Male playing female (mostly, not exclusively). Easier to make a better looking character (male characters usually don't look as cool, though I make them in MMOs a lot when it fits, like in TOR with a Sith Warrior, a big Pureblood brute looks awesome) and I prefer watching a girl character kick arse :)

dragonswarrior:

gmaverick019:

dragonswarrior:
preferred women. Their company and personality and conversation. It's easier for me to deal with their bullshit then it is for me to deal with guy bullshit too.

it's a trap!PHA+PGltZyBzcmM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYXRyYXZlbGJyb2FkLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAxMi8wNS9hZG1pcmFsX2Fja2Jhcl9zYXlzX2l0c19hX3RyYXAuanBnIiBhbHQ9ImltYWdlIi8+PC9wPgo8cD5Ib3cgY2FuIHlvdSByZXBlbCBiaXRjaGluZyBvZiB0aGF0IG1hZ25pdHVkZT8hPyE8L3A+CjxwPjxpbWcgc3JjPSJodHRwOi8vaTIua3ltLWNkbi5jb20vcGhvdG9zL2ltYWdlcy9vcmlnaW5hbC8wMDAvMTUzLzYyOC8xMzExNTgxMjg4NzQ0LmpwZyIgYWx0PSJpbWFnZSIvPjwvcD4=

what?!? dealing with woman bullshit is easier than...guy bullshit?

OT: well I am a male so most times i play as a male, but any game that allows me to mod, and they have some sweet ass female armor mods/weapons (sometimes they look way better on females or they are female exclusive) i'll roll a female character to use em, otherwise it's probably 90% male most of the time. (this is including mass effect)

*laughs* I fully acknowledge it is crazy.

If I had an answer for you Id give it. But I don't. I have no idea why putting up with problematic women is easier for me then putting up with problematic men. But it is. *shrugs* *laughs*

haha glad you understood it was a joke..with some of the girls/guys I know, i could agree with you whole-heartily, and obviously it's video games so it's not a big deal, just wanted to point that out for some lulz :D

If I have a choice and the female characters aren't ridiculously over-sexualised (unless that fits the character I want to play) I choose female characters. I'm usually trying to imagine the character as a fantasy version of myself, so it just makes sense to play as my own gender.

If I'm not trying to play myself I still usually choose females but there are exceptions, like my Tauren druid in WoW. I have at least one toon of every race and class, and all are female except him. I usually know how I want my WoW characters to be before I create them, and for some reason my Tauren was a dude.

Having said all that, I have no problem at all with playing male characters in games, especially not when the character is well fleshed-out.

I'll do male first go around (is male) but I've no objections to playing a female after to try out different play styles.

I'll play both of them.

I vary what I play depending on how it effects the game or just how I'm feeling at the time of character creation. For example Mass Effect gets a female Shep as priority because of Jennifer Hale while in DA:O I prefer a male protagonist because I want the Morrigan Romance. Either way I never view a character I'm playing in a game as any form of reflection of myself so which I choose doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Last three characters were a male orc, male breton and male nord for Skyrim, so I guess I'm going with a female character next game I get my hands on.

karcentric:
I'm 50/50 no real reason just like mixing it up sometimes, though on Mount and Blade I read it was more of a challenge to play as a female character, if you ever wanted to experience sexist behavior in a game? M&B is the game for you.

funny thing is, in mount and blade it is much easier to take over the entire world for yourself as a female than a male character. a male character is superior if you just want to join a country and be the best darn tooting general/knight you can be.

I usually try to make my RPG characters look somewhat like myself so I usually choose male. The only times I make a female character is either when I want to do it for shits and giggles(which is the main reason) or if there is actually some game feature that requires it.

How come there's no other option? Ultima 2 gave you that choice.

Anyway, Male and I play males.

I don't really commit to just one option.
Where's the option for that?

Depends on whatever I feel like at the time, to be honest. :P

Sometimes I feel like playing as a manly-man, other times I feel like playing as a pretty lady.

Guns, swords, grenades etc. are cool. So are hot chicks. The only thing cooler than both is both combined nuff said.

As a male, I'll play a female in all video games 9 times out of 10. The exceptions to this are:
- When I want to actually roleplay as myself
- When a class just feels appropriate as a male. Diablo 3's Barbarian class will be male. Every other one female. It just suits the image of a Barbarian better in my mind.

Why do I play female? Aesthetics. The female form is more appealing and interesting to me. Given an option to look at a male or female, I'll almost always choose female.

It should be noted that I'll always change gender roles the second time through in order to hear the other voice actor and experience different parts of the game.

I'm male, and I usually play male characters. It just feels awkward somehow. I should probably work on that, but, meh.

Man as a Man
Usually I feel more able to relate to the character that way. I like the feeling of being a lad off on a manly adventure with his friends doing manly things like cutting wood, wielding an axe and having a beard. (I play Barbarian/lumberjack)

There are a few reasons why I choose to be a girl like if the voice acting is better, or the men look weird or something, but I do like to play as a girl sometimes cos I can then see other dialogue options and female reactions to stuff.

