cross-gender characters

[GoblinGilmartin]

So, I was wondering.... why do people think that a guy with a female PC is weird? arent RPGs all about role playing?

Opinions please...
and don't be ugly...

[Yora]

We had this very same discussion two or so weeks ago. Please use the search function to find it.

[WarKitty]

There have been a few recent threads on this.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166435

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167931

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167865

Basically it depends on the maturity of your gaming group. Some groups it works just fine. Some groups you end up with horny teenage guys playing a 24/7 porn star turned adventurer.

[Caliphbubba]

meh. I have a couple of longtime charaters that are gender-flipped.

I don't think its weird, and very few people I play with on a regular basis think its all that weird.

The one notable exception in my circle of friends that discourages it didn't have a very good answer when I asked him about it.

[Gensh]

The problem isn't usually that a male player is acting out a female character, so much as that it's frequently a guy with a low level of maturity using it as an excuse to have other people justify his wish fulfillment. Sort of like classic Star Trek, except that the plot has even less bearing on character interaction. I don't do it because I don't believe that I can play a convincing woman. Meh.

[WarKitty]

http://www.goblinscomic.com/08192005/
http://www.goblinscomic.com/08202005/

[Snake-Aes]

Some people are really abhorrent to the idea... <shrug> These tend to be exactly the ones I don't like talking to anyway so I don't miss them the least.

I have an in-game example of that though. My changeling character is played specifically with the typical Becomer trait of being extremely liberal with the capacity of assuming forms. This squicks some of the characters in the party. Others are pleasantly puzzled.

[Zaydos]

The problem is when the character is used as sexual wish fulfillment. I've seen the problem with girls playing girl characters too so it doesn't bother me except when done really badly (and I'm not talking 'oh my character is a nekomimi' badly, I'm talking 'want to...' from a 2-ft pixie to the human warrior within the first 3 minutes of being introduced bad). Personally I've been worried about playing a female character because I feared I would do it badly.

[kamikasei]

Sort of like classic Star Trek

Wait, what?

[Tengu_temp]

http://www.goblinscomic.com/08192005/
http://www.goblinscomic.com/08202005/

Because everyone knows that exaggerated stereotypes played for humour are a completely accurate depiction of reality!

Okay, some guys really do play female characters like that. But I wouldn't want to play with someone like that even if he played a male one.

[Yuki Akuma]

Wait, what?

Gene Roddenberry: Space Pervert.

[WarKitty]

Because everyone knows that exaggerated stereotypes played for humour are a completely accurate depiction of reality!

Okay, some guys really do play female characters like that. But I wouldn't want to play with someone like that even if he played a male one.

Yeah that's the type most people are thinking of when they object to cross-gender roleplaying.

Wait, what?

To be fair, star trek was pretty good for the 60's.

[Yora]

I think most people who play their female characters as sluts, also play their male characters as pigs. So whatever...

[DeltaEmil]

I don't think they play male characters at all, as long as they have the option to play a female scantily claded (or even naked) battle whore using sex to dominate their enemies and to heal themselves (by draining the enemies health), or whatever dubious methods there are.

[arrowhen]

It's because girls have cooties. Even pretend girls.

[Yora]

I think it's plain homophobia.

[Ravens_cry]

I think it's plain homophobia.

If you chop the word up and take the Latin and Greek literally, not wanting to play opposite genders would be heterophobia.
But in all seriousness, I don't really see how wanting or not wanting to play the gender you don't identify has anything to do with homosexuality.

[Prime32]

If you chop the word up and take the Latin and Greek literally, not wanting to play opposite genders would be heterophobia.

And metrosexuals are people with either a city or mother fetish...

[WarKitty]

If you chop the word up and take the Latin and Greek literally, not wanting to play opposite genders would be heterophobia.
But in all seriousness, I don't really see how wanting or not wanting to play the gender you don't identify has anything to do with homosexuality.

It depends. There are some cases I've seen where guys just get hung up on another guy playing an attractive character (because they find the character attractive and then realize it's "really" the player and get squicked). In my experience that's not the majority but it does happen.

