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[DoubleClutch]

I just don’t find them relatable. I don’t understand why this is considered a blasphemous opinion. The same people lambasting me for holding it, are the ones pushing for female protagonists on the basis of inclusivity.

Okay, so having a male protagonist excludes women and we should have female protagonists instead… well, why does this logic not work in reverse? Why can’t women just accept male protagonists the way I have to for female? How do female protagonists not exclude me using the same logic?

There are some exceptions where I’m okay with it, such as Lara Croft or Jill Valentine.. I still prefer playing as Nathan Drake or Leon, but I can accept those others.

What I can’t accept though is Ghost of Yotei, Chloe/Nadine, Assassin’s Creed Kassandra, Ellie, Kait in Gears of War, etc.

The fact is, the majority of men don’t want to play as women, and the only way they accept it is if it’s a highly attractive woman whose ass they can stare at. That’s reality. Even then, I’m not a slave to sex, and I’d prefer playing as a cool dude than a hot female if given the choice.

A well written female character will have female issues. Why would I as a man enjoy experiencing that? I don’t. At all. And if you’re going to write in male issues for her, then the game falls apart entirely because women aren’t men and they’ll never be men.

I know there will be an argument that games already require a significant degree of suspension of belief. However, those people are missing the point. Good fantasy is an extrapolation of observable innate characteristics, not a turning of reality upside down.

Example: Special Forces commando comes home and wages a one man war against the mob to save his town. Unrealistic but enjoyable. Woman picks up a sword and slays every man in sight… men are cowards and relying on her to save everybody… stupid.

EDIT: Special thank you to clarky for the gold! You’re a real one, brother.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

The phrase designed to bait the internet:
“The fact is….”

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

Completely agree

 

[Sooner]

Females?

Are you talking about Body Type Bs?

 

[Evolved1]

I usually prefer female protagonists.

 

[Hrk69]

Nathan Drake hangs off cliffs for hours with one hand, but women with swords is where you draw the line? Got it

 

[DoubleClutch]

The phrase designed to bait the internet:
“The fact is….”

It’s safe to say that most men do not prefer to role play as women if given the option.

It’s also why the uglification of women in gaming is such a big deal. Because the only way men overcome playing as her is if she’s hot.

 

[SJRB]

Go off, king

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Just lock the thead, guys.

 

[DoubleClutch]

Nathan Drake hangs off cliffs for hours with one hand, but women with swords is where you draw the line? Got it

Looks like you missed the point.

 

[DavidGzz]

Cyberpunk had a great solution for games that have a narrative with voiced actors. Even with different origin stories.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I don't hate it, but it's not my preference. The majority of the games I buy have a male protagonist. When given the choice of a male or female protagonist(Dishonered 2) I always choose the male. If the game has create a character I always create a male. Upcoming games I'm looking forward to with female protagonists are Perfect Dark, Wonder Woman, and Metroid Prime 4. I already know Tomb Raider will be ruined.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Woman picks up a sword and slays every man in sight… men are cowards and relying on her to save everybody… stupid.

It's fiction, not a documentary so anything can be.

 

[Hrk69]

Looks like you missed the point.

I didn’t miss the point

I just didn’t realize 'selective immersion' was the hill we’re dying on today

 

[DoubleClutch]

Cyberpunk had a great solution for games that have a narrative with voiced actors. Even with different origin stories.

It also works for Cyberpunk because it’s a messed up dystopian extreme world.

 

[Radical_3d]

 

[IAmRei]

Me as well, but sometimes, i want to play depend on several factor. The thing i dont like is, people who loves playing games ONLY for the woman or girl. I might be favor japanese games mostly, 90%, but i dont like lotta people usually weebs, especially gacha games, who only play the game because of the female characters... Ugh

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Honestly I mostly agree with this.

I’m a guy, I mainly want to play as a male character who kicks ass and saves the day. Is there anything wrong with that? And if I play a female character, at least make her attractive and not some girlboss who acts like a poorly written male character.

The ones forcing Strong Woman protagonists into fucking everything are mostly just angry that boys and girls are different and that some IPs/genres are aimed toward men. And they think it’s their sacred duty to fix society’s wrongs.

 

[clarky]

I usually prefer female protagonists.

Only if there is chance of a shag.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

It’s safe to say that most men do not prefer to role play as women if given the option.

This is factually not true. EVERY gacha features mostly female rosters and people pay to get those characters.

The OP is clearly mistaking poorly written western characters with ACTUAL female characters. They arent equal.

 

[PicoLordens]

OP must be american or eastern european. I absolutely despise such ignorant intolerance.

