Any Actual females not female characters play this game?

[mercturq]

I don't get it when someone says "The reason I play a female toon and I am a guy is because I don't want to stare at a guy's *** the entire time." I play a male toon and I am a guy and I don't stare at his ***. I am too busy either looking at the map to see where I need to go, or see what enemy I will need to attack next. Seriously, that is a rather weak statement. Bring something new and more believable to the table... unless you really do take the time to stop playing and stare at your character's *** for a bit. Uhh... if that's the case... well, then have fun, I guess?

[Brosephiine]

I don't get it when someone says "The reason I play a female toon and I am a guy is because I don't want to stare at a guy's *** the entire time." I play a male toon and I am a guy and I don't stare at his ***. I am too busy either looking at the map to see where I need to go, or see what enemy I will need to attack next. Seriously, that is a rather weak statement. Bring something new and more believable to the table... unless you really do take the time to stop playing and stare at your character's *** for a bit. Uhh... if that's the case... well, then have fun, I guess?

 

When you're running around for a bit and there's no mobs because of all the people around you... Well, I start to look at the way my character moves. Is it believable? Is it pleasing to look at? ... Hey, nice butt.

 

I'm female, btw. Would rather look at a chick's butt than a guy's in game. The female body is very pleasing to look at.

[LadyNightArrow]

I'm apologizing ahead of time if I sound like a know-it-all. That is not my intent. I'm just putting in my two cents.

 

First, gender is a social construct, it was created by society. What a person looks like on the outside doesn't always reflect what is in the heart or mind. (My major is Sociology, so I find this thread interesting.)

 

Second, only the player of the characters know why they play the gender they do. If anyone tries to guess or assume the motive as to why guys play girls and girls play guys...well, to put it nicely, they will most likely be wrong.

 

That being said, I am a woman and I play male and female characters. The toons I create are modeled after characters in the stories I'm working on.

 

I don't consider myself a gamer, but I have played various other games including WoW, DA I & II, KOTOR I & II, ME I & II, Sims 1,2 & 3, Exalted, BESM, PoTP (a MuD based on the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan), DnD... In fact, I met my husband at a DnD session. But, I'm not a gamer, just a geek.

Edited January 24, 2012 by LadyNightArrow

[Grammarye]

There are a significant number of players who are playing the game as a couple.

 

Maybe I've always been a bit of a roleplayer, but I always tend to refer to people as their in-game gender. I avoid 'mate, bro, dude' as terms of address anyway, but even if I didn't, I would not feel comfortable making a gender assumption in the male direction any more than I would in the female direction.

 

My fiancee has no issue with me rolling a female character, either. Indeed she'd rather I do that if she feels the male alternative looks terrible. I'll admit I've sometimes felt the need to justify that decision to myself anyway, but particularly in a game like TOR with so many cutscenes, it does help to have a character you can enjoy, and equally you get a different perspective & story elements/reactions when playing as a female. As a completionist in RPGs I've often had one or more of my playthroughs be as a female. Equally sometimes little things sell it. I've played Mass Effect & TOR's Trooper as a female character because I absolutely love Jennifer Hale's voice acting.

 

To each their own, I think.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Grammarye

[ColeMorland]

yeah i just started tho so lets hope for the best

[ColeMorland]

me and cole share this cuz i work mornings he works nights

[LadyNightArrow]

So, I've read a great deal of this thread in search for someone posing this question or some implication but couldn't find it (haven't read the whole thread though). So I'll be bold and ask it.

 

A friend of mine wanted to conduct a research on female gamers and it also got me pondering about. If you don't mind answering some/discussing some.

 

1. What faction do you roll? Evil ('Empire') Good ('Republic') although I hate thinking in such terms, some people root for the 'Empire' IRL but want to be the good guy in MMO's (my point of view).

 

2. SW:TOR based, what choices do you make during the story? (good/evil) being light/dark.

Also depending on the conditions? eg. reaction towards Vette, the twi'lek female ('female' being key) as a slave the choice of shocking her and keeping her as a slave.

 

3. What role do you take on mostly? Healer, support, tank, dps, etc. ...

 

 

 

I think most men, including myself think (and want?) MOST female gamers to be more of a 'good person' in game, filling in the support/healing role, all in all 'the mother archetype'.

 

Also wonder about the age difference and generation in all these choices. But that makes it all too complicated.

 

I'm 34. As I mentioned in another post, I model my toons after characters in stories I'm working on. The personalities I'm listing is only a skim off the surface of who the chars are. This was the best way I knew to answer the questions.

