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[chakadave]

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.

Yep. It’s a dissonance thing.

A lot of the negative view on women is them just acting like men and it doesn’t make sense.

Just like a Mary sue cliche where a woman is able to beat up a bunch of men’s for “reasons”.

 

[Lorianus]

90% of female characters i came across in various MMO's and online games were dudes playing them including myself, so give the people a character creator and they instantly go for what they are "attracted" to or find visualy pleasing.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

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.

Pretty sure alot of female characters in Japanese always fall into tropes .
The main one being the shy but super horny for the main character who is completely oblivious to her affections.

Seen that shit for 20 years now. Fuck even FF 7 original and remake had multiple characters thirty as fuck for cloud.
So while you may applaud the Japanese for making hot characters. Let's not pretend they're anything but tits and ass .

 

[Alexios]

Yep. It’s a dissonance thing.

A lot of the negative view on women is them just acting like men and it doesn’t make sense.

Just like a Mary sue cliche where a woman is able to beat up a bunch of men’s for “reasons”.

Most men can't beat up a bunch of men and need the same "reasons".

 

[lh032]

sure, nothings wrong with it.

I always pick male gender in games that allows option to choose gender.

Why do i want to play as a female when im a male?

of course this does not applies to certain games like stella blade, i dont want to wear a thong as a male in the game.

 

[March Climber]

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?

Could be an elaborate troll, or could be the consequences of GAF's actions in the past year, in human form. Unsure at this time.

 

[Sebastian1295]

I prefer playing as a man too because i'm a man but i don't understand the argument that 'It's not realistic when a woman does so and so'. The reason i don't understand that argument is because it's a videogame and nothing in videogames is meant to be portrayed realistically in any sense of the word men included. Is it realistic that leon kennedy is a one man army sent in to save the presidents daughter in resident evil 4 and expected to survive!!! No it's not lol. Videogames aren't realistic man and i wish people would stop bringing real world common sense into games because it makes no sense to do so.

 

[GHound]

Okay.

 

[rodrigolfp]

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.

Time for your meds, OP.

Are Megaman games not good games because the character is neither a man or woman???

 

[ADiTAR]

Other options for a thread title:
I know everyone is tired from Niel Druckmann topics, so I removed his name from this one.

 

[Tams]

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.

That always works in the end, as can be seen with the shift of the zeitgeist happening now.

The problem is when they get their claws into a franchise you like. Eventually, it likely will shift to what you like, but that might take years or even decades. It might never in your lifetime again.

I mean, look at Tomb Raider. It's on its third reboot now, but it's still not the nonchalant, silly fun that the original games were. Or outside of games, Bond. The last fun Bond was over two decades ago. And neither of those look to be going back to their roots any time soon.

 

[Stitch]

It's okay to be gay

 

[reinking]

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

Dude... Tomb Raider?

 

[chakadave]

Most men can't beat up a bunch of men and need the same "reasons".

part of making a character is making it believable or relatable.

It’s harder to believe in a small woman beating men with their hands. Why do you think the last of us part 2 made their woman be ripped?

Dude... Tomb Raider?

Different game. LC was acrobatic and had lots of finesse

 

[Braag]

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.

See this is why female protags are now purposefully ugly. You male gazed pig.

In all seriousness, I totally get what OP is saying. Games are supposed to immerse you into their world, if you can't connect with the character you're playing, it's pretty impossible to do that. There's nothing wrong with skipping a game because you don't like the character you have to play as, be it male or female.

 

[Nintendo's Witch]

 

[Sub_Level]

RPGs: Male because I like to self insert and roleplay as the character.

Fighters: Female because hot.

Call of Duty: Female.You can’t necessarily see your character model all the time but everyone else can. Loved playing as Valeria & Lara Croft in CoD 2022

Everything else I play doesn’t give you a choice and is mostly male. (Final Fantasy, old shooters, stealth games, etc)

 

[64bitmodels]

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.

this is wild. So the only reasons God of War, Uncharted, and Splinter Cell are fun are because... the characters are men. Everything good about the gameplay, visuals, music, story, etc are all nullified because the main character is a girl. So bayonetta, metroid, Tomb Raider, and others are not fun. WOW.