[Shademan]

I just cant envision the other players as a female character if they are male...
therefore i only play females if they are genderless (robots) nondiscernable (big hairy ogre) or if it is a PbP or video game

[Snake-Aes]

But in all seriousness, I don't really see how wanting or not wanting to play the gender you don't identify has anything to do with homosexuality.

The problem lies in the fact that people who have a problem with players playing cross-gendered "see" it.

[WarKitty]

I just cant envision the other players as a female character if they are male...
therefore i only play females if they are genderless (robots) nondiscernable (big hairy ogre) or if it is a PbP or video game

Hehe. Now I'd like you to try envisioning me as an orc barbarian...

Spoiler

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[Ravens_cry]

It depends. There are some cases I've seen where guys just get hung up on another guy playing an attractive character (because they find the character attractive and then realize it's "really" the player and get squicked). In my experience that's not the majority but it does happen.

I would say that's pretty distinct from homophobia, as that would imply that someone who wants to play an opposite gender is homosexual.

[WarKitty]

I would say that's pretty distinct from homophobia, as that would imply that someone who wants to play an opposite gender is homosexual.

Maybe. Usually homophobia has a good dose of I-don't-want-any-homosexuals-around-me. In essence though it's the same reason a homophobe would refer to a MtF as a "trap" - because he's finding himself attracted to someone who's "really a man" but that's not possible because he's straight but...

[AtwasAwamps]

Hehe. Now I'd like you to try envisioning me as an orc barbarian...

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Show

COME ON PEOPLE. This has been up for five minutes. Why isn't there a photoshop recolor up?

You disappoint me, internet.

[Ravens_cry]

Maybe. Usually homophobia has a good dose of I-don't-want-any-homosexuals-around-me. In essence though it's the same reason a homophobe would refer to a MtF as a "trap" - because he's finding himself attracted to someone who's "really a man" but that's not possible because he's straight but...

I still think we are stretching the term homophobe a bit far here.

[WarKitty]

I still think we are stretching the term homophobe a bit far here.

In my experience it's usually an odd mix of homophobia and misogyny and a lack of self-confidence. There's no neat term though.

[Telonius]

Hehe. Now I'd like you to try envisioning me as an orc barbarian...

Spoiler

Show

With some tusks, a bunch of green paint, lack of glasses, slightly longer (and darker) hair, a bared-teeth scowl, and a whole bunch of acting?

.... maybe.

[AtwasAwamps]

I don’t really like people playing opposite gender characters unless I’m sure they can handle it. One of the players at my table…who I hate as a player because he’s got the brain capability of a drunken duck…wanted to play a female drow character in my 4e game. He’s mostly fine, and then periodically has his character wandering around naked, scantily clad, or otherwise stripped and acting like a complete and utter moron about being naked around men and dangling her lady bits at them.

It’s…irritating, to say the least. I don’t like it. He’s currently got a bit of an ultimatum from myself and his girlfriend…play a woman better or be ready to reroll.

I don’t have an inherent prejudice against it, I just don’t like seeing it done poorly. Its awkward and embarrassing to watch, so I’m wary of it from the start. I do the same to women who want to play male characters.

[Telonius]

I don’t really like people playing opposite gender characters unless I’m sure they can handle it. One of the players at my table…who I hate as a player because he’s got the brain capability of a drunken duck…wanted to play a female drow character in my 4e game. He’s mostly fine, and then periodically has his character wandering around naked, scantily clad, or otherwise stripped and acting like a complete and utter moron about being naked around men and dangling her lady bits at them.

It’s…irritating, to say the least. I don’t like it. He’s currently got a bit of an ultimatum from myself and his girlfriend…play a woman better or be ready to reroll.

I don’t have an inherent prejudice against it, I just don’t like seeing it done poorly. Its awkward and embarrassing to watch, so I’m wary of it from the start. I do the same to women who want to play male characters.

My sympathies. Also, see WarKitty's links above.