 

Empire and Republic

 

Corcaiza: LvL 14 Sith Sorcerer; Evil; Doesn't like torture, as she doesn't like to prolong death. If the option is given, she will kill a person after they have given her the information she needs.

 

Kachia: LvL 14 Bounty Hunter Mercenary Pyrotech; Evil; Ruthless. Kills because she can.

 

Kodarish: LvL 14 Bounty Hunter Mercenary Arsenal; NE; Treats ladies and his allies with respect. In true Bounty Hunter style, does missions for the credits.

 

Naitel: LvL 28 Sniper Engineering; NE approaching Good; She won't kill unless she has to and knows the values of allies and contacts, but doesn't trust easily.

 

Evani: LvL 28 Commando Gunnery; NE approaching Good; She'll take money if it's offered. She respects authority, but at the same time uses her own judgement. Won't kill civilians if the option arises.

 

Celina: LvL 25 Gunslinger Saboteur; NG; Robin Hood type of character.

 

Calathar: LvL 11 Sage Seer; NE; Prideful. Knows the value of allies. Doesn't like to kill. Turns prisoners over to the proper authority, whomever that happens to be. Shameless flirt.

 

Nisela: LvL 14 Sage Seer; Good; Always chooses the Lightside. Respects authority.

 

TL;DR 1: Republic and Empire; 2: Depends on the personality of the character, this also goes for how the character treats their companions; 3: DPS/Heals

Edited January 24, 2012 by LadyNightArrow

[Evolvana]

I'm a girl and I play with female and male characters.

 

Female characters : I can identify myself better to them. I play females when I know there is a romance that will interest me, for example.

 

 

Male character : I like customizing a male character that I already know in the Star Wars expanded universe: for example I did a male blue Jedi Twi'lek called Shado'Vao because I love that character from the Legacy comics. I also have a "Sevy", clone-looking male soldier who looks like Sev , my favorite clone from Republic commando. Usually I don't do romances with the male characters because it's weird for me and even as a male character I'm not interested in doing a romance with a female NPC in the game. Or just for fun, but I don't take interest in it.

 

On WoW I had only male characters because the females looked stupid to me. Male characters looked cooler so... and anyway there's no RP or romances in WoW so I didn't care if my character was female or not, I couldn't identify myself to them anyway.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Evolvana

[Kirameki]

I wanted to try a male bounty hunter due to the voice acting but after reading I could romance Torian Cadera I went female.

 

I think I stick with female chars for now. ><

 

I as female would find it weird to flirt with female chars when playing a male char and I have no intention of making same-sex relationships. I've still very old-fashioned that way, even in gaming.

Since I would miss some content skipping all the flirt options I just stick to what I like to flirt with.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Kirameki

[Brosephiine]

 

That being said, I am a woman and I play male and female characters. The toons I create are modeled after characters in the stories I'm working on.

 

I do this often, actually. I used to be a forum roleplayer with a number of unique characters who have very in depth backgrounds. I generally like to take their names and use them for characters in games. I have a Twi'lek Smuggler named Madani, after one of my characters. Madani is a feminine name derived from 'vine' in Sanskrit. Therefor, my Twi'lek is green.

[Explosive_Lasers]

Whatever floats that players boat.

 

For me, personally, every player is an asexual, genderless blob of white goop, until proven otherwise. That way I like the person because they aren't total asses.

 

Either way, if somebody plays a female character and they aren't female, that's their business. I have one female character, and I rarely play her. The reason I made her female is simple: I exhausted the male hairstyles I like, and I don't like the look of male twi'lek or zabrak.

 

I'm secure enough in my masculinity that I don't have a problem playing as a female character (or being a brony, for that matter), and it's not as if I lie about my real gender. The one thing I don't get about men making female characters is when they lie about it, and use the character's gender to get credits or crap.

 

Or female blood elf mailbox dancers...

[Kabjat]

I'm a girl gamer and I play with two of my female friends and my hubby. I'm on Shadowlands and Krayt Dragon, though. I like playing both male and female characters. Some of the male voice acting is too great to pass up, particularly the male sith warrior and the male imperial agent.

 

OMG I KNOW!!! My bounty hunter dude is so freaking adorable xD My husband thinks I'm such a dork lol. But damned if I can help it....the guy who does the voice acting for the male bounty hunters makes my knees weak LMAO

[Explosive_Lasers]

OMG I KNOW!!! My bounty hunter dude is so freaking adorable xD My husband thinks I'm such a dork lol. But damned if I can help it....the guy who does the voice acting for the male bounty hunters makes my knees weak LMAO

 

I'm a heterosexual male and I think his voice is sexy.

