Slate: I Insist You Play Mass Effect as a Woman

Look, there's nothing wrong with men. It's totally OK to be a man, and in most circumstances, it's perfectly OK to choose to play a male character in a video game when given multiple gender options.
Ah, thank you. I was worried i was doing wrong all this time. Good thing we have you to guide us in what's right and wrong.
 
i try but
Season 8 Nbc GIF by The Office
 
No thanks.

I like playing women in games just fine when they're actually their own characters but when I have the option I'll almost always go male.
 
If you hadn't posted this shit I never would have known it existed. Shame on you, OP. Shame.
 
i was waiting for him to give me a reason but the quote stops at "do it because i say so"

to be honest i don't expect much changes other than who you could fuck
 
I think people are taking this article the wrong way or they haven't read it. People be hyper defensive these days. This has nothing to do with feminism, he preferred the performance. That's it
 
Femshep performance must be freaking good then because i have always played male Shepard in these games, and male Shepard on full renegade is freaking hilarious at times.
It actually makes me cringe a bit how many people play paragon in these games, knowing what hilarity they are missing by not going renegade.
 
I find it kinda "beta" or whatever when y'all get hung up on people's looks. like, Jason Schrier sucks, but I don't care what he looks like. It's low hanging fruit, frankly.

Signed,
One hot dude
 
A former butch lesbian who is now a transgender man insists that I play a video game as a woman even though I'm a man......hmmmm,lol.
 
I have never played Mass Effect as a man, only as a woman, even back in '07, because I enjoy a nice ass was woke before it was woke to be woke.
 
I find it kinda "beta" or whatever when y'all get hung up on people's looks. like, Jason Schrier sucks, but I don't care what he looks like. It's low hanging fruit, frankly.

Signed,
One hot dude
Uh, not to be a dick or anything, but it has been scientifically proven through years and years of research that anyone who posts on a video game forum LOLing madly at someone's looks is actually extremely attractive, well-proportioned, and has a six-pack and a long, girthy penis.

There's no way that a weak-chinned, pasty faced, balding guy in glasses would make fun of Jason Schrier's looks, that would be hypocritical, and people who love video games enough to talk about them on the internet are not hypocrites.

Again, science.
 
I'm a hetero white male but identify as an inter-species lesbian. That's why I play Femshep, it really reaffirms my identity to see my avatar scissoring blue alien babes.
 
Okay guys I held my nose and clicked the link (with ad block) to see what the author's points were:

- Jennifer Hale's VA is really good

- The author voted for Elizabeth Warren

- Femshep is unmistakably a highly accomplished woman, not a man

- allowing you to choose between a male and female Shepard is an example of giving you too much narrative choice

- author fantasizes about getting pegged but is too afraid to ask
Holy shit he actually talks about supporting Elizabeth Warren :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Warren Democrats (aka former Hilary democrats) are literally the worst identity politics faux progressives, and they always need to tell you about how they voted for her for some reason
 
Many men find it very affirming of their identity to see their body type and masculine presentation reflected by their choice of on-screen simulacrum
tenor.gif

I keep hearing this and it's so wrong, chances are if a guy has a choice between a dude or chick, they usually choose the chick if she's not ugly.
If they are, then you might as well be a dude if the girl looks like a dude too 😂
 
I'm not a woman and I certainly don't want to roleplay as one.
Same, the only time i play as one is games like Tomb raider or mirrors edge where the main character is that. Or borderlands, Love me some siren ass , as the characters are sexy and have fun elemental abilities (plus established character). Also diablo, amazon, sorcerer, etc... Or fighting games, i always play as the women in those, check my avatar. Sophita is a goddess!! Love me some street fighter lady thighs. Ok yeah i am a bit of a perv with those games, so what, no harm no foul.

