About one out of three men prefer playing female characters. Rethinking the importance of female protagonists in video games.
quanticfoundry.com
Survey data on player gender and character gender preference.

Well, as a guy, I’ve been asked multiple times why I systematically play games female characters in video games, to the point of skipping a game if I’m forced to pay a male one, with a few exceptions (I really liked Albus from Troubleshooters for example). Whenever there’s romance in a game, I’ll also take the F/F route. Yet, I don’t think I fetishize those in general. There’s a thing about not liking most M characters in games, but also something about playing someone really different from who I am. We’ve had an interesting conversation about this with my gf who always plays F characters and woyd never play M.

Although I’m a straight guy, I’ve always more identified to female friends and characters, although I have a few male friends too. So I’m wondering who else does that (playing a character not matching your gender), and if you found your own explanation.

Edit : It’s not really an oversexualization drive for me, I try to play a female character that looks like me, even though I’ve never thought about actually becoming a woman.

Edit 2 : So far, I think we have, hmm…

  1. Playing someone that differs from one’s irl identity
  2. Physical Attractivity
  3. Male character writing and design
  4. Lara Croft effect
  5. Lady Dwarf
  • TheBananaKing@lemmy.worldEnglish
    37·
    9 months ago

    Cishet guy; I play female characters more often than not.

    One factor for me is that so many male characters feel… cheesy, like the game assumes I’m hideously insecure in my masculinity and need to be excessively pandered to by making my avatar Muscledick McFireman, and all the ladeeeez will just be aching to jump into my pants when they see my ridiculously huge arms.

    It feels like really sad wish-fulfilment fantasy, to the point that it wrecks the immersion; it’s almost getting into AI Girlfriend levels of cringe.

    There’s more to it and I haven’t fully worked out all the edges, but that’s a big lump of it.

    I mean yes okay I also ferinstance play female dwarves in dragon age because my god Becky, but that’s both minor and very situational.