Yknow, the thread made me think it but this post confirmed it- your opinion is dogshit man!!! If your enjoyment of games hinges this much on the character gender that's an incredibly sad existence.

 

[Alexios]

Why do you think the last of us part 2 made their woman be ripped?

Ellie killed a fair share of men as a damn child, they just wrote her as such. It's no more realistic than any other character in the games doing it. Fantasy characters have plot armor as long as the plot wants it for, male or female.

Of course the rest of the cast is often inept as well, so no it's not just woke gaemz making women super powered and men lousy, secondary men and women are lousy in male protag action games too.

But I guess it's more realistic for a man like Max Payne to experience gunfights in slow motion and heal bullet wounds with painkillers than a woman like Mona Sax, kay, got it

In all seriousness, I totally get what OP is saying. Games are supposed to immerse you into their world, if you can't connect with the character you're playing, it's pretty impossible to do that. There's nothing wrong with skipping a game because you don't like the character you have to play as, be it male or female.

See, that's what's called a personal preference, that for most people is also gonna have exceptions, not an objective and universal "fact" about female protags or whatever other so called reasoning is presented here.

Not that all games are meant to be immersing, some are just fun, but I get you.

 

[DoubleClutch]

this is wild. So the only reasons God of War, Uncharted, and Splinter Cell are fun are because... the characters are men. Everything good about the gameplay, visuals, music, story, etc are all nullified because the main character is a girl. So bayonetta, metroid, Tomb Raider, and others are not fun. WOW.

Yknow, the thread made me think it but this post confirmed it- your opinion is dogshit man!!! If your enjoyment of games hinges this much on the character gender that's an incredibly sad existence.

Story, music, atmosphere all follow the male characters. Sam Fisher’s gritty voice, Kratos’s focused seriousness, Nathan Drake’s bravery and boldness, etc.

 

[cash_longfellow]

You lost me at “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.”

Who tf are you to state some random fact about what the majority of men want to do? I’m not talking about the topic or agreeing or disagreeing at this point because you are trying to speak for every man on the planet who plays video games, but seriously who tf are you? This has got to be one of the dumbest fucking posts on Gaf in a long time, and that’s saying a lot. I’m just going to chalk this one up to OP having narcissistic personality disorder and being drunk. Locked thread coming in hot.

 

[64bitmodels]

That always works in the end, as can be seen with the shift of the zeitgeist happening now.

is it really? is *any* zeitgeist shifting? I mean "woke" games have been failing for years but they're still being made. moreover there are plenty of "woke" games that have been successful. And is this supposed "zeitgeist" shift gonna somehow go back to the types of games that you like, with no "dei"?

 

[PeteBull]

Time for your meds, OP.

Are Megaman games not good games because the character is neither a man or woman???

Wait a second, is it Megaman or Megawoman? ;P

 

[Sebastian1295]

Story, music, atmosphere all follow the male characters. Sam Fisher’s gritty voice, Kratos’s focused seriousness, Nathan Drake’s bravery and boldness, etc.

A woman can be serious, brave, and bold too man. I'm not understanding your point here.

 

[FoxMcChief]

As a father of 3 girls, raised by a single mother and have 2 sisters, I can honestly say, I will never play as a female character, if I have a choice to play as a man.

 

[March Climber]

Dude... Tomb Raider?

Posts like that are why I'm unsure if this is an elaborate troll or not. Let's see how far OP takes it.

 

[Tams]

is it really? is *any* zeitgeist shifting? I mean "woke" games have been failing for years but they're still being made. moreover there are plenty of "woke" games that have been successful. And is this supposed "zeitgeist" shift gonna somehow go back to the types of games that you like, with no "dei"?

If you can't sense the cultural kickback happening against 'wokeness' and forced and excessive 'inclusivity', then I can't debate with you.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

We get it, you've seen a couple of Critical Drinker videos.

 

[DForce]

I don't need to relate to any of the characters on screen. I'm here to play a fun game with a cool character.

I didn't need to relate to Jill, Bayonetta, Samus Aran, Ellie, Lara Croft, Selene, Jesse (Control), or Claire Redfield.

When I was a kid, we thought it was cool to play female characters because it was something we typically didn't see in video games.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

Time for your meds, OP.