 

[Evolved1]

Only if there is chance of a shag.

Ironically I usually avoid corny relationship stuff in games lol…

 

[DoubleClutch]

I didn’t miss the point

I just didn’t realize 'selective immersion' was the hill we’re dying on today

You might be being intentionally obtuse here. The point is good fantasy is an extrapolation of reality.

Imagine The Witcher with Geralt as an insecure, dim-witted prima-donna. It’s fantasy and anything goes, but it would make the story horseshit.

 

[DavidGzz]

The thing is, if you don't like a protagonist or style of game, just ignore it and move along. I don't make threads saying I don't want to play a dumb looking anime character or a smol robot, I just ignore the game(thread) and move on. If these games don't make back their money, the devs will be forced to cater. Vote with your wallet.

 

[Denton]

When given a choice I usually select a guy, but I have no problem playing well written female protags.
Finished 28 games this year, of which 8 had female protags, 10 had male protags, and 10 had mix or selectable protag.

 

[Blackage]

I just don’t find them relatable. I don’t understand why this is considered a blasphemous opinion.

It's not, you can have it, and it should really only serve to maybe cause some self-reflection on your part like "How did I arrive here, why am I like this?"

The same people lambasting me for holding it, are the ones pushing for female protagonists on the basis of inclusivity.

Well, yeah, you're doing the same thing in this post, they just want more of the thing they want. Inclusive means people who would otherwise not be interested might become interested, so they'd have more people who like the thing engaged with it.

Why can’t women just accept male protagonists the way I have to for female?

They have been, for decades, the vast majority of protagonists in fiction are men, far and away the majority of the time. You still have plenty of options available to you if you can't stand the idea of a female protagonist.

The fact is, the majority of men don’t want to play as women.

The majority of women probably don't want to play as men either?

And the only way they accept it is if it’s a highly attractive woman whose ass they can stare at. That’s reality.

That's an incredibly sexist statement, but again probably requires some self-reflection on how you arrived there.

A well written female character will have female issues. Why would I as a man enjoy experiencing that? I don’t. At all.

I don't know, maybe to educate or inform yourself on something outside of your narrow worldview? Other people might have interest in other experiences outside of their own experiences.

Good fantasy is an extrapolation of observable innate characteristics, not a turning of reality upside down.

Fantasy is fantasy, "good fantasy" entirely subjective. Again this comes down to you reflecting on yourself and what you like. You seem content putting things in a box and keeping them there and very uncomfortable if things break outside of what you feel is acceptable amount of not.

 

[DoubleClutch]

This is factually not true. EVERY gacha features mostly female rosters and people pay to get those characters.

The OP is clearly mistaking poorly written western characters with ACTUAL female characters. They arent equal.

Ah yes, I forgot about the well written Asian ones in those gacha games with blushing faces and huge knockers who will do everything you want master.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Yeah, I’m with you. Metroid and Bayonetta are cool tho.

 

[Danjin44]

I usually prefer female protagonists.

Same.

But for me the most important part is I need like the design and it’s well developed character…..as far I’m concern I don’t care if is male, female or even gay.

I also don’t understand this “relatable” arguments….even they are male I don’t think I can ever relate to characters like Nathen or Kratos since they do things or act the way I never do in real life.

In fact I don't think you are ever suppose to “relate” to a video game character.

 

[Putonahappyface]

I'll play as either male or female.

 

[Wandering Leopard]

I can't relate, I relate to engaging gameplay mechanics - everything else is secondary, it's why games like Pong, Tetris, Pacman etc. will always stand the test of time.

 

[DoubleClutch]

Same.

But for me the most important part is I need like the design and it’s well developed character…..as far I’m concern I don’t care if is male, female or even gay.

I also don’t understand this “relatable” arguments….even they are male I don’t think I can ever relate to characters like Nathen or Kratos since they do things or act the way I ever do in real life.

In fact I don't your ever suppose to “relate” to a video game character.

Wrong, the best stories ever written are ones that the audience can relate to.

 

[DoubleClutch]

I can't relate, I relate to engaging gameplay mechanics. Everything else is secondary, it's why games like Pong, Tetris, Pacman etc. will always stand the test of time.

I notice you didn’t say Ms. Pac-Man.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

I literally don't give a shit as long as the games fun.

 

[Big Baller]

Make bald space marines great again

 

[Garibaldi]

Why does everyone need to relate to people in entertainment? Must be boring as fuck having everyone needing to conform to some lifeview you have.

Different views, beliefs and different ways of handling situations due to the multitudes of personality types we all possess is so much more entertaining.