 

Erm, umm..... I mean... uuhhh...... CHAINSAWS! FOOTBALL! EXPLOSIONS!

Edited January 22, 2012 by Explosive_Lasers

[Meira_Arirai]

I'm a female gamer, with a mix of male and female characters. We do exist. I'm gonna agree with previous posters in that I often make character creation decisions based on the voice acting, or because, if I'm going to be staring at a character's backside for 50 levels and change, it may as well be an attractive one. My husband plays multiple MMOs, and his main character in his favorite of them is female for the purely pragmatic reason of females having less surface area at which to shoot. HE often lets me name his characters and design their appearance, which is amusing. Edited January 22, 2012 by Meira_Arirai

[Xantheis]

So i had this problem when i ployed lotro that i could never find any girls that played the game, i mean my entire guild on lotro are boys, the entire guild on here are boys... is there no other girl on the face of the planet that plays swtor on my server (Telos Restoration Project) I feel so alone... not to mention that boys who have girl characters are kinda weird... on lotro i had a male character and i had to delete him because it was to weird lol...a not that i care but its kinda dissapointed when you think your talking to a girl and it turns out tht the person behind the character is a dude,,nywayz just wondering, no need to get in a hater mood i was just asking

 

In LOTRO, the guild I ran was about 50/50. Towards the end of the Mirkwood expansion, we actually had more females logging in and playing than males.

 

We are about 30% female in our guild here (different group of folks).

 

Unfortunately, you may just be unlucky.

[Kabjat]

I'm apologizing ahead of time if I sound like a know-it-all. That is not my intent. I'm just putting in my two cents.

 

First, gender is a social construct, it was created by society. What a person looks like on the outside doesn't always reflect what is in the heart or mind. (My major is Sociology, so I find this thread interesting.)

 

Second, only the player of the characters know why they play the gender they do. If anyone tries to guess or assume the motive as to why guys play girls and girls play guys...well, to put it nicely, they will most likely be wrong.

 

That being said, I am a woman and I play male and female characters. The toons I create are modeled after characters in the stories I'm working on.

 

I don't consider myself a gamer, but I have played various other games including WoW, DA I & II, KOTOR I & II, ME I & II, Sims 1,2 & 3, Exalted, BESM, PoTP (a MuD based on the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan), DnD... In fact, I met my husband at a DnD session. But, I'm not a gamer, just a geek.

 

 

I agree with most of everything you said....except the part about gender being a social construct. :/ I'm sorry, but I never went to college nor have I ever taken a sociology class, but that statement puzzles me D:

 

I realize these forums are probably not the place to delve into such a discussion, but I am intrigued by what you mean by that! How could something as fundamental as male and female be created by society? TOTALLY mean no disrespect...I am just curious xD

 

And YES these types of threads always intrigue me too. I have often wondered WHY I always choose to play male toons in any of the games I've played...being a female, it seems odd. But even in wow, when I roleplayed, I always had more fun RPing as a MALE than a female. I wonder what that says about me? LMAO

 

But I never EVER had a shortage of people who wanted to RP with me...maybe it was because I was able to insert a bit of feminine side into the male characters I RP'd. I think a part of the reason I liked it was it was such a complete and total escape from real life...I dunno.

[Kabjat]

I'm a heterosexual male and I think his voice is sexy.

 

Erm, umm..... I mean... uuhhh...... CHAINSAWS! FOOTBALL! EXPLOSIONS!

 

ROFL!!!! +3 interwebz for you sir xD

[Jaiyne]

<--- female player.

 

In Lotro, we have several women also playing in our kin - and many others I know who play. They were always the best PvPers actually

 

I think it's funny in this game that people always assume I am male. Then again, I pretty much assume everyone is 15 years old based on how they act so it seems pretty even

[LadyNightArrow]

I agree with most of everything you said....except the part about gender being a social construct. :/ I'm sorry, but I never went to college nor have I ever taken a sociology class, but that statement puzzles me D:

 

First, I apologize to the OP and any BioWare employee monitoring these forums for going a little off topic.

 

Just so you know, I don't explain things well, but I'll do my best.

 

Allow me to clarify. I am new to the field of Sociology. I'm currently working on getting the core classes out of the way so I can attempt to get into the Masters of Sociology program at my current university.