Are Megaman games not good games because the character is neither a man or woman???

Isn't he a man that is mega? Hence a mega man?

 

[cash_longfellow]

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

Calling someone else’s opinion factually wrong is crazy

 

[Werewolf Jones]

As a father of 3 girls, raised by a single mother and have 2 sisters, I can honestly say, I will never play as a female character, if I have a choice to play as a man.

In a game like Mass Effect or Pokemon this is totally 100% fair. You play as who you feel you should be comfortable with but if you played RE2 and skipped Claire's story and just played Leon's and said "I'm done." You experienced half of a game and you're also dumb.

Not that I'm saying you are.

 

[cash_longfellow]

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

But you aren’t allowing others to have an opinion dummy…a discussion is one thing, but telling people they are wrong for their opinion takes away the “discussion”.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Wait a second, is it Megaman or Megawoman? ;P

Isn't he a man that is mega? Hence a mega man?

Last time I checked, it was a genderless robot, despite the name.

 

[64bitmodels]

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

"you shouldn't have made this thread because it sucks" is an opinion.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

Last time I checked, it was a genderless robot, despite the name.

I look forward to the Devs bringing it to a modern audience.
MegaTrans

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Could be an elaborate troll, or could be the consequences of GAF's actions in the past year, in human form. Unsure at this time.

If this thread isn't some supreme troll, I'm gonna have to take another break from gaf because this culture war shit has made OP a literal retard.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

I just don’t find them relatable

one and done. You have mental issues, my dude.

 

[chakadave]

I love how the examples of women are established 20 years ago and nothing modern within the last 5 years.

I don't need to relate to any of the characters on screen. I'm here to play a fun game with a cool character.

I didn't need to relate to Jill, Bayonetta, Samus Aran, Ellie, Lara Croft, Selene, Jesse (Control), or Claire Redfield.

When I was a kid, we thought it was cool to play female characters because it was something we typically didn't see in video games.

There is a reason these are fine and modern games missed that reason.

Ludo narrative dissonance used to be a thing game designers thought about.

 

[rodrigolfp]

I look forward to the Devs bringing it to a modern audience.
MegaTrans

Meganonbinary.

 

[clarky]

Username checks out.

Found David B's alt.

 

[StereoVsn]

I usually play as male characters , but played plenty of game with female protagonists as well.

Bayonetta, Metroid, Mirror’s Edge, Tomb Raider, Alien, Atelier games and more were fine.

I think what kills games with female characters for me if writers and directors make them essentially like male characters and into “girl boss” mode while at same time making male characters terrible.

Basically I have no interest in most of Sony’s games anymore as an example. I just really hope Ghost 2 won’t be terrible. Loved the first game, but I suspect more of a TLOU 2 type shift. Hopefully I am wrong.

 

[MagiusNecros]

90% of female characters i came across in various MMO's and online games were dudes playing them including myself, so give the people a character creator and they instantly go for what they are "attracted" to or find visualy pleasing.

Hard to choose male when girls get more hairstyles and clothes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[ReBurn]

Hard to choose male when girls get more hairstyles and clothes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[FoxMcChief]

In a game like Mass Effect or Pokemon this is totally 100% fair. You play as who you feel you should be comfortable with but if you played RE2 and skipped Claire's story and just played Leon's and said "I'm done." You experienced half of a game and you're also dumb.

Not that I'm saying you are.

I don’t mind playing as a female character, if the game makes me.

I was just talking about the character creator type of games, Skyrim, Baldur’s Gate, any MMO, etc.

 

[nkarafo]

I prefer male protagonists but my favorite game character of all time is Samus Aran (pre-Other M).

 

[FoxMcChief]

Hard to choose male when girls get more hairstyles and clothes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you care that much about clothes, go play Barbie.

 

[Sebastian1295]

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.

Why can you accept lara croft and jill valentine but not the other female protagonists you listed? You're not making any sense here.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

I don’t mind playing as a female character, if the game makes me.

I was just talking about the character creator type of games, Skyrim, Baldur’s Gate, any MMO, etc.

Because you're a cis male. It's the correct choice bro.

 

[clarky]

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.

This post should be framed.

We need to go live here.