As for a rpg though, i usually play the dude, especially in a game with romance stuff. I will make the dude have my hair color. I then put myself as the role making the decisions as if I am some jacked dude as in real life i am average Gordon freeman looking. Could I roleplay a chick sure , but it's not something i typically do unless the character is already established, and only if they aren't all "i don't need no man" wokish or annoying like the real life women in modern era period of new assissns creed games (the main pc in AC origins, etc.. is so annoying and unappealing).
 
This is an amazing paragraph
The authenticity of the female Shepard's characterization is revelatory. Women still face an uphill struggle in gaining and excelling within leadership roles in real life, because many people don't have a fully realized template for what success looks and sounds like in a female leader. Mass Effect transports you to a world where a woman in a combat leadership role is completely natural. Even as FemShep speaks the same lines as the male Shepard, her relationships with men and other women read differently because she's a woman. Her position of authority is no less solidly held, but it is unmistakably the authority of a competent and high-achieving woman, not that of a man. If you've had an excellent female boss, or if (like me) you supported Elizabeth Warren's candidacy for president, there's something in there you may recognize. If you never have, then you more than anyone need to play this video game as female Shepard.

Male feminists really come off like they've never interacted with a woman in real life or professionally. His whole point of reference is a female politician he has seen on TV, you know the most over scripted, PR focused profession around. And a video game character.

I've worked with dozens of females superiors, clients etc and never thought "wow a female leader!". They are just people, some are shitty and some are great people and bosses

This whole sentence is actually really condescending and cringey
 
All he had to say was that the female character has better voice acting. That's it.

All the other condescending shit he said will only make more people to not play as the female character.
 
As a fan of the Senran Kagura series, I want to say that I didn't wait Slate's article before playing as a woman in videogames.
 
Last edited:
Male Shep has funny moments and sounds like a Young Kevin Conroy at times. Also, Hale sometimes over-acts when she doesn't need to 🤷‍♂️



 
I preferred Fem shep at the time but Jennifer Hale is now one of the most over casted voice actors. I'd play as a dude if I was playing it the first time today.
The intended audience being….people who bought the game being discussed? No shit.

this is a weird defense I've been seeing lately. Are people not supposed to have opinions anymore?
 
Seriously though if anyone has not played the game with a female Shep I honestly can't recommend it enough.


The voice acting is vastly superior on the female Shep. Male Shep has his moments, but there are also times where the voice acting is very off and I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is. But Jennifer Hale knocks it out of the park in every game.
Show me a YouTube clip of Hale's "amazing" voice acting putting on a vastly superior performance than Meer's?

it's so silly. Both voices are fine
 
The whole point of being able to customize your character avatar in a game is to make it to your liking and I'd guess most want to reflect themselves in the game.
 
Dudes who play as girls all the time in games come off to me as thirsty, horny, or gay. Take your pick.

notthattheresanythingwrongwiththat.gif
 
Yo, I'm running with the ultimate ugly, cookie cutter, mofo ever....

I could get behind this cuteness though...

qQjedR8.jpg
I'm playing as fem shep for the first time and I'm trying to bone down with Liara. Got a little too aggressive in my last dialogue though so I gots to play the long game apparently
 
They aren't wrong though. The actress is much better than the guy they have playing ManShep.
If .... you ..... like .....every..... line.....delivered.....one ....word ....at....a ....time,....in .....a.....nasal.....bland.....voice
 
I play as girls about half the time. I do, for whatever reason, find it more immersive to play as the same sex as myself (man), but sometimes I just want to create a cool character which happens to be a girl.

I don't think it's a big deal. I think some people try to make it a big deal. Lots of guys want you to know they play as female characters, I've found. They will find a way to tell you.

I think, for those select few, it's supposed to come off as either progressive or unique. Again though, some guys just want to play as a badass Ripley or Sarah Connor type.
 
Last edited:
I insist this retard shuts the fuck up and let's people play as they choose. It's almost like these people haven't learned that being a male feminist doesn't get any bitches on your dick lmao
 
I only play as a dude if I can make the character resemble myself. Default custom avatars are too boring/ugly.

I say this as someone with highly advanced male and female avatars in GTAOnline.
 
Top Bottom