 

I have often heard that gender is a social construct and this statement has often intrigued me as well. How can something that seems so black and white be made up by society? I suppose the better way to say this then is: Gender roles are a social construct. Take a look at how gender roles were viewed before, during, and shortly after the Women's Rights movement. Women had a specific role to play. Men had a specific role to play. It's because of those views that some people, even in the 21st Century, still view women and men as fulfilling certain roles, because, as someone had mentioned earlier, it is so ingrained into our society. But, who actually came up the with 'Men are the Breadwinners', 'Women are the Homemakers'? Jesus? Muhammad? Buddah? The Bible? The Book of Mormon? The Qur'an? Or were these roles created by Man and thus Society (as Society was once male dominated) as a result of subjective interpretation of religious text? This is why I say and how I understand the concept of gender being a social construct.

 

Obvious statement (HK47 FTW! ): Society is changing. The ideas of what is male and what is female is changing. And because Society is changing, - women in roles once dominated by men, men playing Mr. Mom - there is a call for men to be more sensitive and women to be stronger. So, there are times when a woman has to...think like a man?... show strength to fulfill the role of the police officer, firefighter, or even dad in the case of single mothers raising children. The same could be true for those men fulfilling roles once dominated by women. Sometimes they have to wear the compassionate, nurturing hat to work as a nurse, teacher, social worker, or even fulfill the role as a mom for single fathers raising children. I could be wrong in saying this but, maybe this is one of the many reasons why we are starting to see a rise in people choosing to be gender neutral, because they can wear the Hat of Strength or the Hat of Compassion as the need arises.

 

I hope all of this made sense. It's okay for anyone reading this to agree or disagree. Everything I have said is based on my very inexperienced observations and my opinion.

 

And YES these types of threads always intrigue me too. I have often wondered WHY I always choose to play male toons in any of the games I've played...being a female, it seems odd. But even in wow, when I roleplayed, I always had more fun RPing as a MALE than a female. I wonder what that says about me? LMAO

 

But I never EVER had a shortage of people who wanted to RP with me...maybe it was because I was able to insert a bit of feminine side into the male characters I RP'd. I think a part of the reason I liked it was it was such a complete and total escape from real life...I dunno.

 

I'm not a psychologist, but I'm going to try and hazard a guess and hopefully add some perspective as to why some women/girls play male characters. This isn't just for Kabjat, but for everyone.

 

Perhaps another reason why women play male characters is because they view themselves as strong women and the best way they know how to project this in game is by playing male toons. The same might be said for some of the men who play female characters, though they would never admit to it, is because some may see them selves as compassionate and sensitive and the best way they know how to project this is by playing female characters. There's nothing wrong with that guys. I promise you won't lose your masculinity by showing your more compassionate side just as women won't lose their femininity by showing they can be strong too. Just a thought.

 

(And, what I said earlier about people who try and guess why women have male toons and men have female toons comes back to me like a boomerang with a mission.) -puts on a blindfold and waits for the oncoming *THWACK*-

 

Again, sorry if I went off topic. I'll return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Edited May 2, 2012 by LadyNightArrow

[MysticTrunks]

I know our guild is 80-90% women and only a few men. And yes, they are REAL women because I've been gaming with them now for over five years (some longer) and we exchange family photo's, talk life stuff... blah blah blah.

 

I'm sure our guild is the exception and not the rule but yes. Many women do play SWTOR.

[KupKakeQT]

I'm a female player and find it so HARD for guys to actually believe that I'm a girl! I just tell them to google me and then they believe me. Yes, there are girls out there who are gamers and love star wars! DUH!

[EsotericWhim]

+1 for the post regarding the role of society in determining gender roles. Very true, nicely explained. There are no innate or biological drives that push a male or female person into any activity, as a lot of it is societal pressures and grooming from a young age.

 

I disagree about your reasoning behind why some men play female characters and some women play male characters predominantly. There are a slew of reasons why someone would choose to play as a character regardless of historical gender roles or traits. I think your first statement was correct: try to determine why someone is playing an opposite gender character, and you will mostly find yourself to be wrong.

 

- Some players want to use their character to fulfill role-playing desires.

- Some want to stare at an attractive backside/listen to an attractive voice.

- Some just like the aesthetics of their characters for a particular race or class.

- Some just want pure escapism. To play a gender that is not your own just to see what it is like to be on the other side of the fence.

- And some don't even give it a second thought as to why they're choosing that gender. They may have no reason.

