Males playing females & vice versa. Are you treated differently?

[Nakkyi]

I am a male and I do play both Male and Female characters. It started with my first MMO ever, 9Dragons. I really wanted to try the Sacred Flower clan, which is a female only clan in the game. Some of the other clans in the game had gear that simply looked better as females. Others as males.

 

Any female I play now is usually for some sort of aesthetic reason. Gear is better, VA is better, etc. Now, I've not once made a female in this game that is scantily clad, sexy, or half-naked. However, I do find the treatment is slightly different than on my male toons. Usually it is smaller things. I get invited to groups while out questing more often. Random guild invites are much more frequent. I find people appreciate the effort you put into the looks a lot more on females than on males.

 

Then, you do have the creepers. I get my share of very......suggestive whispers. I've had people try to give me some credits, empty shells(9.5/10 times it's something "sexy"), mods. Even in some of my random FP's, I quite often get people try to give me some Biochem crafts at the start.

 

Now, I never make a female character for special treatment. It's always just to fit the character background I have created. I actually create the entire backstory, personality, etc. first. The gender is almost always created last. The only difference is my Sage and Marauder as created those two for the sole purpose of a SGR for my legacy.

[slafko]

No big deal, just a social phenomenon. In another thread on female body types the issue was brought up, and many players insisted there was no difference. I mentioned that my grandson, who is 15, always plays females, and he reported to me that "guys give him stuff" and he thinks it is funny. I mentioned this and people seemed to think it wasn't true.

I've been playing female chars for over a decade now and no one ever gave me free stuff. But then again, I've never played on american servers.

Edited June 6, 2014 by slafko

[horrorfaneightys]

I'm a woman, and I play both male and female characters. I tend to pay female first, and then male for the opposite AC. Outside of being whispered for help once, and being addressed as beautiful lady, nothing.

[Karkais]

No, I am not treated differently. But I also usually don't dress my female characters provocatively, flirt or go looking for different treatment. In fact I'm one of those who prefer their female toons in the dark action girl vein, which I doubt most boys would find 'sexy'.

[SgtJeremy]

I played a female Sorcerer because the male Inquisitor voice actor annoys me and I heard she sounds amazing. But I do notice people are generally nicer and are more willing to help me out. And I noticed a massive rise in my MVP votes in warzones. I'd usually get one or 2 as a male character and now I get 3-5 as a female. Of course Sorcerer off heals helps a bunch. I do find myself being nicer to female players because come on now, we all like girls who play games. I don't give them free s*** though cause that's kind of creepy lol.

[Ansultares]

I might be sexist but I can't make any character in any game where the class relies on strength to be a female - ever. If they have to swing a sword then I'll never make them a female.

You clearly don't watch Game of Thrones.

[Mistwisp]

As mentioned in a previous post I think the most obvious difference in treatment is on the starter worlds. I play on the RP servers, and let me tell you, the RP guild interviews range from about 2-5 minutes for male characters, and can drag on for upwards of half an hour for female characters. (This with no change to the tone or nature of the responses!!!) With no end in sight I usually have to plead AFK excuses to exit these interviews without upsetting the person who has just spent 30 minutes attempting to appear noble, witty, charming or powerful.

[ScarletBlaze]

I am a lady and I only played ladies but I haven't noticed any special treatment but that could be on account most of the time when I'm leveling I am with my boyfriend.

 

I have a couple of other toons that are level 55 that I normally only play when he's not on but as those are normally just doing dailies and weeklies on makeb and places like that I don't see any special treatment.

[Solloby]

In WoW I played mostly female characters, and had a creeper after me. It wasn't fun, he couldn't understand that no meant no. I also had a guy give me his phone number on the same day he met me. Most people I interacted with in the game were ok though, so I guess it's really a luck-of-the-draw thing regarding who you meet.

 

In SWTOR I play mostly male characters and have yet to have any creepers after me. That said, I've not had any creepers after my females, but I don't play them very often.

 

I played another online game where I had a friend who was around my age, and he went all creeper on our mutual friend, a married woman who was very uncomfortable about the whole thing. She was having a lot of difficulty trying to get him to stop. He knew I was female, but I have a feeling that the only reason he never went all creeper on me instead of her was because I was playing a male character at the time.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Solloby

[Drayvis]

No big deal, just a social phenomenon. In another thread on female body types the issue was brought up, and many players insisted there was no difference. I mentioned that my grandson, who is 15, always plays females, and he reported to me that "guys give him stuff" and he thinks it is funny. I mentioned this and people seemed to think it wasn't true.

