] It might help if you wore bra and panties next time you play Mass Effect or Tomb Raider ! LMAO ;)Lulu_Lulu

Not everyone wishes to lose their manliness like you.

[QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"][QUOTE="BranKetra"] Why would wearing those help?LordTrexGuy

Not everyone wishes to lose their manliness like you.

I don't mind.

[QUOTE="HipHopBeats"]

I prefer male protagonists but if a female protagonist is sexualized in some way or at least has a nice digital booty to look at, I don't mind. Ignorant, sexist analysis? Sure, but I don't care, lol.

MentatAssassin

"Your ideas appeal to me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter". In other words I completely agree.

Lol, I knew I wasn't alone in that theory. Besides, any good game with a female protagonist is usually the subject of some ridiculous article about violence against women or the misrepresentation of women in video games like this crap article about Ellie in The Last Of Us.

I have no issues with it. In fact I rather enjoy it. To me it can be interesting to try (as much as I can) to view the events of the game from a female perspective. I also fond the 'Mass Effect' series, though it was already great playing as a male protagonist, to be even more enjoyable when playing through with FemShep. I dunno, for some reason headbutting a krogan seemed more satisfying as a female. And I rather like that we're now starting to see more strong female protagonists who aren't overly sexualized. Examples: the new Lara Croft, Elena and Chloe from the 'Uncharted' series (even though you don't actually play as them, female Shepard. I did not, however, enjoy Bayonetta in part because I couldn't stop rolling my eyes at how ridiculously sexualized the character was.

I always play as a female (sometimes on a Saturday night out in real life Ha!) as I find male game characters generic,boring,drab bores.

It's stupid to not play a game simply because of a female protagonist. Honestly, I don't care about a main character's gender as long as they're a good character.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, how much of a person's/character's personality is down to their gender ? Is Lara relatable or unrelatable because she has boobs or because she went through something we have'nt ? What would does it say about people who would be able to relate to Lara alot more if she were a dude despite the lack of any gender specific things that happened in the game ?Lulu_Lulu

Interesting that you would bring this up. I don't get the whole "I can't be immersed" argument either. An older white male protagonist is my opposite in several ways, yet personally, I have no problem immersing myself in the game and liking that character if they are well written and if we share some personality traits or experiences. Likewise, I can't relate to some one dimensional soulless sex doll only there for eye candy.

Good writing and similarities to the protagonist help me feel immersed. And even if we don't share many similarities, I can still enjoy seeing the story if its well written and interesting. A character not being the same race, gender, age, or even sexuality as me doesn't automatically ruin my gaming experience. I play video games to escape real life, therefore I actually kind of welcome playing as someone who is different than I am.

I dont typically. I want a protagonist i can relate to. Main reason i dont buy Odin Sphere no matter how amazing it looks.

[QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"] It might help if you wore bra and panties next time you play Mass Effect or Tomb Raider ! LMAO ;)Lulu_Lulu

I dont typically. I want a protagonist i can relate to. Main reason i dont buy Odin Sphere no matter how amazing it looks.

ristactionjakso

[QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"]I guess what I'm trying to say is, how much of a person's/character's personality is down to their gender ? Is Lara relatable or unrelatable because she has boobs or because she went through something we have'nt ? What would does it say about people who would be able to relate to Lara alot more if she were a dude despite the lack of any gender specific things that happened in the game ?Lucky_Krystal

Interesting that you would bring this up. I don't get the whole "I can't be immersed" argument either. An older white male protagonist is my opposite in several ways, yet personally, I have no problem immersing myself in the game and liking that character if they are well written and if we share some personality traits or experiences. Likewise, I can't relate to some one dimensional soulless sex doll only there for eye candy.

Good writing and similarities to the protagonist help me feel immersed. And even if we don't share many similarities, I can still enjoy seeing the story if its well written and interesting. A character not being the same race, gender, age, or even sexuality as me doesn't automatically ruin my gaming experience. I play video games to escape real life, therefore I actually kind of welcome playing as someone who is different than I am.

[QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"][QUOTE="BranKetra"] Why would wearing those help?BranKetra

[QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"] My theory is, by de-masculating you, you'l be able to immerse yourself into female characters much much more easily.Lulu_Lulu

I care far more about a character's personality traits and actions than I do about the gender of the character. Obnoxious, arrogant, and overly hostile characters (as well as generic characters) are usually what piss me off and cause me to lose interest in the story or main protagonist. Other than that, I enjoy playing as any character as long as the game itself is fun, and I'm quite willing to overlook a character I dislike if the rest of the game is worth playing.

[QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"][QUOTE="BranKetra"] You are saying I would need to buy merchandise additional to the video game cost in order to play it like PSEye. No thank youBranKetra

[QUOTE="ristactionjakso"]

I dont typically. I want a protagonist i can relate to. Main reason i dont buy Odin Sphere no matter how amazing it looks.

Legolas_Katarn

[QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"] a small price to pay to broaden your tastes to enjoy more stuff.Lulu_Lulu

I'm perfectly fine with it but I know some people who refuse to play games with a female protaginist (I consider it their loss since they can miss out on some fantastic games) and recently when I purchased the Tomb Raider reboot (excellent game, an absoulute must play for that matter), I received some strange looks from the cashier. So how do other male gamers feel about playing games with female protagonists?

RageQuitter69

[QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"][QUOTE="BranKetra"] How do you know I would enjoy games with female protagonists?BranKetra

I dont have any problem playing with a female protagonist. I think it adds an extra level of unpredictability, given how a male gamer can pretty much determine what a male protagonist would be like for the most part. It is nice to have a breadth of fresh air sometimes.