 

[Rush2112]

This is not good logic and I will explain: It doesn’t matter. What matters is the game being good. If it sucks, it doesn’t matter who the protagonist is. Alien isolation the whole game I couldn’t care less what Ripley’s gender was. It was a good game and that is all that mattered.

 

[64bitmodels]

I just don't really get this. What makes women that different to men to warrant having such an opinion let alone writing a thread over it? Are they an alien species from another damned universe where everything works differently? No, we're (mostly) straight, we're supposed to love women for crying out loud.

If the game's got a female protagonist, ok. If the game's got a male protagonist, ok. If the game's got a non-binary protagonist, ok.
It's not even a second thought to me. But people on this site hinge on it like crazy and it's fucking annoying and weird. Especially the whole "i'll only play as a girl if they're hot and sexy"... That's the type of thing a 14 year old going through puberty obsessed with boobies says. Come on man. You're acting like interacting with a girl will actually give you cooties.

I feel like before the culture war shit nobody cared whether the protagonist was male or female. It was mostly men but it was once novel and interesting to have a girl as the center. Now people are coming out and flaming female protagonists.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Ah yes, I forgot about the well written Asian ones in those gacha games with blushing faces and huge knockers who will do everything you want master.

Obviously, you know next to nothing. Writing great relatable characters is a key success factor for those games, which are played by many women.

By the way, I am a fantasy writer and most of my protagonists are female, so yeah, a man may find "female troubles" relatable and even put himself in their shoes.

It's fine that you avoid them but drop the silly generalizations. Most of us aren't that insecure.

 

[DirtInUrEye]

I just can't ever imagine being this delicate.

 

[poppabk]

I literally don't give a shit as long as the games fun.

Yeah the OP wants to argue against inclusivity but is actually arguing for it.

 

[DoubleClutch]

This is not good logic and I will explain: It doesn’t matter. What matters is the game being good. If it sucks, it doesn’t matter who the protagonist is. Alien isolation the whole game I couldn’t care less what Ripley’s gender was. It was a good game and that is all that mattered.

A big part of being a good game are the characters in it.

If Kratos wasn’t a man it wouldn’t be a good game.

If Nathan Drake wasn’t a man it wouldn’t be a good game.

If Sam Fisher wasn’t a man it wouldn’t be a good game.

Hell, they replaced Solid Snake with Raiden who is semi-female and it almost ruined the game.

 

[lughnasadh123]

A well written female character will have female issues. Why would I as a man enjoy experiencing that? I don’t. At all. And if you’re going to write in male issues for her, then the game falls apart entirely because women aren’t men and they’ll never be men.

lmao, wtf IS this shit?

I enjoy playing men, women, robots, demons, things of unholy natural delights, woodland creatures, or what the fuck ever. I even, as a guy, get the relatable enjoyment of playing someone like myself. I especially get the disgust of games where you play as someone with the notion of them putting down your own gender. But the sexist ideology, trolling or not, that playing a female is somehow a lesser experience can get fucked.

 

[Imtjnotu]

 

[Rockman33]

I’ll play with whoever makes sense for the story. Don’t really have a preference. Until recently I never really thought much about it.

I do have a problem when a character feels forced into a game for one reason or another. Which seems to be the case a lot lately.

 

[DoubleClutch]

Obviously, you know next to nothing. Writing great relatable characters is a key success factor for those games, which are played by many women.

By the way, I am a fantasy writer and most of my protagonists are female, so yeah, a man may find "female troubles" relatable and even put himself in their shoes.

It's fine that you avoid them but drop the silly generalizations. Most of us aren't that insecure.

What are some of your works that would make you an authority on the matter?

Show me unattractive females in those games that male audiences adore?

No man cares about relating to female troubles. No woman wants a man who relates to female troubles.

 

[AtomicStarving]

I like playing with female characters. I don't like it when it's clearly a forced ideology for "you know".

 

[DoubleClutch]

The thing is, if you don't like a protagonist or style of game, just ignore it and move along. I don't make threads saying I don't want to play a dumb looking anime character or a smol robot, I just ignore the game(thread) and move on. If these games don't make back their money, the devs will be forced to cater. Vote with your wallet.

It’s a discussion board for discussing views, opinions, and other such topics.

 

[Alexios]

It's ok to like watching mens' butts in your face all day every day. Have at it mate. I enjoy good female protags in good games. Realism doesn't play into most games, otherwise they'd be boring slices of life regardless of the protag's gender.

What are some of your works that would make you an authority on the matter?

Er, what are yours? This thread I guess, lol.