 

So I tried it. I have always played males, and usually I try to get them to look as old as I can--because I'm old myself (65). So my guys are bald or nearly so with a big grey mustache, etc. But this time I rolled a youngish Inquisitor who looks in her twenties and is petite. I tried to keep my playing style the same and did not approach things any differently than I have in the past. I noticed immediately that I got about twice as many invites to groups and guilds as I ever got playing my other guys.

 

This isn't a scientific study as I did not roll one Male and one Female of exactly the same type and run them more or less parallel with the same answers and all. But I tried hard to make the female work as closely to possible to the other characters I have.

 

I'm not willing to come to any definite conclusions, but my feeling is that there is something to it. What do you guys and gals think. Are you treated any differently by other players depending on what type of character you roll? Just curious is all--not like it's a major issue.

 

I would say it has more to do with being an Inquisitor than being female. Since Inquisitors can become healers, they're a bit more in demand for groups. I play a roughly even split on genders and never notice a difference. I play whatever gender seems appropriate for the character I'm cooking up to RP. I'm told I play a rather convincing female, mainly because I don't try to emphasize what most guys think of as "female" traits.

[Drayvis]

But then, I don't look for free crap, encourage it, or attempt to flirt with or manipulate people. I just quietly log in, play, and log out. I suspect that has a lot to do with it.

 

Only time I ever got freebies playing a female character was back in my EQ1 days, and it only happened once. This was before the Luclin models came out and there was still a female dwarf face option with a beard. Some high level running by stopped and noticed I was using the bearded female face and dumped some gold and gear on me because he thought it was cool to see a player doing that. Didn't ask for it, wasn't looking for it, but did appreciate it.

[Drayvis]

I'm a male, and of course I roll female characters!

 

The game is so much more fun and cheaper playing girl toons. Just find the "right" men and you pay for nothing.

 

I get free cartel packs, power level runs. Millions in free credits. I even got my first Revan's mask from a smitten fellow gamer.

 

Say the right words. Flirt. Call them Honey. Give lots of /hugs and kisses. Amazing how simple it is.

 

Yes, I've ended up with a stalker or two, but that's when it's really fun to share that I'm a dude.

 

Yeah, you're the type of player that makes people think guys who play female characters are scum.

[jedip_enguin]

This kind of thing makes me despair for humanity.

[Drayvis]

In WoW I played mostly female characters, and had a creeper after me. It wasn't fun, he couldn't understand that no meant no. I also had a guy give me his phone number on the same day he met me. Most people I interacted with in the game were ok though, so I guess it's really a luck-of-the-draw thing regarding who you meet.

 

Well...WoW. 'nuff said there.

[LanceCorporalDan]

The only female toon I've ever played was my jugg. And the only reason I did so was because I hated the SW male voice, but love the female one. I only dressed in appropriate Sith attire and only had a weird encounter once on Dromund Kaas. But other than that I kept to myself and was treated the same as on all other characters of mine.

[scarlet_magpie]

ALL of my toons are female. They look cooler, they have better voices and it's fantasy immersion as I am a fella in real life.

I get lots of friend adds, trades, help and gifts etc, but tbh I think that's cos I am friendly and helpful as opposed to being a hot lady.

 

I don't really go for the sexy look , but sometimes manage it by default (Czerka corporate shirt, mini skirt and Thorn boots make me a scooby-doo cheerleader dominatrix marauder!) and I imagine it does help a little especially when you're struggling on oricon etc....

[DomiSotto]

Female, play both, see no difference. Ninja group invites in hard areas, auto-decline of guild invites. My BT3 Females were the only ones to get dueling invites (and I do favor BT3 females). The same character, a BT3 harsh-looking Sith Warrior had me referred to as 'she' in group chat during FP twice, but supple Twi'lek Smuggler had me referred to as 'he' in chat. I don't bother to correct.

 

I saw courtesy and generosity by the other players like when two other folks went back through the dungeon to pick me up at the entrance when the H4+ crashed on me 1 objective short of goal. I saw rudeness like when someone initiated a vote kick because I couldn't enter FP when the rest of the group did due to my longer loading time (FP locked me out as they started fighting).