The responses are hilarious.

You can relate to murderers, psychopaths, superheroes, antiheroes, people of a different race, those who aren't even human, all sorts of age groups, wildly different personality traits and more.

But a woman is outside of your cognition, outside of your your ability to connect.

Imagine if you applied such logic to a real world conversation. Are all of your friends guys? You've never talked to a female about a common hobby or something. Can't relate?

This board can be stupidly astounding.

The responses are hilarious.

You can relate to murderers, psychopaths, superheroes, antiheroes, people of a different race, those who aren't even human, all sorts of age groups, wildly different personality traits and more.

But a woman is outside of your cognition, outside of your your ability to connect.

Imagine if you applied such logic to a real world conversation. Are all of your friends guys? You've never talked to a female about a common hobby or something. Can't relate?

This board can be stupidly astounding.

whiskeystrike

You must be VERY fvcking blind. Everyone here has said they've no problem with female protagonists, but YOU have to b!tch about something and turn this thread into a hate war. Please elaborate on where someone is comndemning female protagonists, you snob. I've never used profanity on the forums before, but pricks like you deserve it.

[QUOTE="whiskeystrike"]

The responses are hilarious.

You can relate to murderers, psychopaths, superheroes, antiheroes, people of a different race, those who aren't even human, all sorts of age groups, wildly different personality traits and more.

But a woman is outside of your cognition, outside of your your ability to connect.

Imagine if you applied such logic to a real world conversation. Are all of your friends guys? You've never talked to a female about a common hobby or something. Can't relate?

This board can be stupidly astounding.

LordTrexGuy

You must be VERY fvcking blind. Everyone here has said they've no problem with female protagonists, but YOU have to b!tch about something and turn this thread into a hate war. Please elaborate on where someone is comndemning female protagonists, you snob. I've never used profanity on the forums before, but pricks like you deserve it.

"I prefer to play as a male because I can't relate to a woman"

That's what I'm referring to. I find that state of mind amusing and sad. I already mentioned above all the other kinds of protagonists that people enjoy roleplaying except for one. You can't relate to women? Really? Have you ever, I dunno, tried talking to one? I would think sharing a common personality trait or something of the sort should be simple enough to relate people but that's not simple enough. It's all about that 23rd chromosome.

[QUOTE="LordTrexGuy"]

[QUOTE="whiskeystrike"]

The responses are hilarious.

You can relate to murderers, psychopaths, superheroes, antiheroes, people of a different race, those who aren't even human, all sorts of age groups, wildly different personality traits and more.

But a woman is outside of your cognition, outside of your your ability to connect.

Imagine if you applied such logic to a real world conversation. Are all of your friends guys? You've never talked to a female about a common hobby or something. Can't relate?

This board can be stupidly astounding.

whiskeystrike

You must be VERY fvcking blind. Everyone here has said they've no problem with female protagonists, but YOU have to b!tch about something and turn this thread into a hate war. Please elaborate on where someone is comndemning female protagonists, you snob. I've never used profanity on the forums before, but pricks like you deserve it.

"I prefer to play as a male because I can't relate to a woman"

That's what I'm referring to. I find that state of mind amusing and sad. I already mentioned above all the other kinds of protagonists that people enjoy roleplaying except for one. You can't relate to women? Really? Have you ever, I dunno, tried talking to one? I would think sharing a common personality trait or something of the sort should be simple enough to relate people but that's not simple enough. It's all about that 23rd chromosome.

[QUOTE="Lulu_Lulu"][QUOTE="BranKetra"] Since you are curious, I will tell you. I experience the most immersion when playing as a male character because I am a male. Because I am a male, a male avatar is camiliar to me. I relate to the male body since I am composed of one. I also live with a masculine mindset, so a character with the same is easier to understand than a female or artificial intelligence. I do not relate to characters with attributes considered evil, so I do not play characters featuring those attributes. I prefer character of good morals and somewhat realistic games. I do not relate to a male with a normal build clean and jerking a building. That said, Katamari Damacy is a fun game. The lack of immersion I experience with female characters is understood by knowing I do not consider myself to think like a female which is more important than physical traits in my opinion, so a female avatar is incompatible with me. I will play games with women characters, but the fact I am male and they are females is an inhibiting factor. Please understand.LordTrexGuy

All he is saying is that he prefers to play as a male because it's easier to understand feelings and play aggresively probably as males in real life do, and females are probably not interesting. And as for my previous post, I just skimmed through your poorly written reply and understood you are simply too retarded and overly stubborn, taking matters further than they're supposed to be. All I said was as a joke to your gay views on everything you were replying BranKetra with. You're probably thinking that you're very hilarious but you're just plain irritating now, probing others on their limits of their tolerance.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure anyone posting that is either trying to act stupid and be funny or are just trying to upset other people. Legolas_Katarn

I wish they were. But I think some of them are serious.

I actually know a guy in real life who has that mentality. Granted, we were talking about anime, but he probably does the same with games. Before looking at the description, genre, anything, he'll say "Nope, can't watch it because it has a female protagonist." And yes, he uses that flimsy "relation" argument. Even if there are male main characters as well he still won't watch it. Even if its a quality series like Ghost in the Shell or Shin Sekai Yori, he still won't watch it. Its sad, but people actually do this.

I prefer playing the female character whenever possible which outside of character creation games isn't often enough. It gets a bit stale constantly playing the muscly white guy that always gets the lady.