 

It doesn't make it wrong, it doesn't make it weird. And if you do find it weird then you are in all likelihood very set in your thinking about gender roles, or are likely insecure in your own femininity or masculinity.

Edited January 22, 2012 by EsotericWhim

[LadyNightArrow]

I disagree about your reasoning behind why some men play female characters and some women play male characters predominantly. There are a slew of reasons why someone would choose to play as a character regardless of historical gender roles or traits. I think your first statement was correct: try to determine why someone is playing an opposite gender character, and you will mostly find yourself to be wrong.

 

- Some players want to use their character to fulfill role-playing desires.

- Some want to stare at an attractive backside/listen to an attractive voice.

- Some just like the aesthetics of their characters for a particular race or class.

- Some just want pure escapism. To play a gender that is not your own just to see what it is like to be on the other side of the fence.

- And some don't even give it a second thought as to why they're choosing that gender. They may have no reason.

 

It doesn't make it wrong, it doesn't make it weird. And if you do find it weird then you are in all likelihood very set in your thinking about gender roles, or are likely insecure in your own femininity or masculinity.

 

That's cool. All of the reasons you listed are reasons I've seen listed. I was just offering another possible reason on top of all the others. But, then again I also tend to think like a psychologist sometimes and find myself doing a psycho-analysis as to why people do things. It's gotten me into trouble a couple of times.

Edited January 24, 2012 by LadyNightArrow

[Ellintor]

The OP has caused me to start a project.

 

http://www.jeweldaab.com/post/15889444381/gaming-genders

 

Love the webpage, think I'll start doing it just to see what my fellow male gamers will scream in group chat, kinda curious to see what the responses will be.

 

However, as a gamer since '97 I could care less if your a female or male. All I care about is if you do what you signed up for in the group whether it be tank, heal, or dps. I have known and currently know a lot of female gamers (think my guild has about 10-15) and yes they tend to keep it hush hush for all the reasons posted in this thread. This I know b/c some of my guilds in the past have had guild get-together and so in so would show up and low and behold who we all thought was a he was a she.

 

oh, and yes I do play female characters as well as male ones, my deciding faction on sex for the toon depends on the class I'm making.

[Whrr]

*waves*

 

I confess to only reading a few pages into this thread but I thought I would share this:

When I first had to make a toon, for my very first game, I had not thought to the reaction players would have to the gender of the avatar I’m playing. I picked a female toon just because most games have ugly male options, and well I’m a she.... I've found I am more comfortable playing a toon that’s the same gender as myself; I am at ease and as such it is easier for me to take what life throws at me. That’s not to say I've not played male toons, it just that I've gotten a very different reactions when running into a players depending on the gender of the toon I'm playing.

 

 

I would say that a majority of the time it is assumed that I am a he and I’m referred to in the masculine. Such as he’s off doing whatever instead of she’s off doing whatever even though I’m playing on a female toon. At some point in a game I will always get people I play alot with (rarely a stranger) ask dude are you a chick??!? lol and yes over time I have become used to being called dude (almost) even by those who know I’m a girl. I think it is habit to them, as only more recently have female gamers become more active in the gaming community.

 

Now I have to say this as a few people were bring it up, but in my experience all the so called girls that are out to get stuff tend to be really guys playing a female toon. Not always, but 9 times out of 10 it’s a dude pretending to be a chick to get stuff... (sorry guys) People are only human and as such we react to gender, not to the degree of in rl but we do react even if someplace in the back of your mind you "know" they are probably not the gender of the toon you’re speaking too...

 

Personally I have always take toons at face value. Until I know the gender and or wish of the player behind the toon, I will always refer to them as he/she off of the toon they are playing. I also know quite a few other gamers who have this viewpoint. I honestly could care less if a guy is playing a female toon or if a girls is playing a male toon...

 

If you are having a hard time ladies and/or you are not happy. Try another guild/server.

I bounced around on servers and guilds in my last mmorpg (star wars galaxies) before joining the guild I've ended up being in for 6 years and counting.

 

To all my fellow ladies no matter your age, have fun and don’t worry about "them" you will find jerks (male and female) and you will find some really nice folks too. Here, as in rl, there are angles and devils: the game has an ignore button USE it and don’t let them scare you into hiding, forgive, forget, and move on.

 

Whrr

 

Guild: Shadow Warriors

Server: Peragus Mining Facility (europe)

Guild: Shadow Warriors - West

Server: Naddist Rebel (east coast)