 

SO, a mixed bag, and I doubt it has anything to do with gender at all, and would have mattered if I wore a badge 'female player' on my character.

Edited June 6, 2014 by DomiSotto

[sarasvatri]

In a psychosexual context that would imply a sadistic proclivity on my part, to which I respectfully demure. However, from a purely sociologic perspective you may consider those enumerated groupings as cohorts. But with respect to this thread, one man's box is another's mound of Venus, so to speak.

 

I'm not adding much to the thread, but you're awesome. Please continue.

[Tsillah]

In a psychosexual context that would imply a sadistic proclivity on my part, to which I respectfully demure. However, from a purely sociologic perspective you may consider those enumerated groupings as cohorts. But with respect to this thread, one man's box is another's mound of Venus, so to speak.

 

Just as a sidenote, I would like to mention that there is a difference between demur and demure. It would appear you picked the adjective rather than the verb and if my memory serves me right, the correct usage would be to say that you demur at something and not to something.

 

[Halinalle]

I am male and I have around 50/50 male and female toons. When it comes to gear choices I'm different... I guess.

I like to choose gear that looks good on that specific character like my Marauder demonstrates in this pic:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/raid/temp/marauder.png

 

But then again my newest tank uses Expert Fighter set:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/raid/temp/shadow1.png

 

I haven't noticed any differences how male and female toons are treated. If they aren't trolling they treat me as a player just like I treat others in this game.

[Laris_Rai]

I play both. Whatever seems the most interesting or the best fit for the class. I got a "Hey, baby!" from a guy once while while playing one of my female characters. But that's the only time anything like that ever happened to me. If someone asks I tell them the truth. But it doesn't come up much, honestly.

[EranofArcadia]

I have an even mix of both, and in most games where it's an option, I pick female characters even though I am male. I have never been on the receiving end (or the giving end) of any of that sort of behavior, or even witnessed it. It helps that most* of my characters are dressed appropriately I guess. I have even been identified as male when with a female alt, I suppose as the result of people just assuming.

 

*(What? I assure you, I have a perfectly valid, in-game RP reason for putting Vette in slave girl gear. Really. Nothing to do with me as a player.)

[Daekarus]

I really do hope you're lying for two reasons.

 

1. If you're being truthful then you're no better than the worst kind of scammer; and
   
2. You're precisely the kind of player who makes MMO'ing more difficult for legitimate female players than is necessary.
   

 

I'm female in real life and choose to play nothing but female characters in games, principally because I identify closely with my characters and doing so with a male alt has never given me any measure of enjoyment. That said, I have nothing particularly against those who roll opposite genders, except in the case of the uniquely reprehensible example given above.

This would be a reasonable stance if women didn't do it too, in-game and in real life. However, since some of them do, this essentially boils down to a "you don't have ovaries, you're not allowed to use social norms to your advantage.". If you don't like it, you have no choice but to criticize both men and women who use such tactics, in and out of game. I think you will find you'll receive quite a cold reception when you suggest to women that they're not allowed to flirt to influence men favorably.

 

FWIW, my main (Vanguard Tank) is female, and I don't play her that way because I don't think of Havoc Squad members as manipulative. If I were playing a female smuggler? I would consider it - it's part of the image.

[Kernel_Cinders]

Just putting my two cents in here . . .

 

I've been gaming online since 1997 and I've always thought that it was very creepy for a guy to play a female character. It's just . . . strange to me. I'm not judging. I'm just stating my own opinion. Bronies creep me out even more, but again, I deal with it. To each their own.

 

If a guy wants to play a female character, go for it. It doesn't affect my enjoyment of whatever game I am playing.

[Jeweledleah]

honestly? I'm completely oblivious. the only time I notice is when its hard not to - like getting whispers or random pugs getting all weird in chat when I speak up (though this hasn't happened in a long while, but then again, I'm very selective in my pugs)

 

this is mostly becasue I disassociate my own gender from the one I play in a video game. I'm not playing myself, I'm playing a character. you can't really tell who the person behind the avatar is. not reliably.

 

that said, people who manipulate others into giving them stuff for free - irritate the hell out of me. regardless of their irl gender. sure, its a two sided affair, but... its a TWO SIDED AFFAIR. you cannot just lay all the blame at the people you sucker into it, seeing as YOU are the one choosing to use other people, YOU are the one doing the lying and manipulating. don't shift the blame on your victims, accept full responsibility for being an ******e