If the game is JAPANESE I tend to just close my eyes and let my fingers select for me, because chances are I wont be able to tell my characters gender anyway.

My first runthrough is male. Then I play female simply for the extra content.

I always, always play as a female. Even if I forget it from time to time but playing RPGs (usually long gaming times) I, as a male, don't want to look at a dudes ass for that many hours.
Can't remember who said that but I think it sums it up pretty well.
So yeah, male playing usually as female. But I try to avoid the fucked up armors, in Lotro it's good since you can have any armor you want but then have the appearance of any other armor and I really liked that feature.
So even if my true armor looked really shitty I could still look like a ranger.

Normally, male first, female thereafter. I have no idea why this is the case.

The exception was Mass Effect. Shepard was always female in that, because when I first tried otherwise, my first expression was "holy crap, what sort of space monster ate his soul?" I did eventually manage to suffer through that for a Tali romance, but other than that...

Female, mostly because I get into my game a bit too much and like to put my comic character into it:

Actual character:
http://www.antarescomplex.com/art/12-neige-ready.html
Her in ME2
http://www.antarescomplex.com/art/game-Neige_ME2.html

Now I know what you're thinking, but Snot, she wields a sword, two of them infact, not guns!
Well she's a close range rogue-ish type, so a vanguard with a shotgun is close enough. It's just fun to see 'your character in action'. I did this in a few games, latest games are: Mass Effect 3, Skyrim (sweet dual sword rogue!) and Kingdom of Amalur (Sweet dual KNIFE rogue!)

So it's exciting for me.

Jitters Caffeine:
I play male simply because that's what I identify with. I've got friends who go with the "If I'm going to stare at someone's butt for the whole game, I'd rather it be a girl's /snide remark". But that reason doesn't really work with me because I don't play game to get a cheap sexual thrill.

I agree, I always thought that excuse was stupid as hell, just go look at porn or something, dude because you really need to get your sex drive under control. Being a man, I find playing a man to be more appealing and allows me to feel more a part of the experience, I'm happy with my current gender role, no need to change it in a game, thank you.

It depends on my mood. I'm a male, but sometimes I'll play as a female character just to mix things up. Except in online RPGs, there I always play male, don't want to give anyone the wrong idea. ...not that I interact with other players much anyway.

I play both, usually first time around I play as male applying my morals and such, then switch to female for a different experience (kill everyone).

If I play more than twice I roll a female, because for me its easier to act as different character.

It really depends on the mood. I'd say I'm about 60 - 40 in favor of females. (I'm male)

In RPG's I envision how I want my character to be and then sculpt him / her after whatever conclusion I arrive at. I don't make "myself", I make a role and then play that role.

I usually play female, and for a couple reasons:

1 - Because Females are more likely to look human in a character creator. Males... Never seem to work out for me, except in Mass Effect, and even then, I have only ever played as one Male Shep, and always with the same face. Femshep will end up having her appearance changed or tweaked from playthrough to playthrough.

2 - Because, while I am a male, I identify better with strong, female characters, rather than strong males, mainly because macho, all-powerful badasses are kind of done to death. A well-made, well-characterized female warrior will almost always be more interesting to me.

3 - As a writer, I simply prefer female protagonists. Not sure why. Personal quirk, I guess.

And lastly, 4 - Because, if you have to spend time making an ideal character archetype, in terms of appearance, why not make one that's the gender you're attracted to? For me, it makes it much easier to make an attractive, human-looking character. And yes, I'd rather look at a womans ass than a mans. But, to each their own.

Male playing as male.
I'm not one who cares for immersion, but I've never been much for playing as a female character.

Usually male, as I often try to make characters that look somewhat like myself.

I pretty much always make a white guy with brown hair.

...Okay, so I'm not very good at roleplaying.

My choices are based off two things, which model looks better and if I'm playing as myself. Seeing how I'm female and the women in games almost always look better than the men (and I'm not even gay) I usually play female. Sometimes I'll still switch it up just to do something different though.

Athol:

The_Blue_Rider:
...I just prefer the Male VA, for example Mass Effect.

Really? I found Mark Meer's delivery about as exciting as someone reading a phonebook. (But to each thier own I guess)

OT: I switch between if it changes character interactions, or there are multipul ways the game can end. (Like in fallout 3. My male char. was so good angels would fly out his ass, while my female char. was gunning for the Throne of Hell.)

Im not gonna say Meer is the best VA out there, however as Shepard I find he has a certain charm, and he doesnt over exaggerate all his lines like Jennifer Hale

Almost always male. Occasionally I play as a female, but only after I've played through the game as a male.

Male playing Male... Male as a female is just sorta creepy, way I see it.

Remember the old MMO word play!

G.I.R.L. - Guy In Real Life.

I pick either of them (i'm a male). Generally i pick females more then males since they usually look better than the guys who just look uglier. But if a male character has a good character model i usually pick them.

I picked a female 3 times (all the classes) in Dragon Age 2 because a female just felt right to pick in that game.