Poll: Which Type are you?

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  1. #1
    Merely a Setback Adam Jensen's Avatar
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    Guys Playing Female Characters

    No, this isn't one of *those* threads. This is more about identity and the player character than anything else. I am a male who plays plenty of female characters in RPGs, generally for aesthetic reasons (I can't stand how male blood elves look, for example.)

    I came across a thread on Wowhead that brought up an interesting point and I wanted to see what others thought about it. The poster stated that there are basically two types of people who play RPGs.

    Type A: You put yourself into your character. Your character is a reflection of you and you identify with your character. So if you play, say Dragon Age, you consider the actions of the Grey Warden to be your actions.

    Type B: You control your character's actions, but the character himself (or herself) is his own character in his own universe. You do not identify with your character, you're just the puppetmaster. Again, with the Grey Warden, the things the Grey Warden does are his actions, not so much yours, even though you control him. You are like a director for a movie, you control what happens, but you're not in the story.

    I am personally a Type B. I do not identify myself with any of my characters, not even my WoW characters or characters in open world games like Skyrim. I see them as their own characters, separate from me which is why they can be female, or evil, or whatever the hell I want.

    I also feel, that if this is true, some games lend better towards Type A and some to Type B. Mass Effect, where you play Commander Shepard, is more of a Type B game. While you're given some leeway into customizing Shepard, he/she is still BioWare's character. Or perhaps Deus Ex HR where you are Adam Jensen and have very little customization (none aside from dialogue and augments.) Skyrim on the other hand is far more for the Type A's, where the character is entirely customizable to the player.

    So, the poll asks, are you a Type A or a Type B? And do you think this theory is valid or not?

    One more thing, I also don't think it's black and white either. I think someone who is a Type A, for example, might have some of the traits of a Type B and vice versa, so vote whatever feels the stronger for you.
    Putin khuliyo

  2. #2
    Deleted
    I'm type B, I only pick my characters cause they fit with whatever role they have (orc shaman, blood elf priest etc.)

  3. #3
    Any time you are dealing with "ideal types" you need to understand that its not black or white, its a spectrum (much like gender and sexuality)

    I am type A, for the most part. Immersion is very important to me and when it is broken repeatedly I usually lose interest in the game. This makes my enjoyment of the game very tied to the writing or story. Its part of why leveling in warcraft was such a god damn chore whereas in swtor it was pretty nice. However, I made the mistake of putting smuggler and bounty hunter as my last 2 stories to complete. Oh my god. I hate them. I can not care about my characters and so I unsubscribed. Compared to my female agent it was like eating a lightbulb.

    I find that I have to switch between A and B depending on the game I am playing, or story.

    In MGS 3 I could really care about bigboss. I allowed myself to slip into his character, immersing myself in the story.
    I could not do that in MGS2. So in that game I was very much type B.

    In swtor, for about half the stories I could be type A and for the other half type B.
    In baldurs gate I could be type A and icewind dale I could only be type B.
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  4. #4
    New Kid Zaelsino's Avatar
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    Bit of both really. My WoW main, for example, I created as pretty much an exaggerated reflection of myself, but I tend to treat him as his own character. Type A is a good starting point (it's easier to get invested in something you identify with), but treating their actions as their own actions (impersonally, in other words) is more enjoyable imo. More room to play with and explore them.

  5. #5
    I'm a mixture of both, and I'd say it depends on the game what type I'll be.

    For games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age I go for Type A. I may play around a bit with Type B, but it never feels "right".

    Type B is for basically everything else. If I don't feel a personal attachment to my character I'll just create a character that fits my idea/stereotype of that race/class/whatever.
    "In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." Paradox of tolerance

  6. #6
    I would go with B, also if a game have better casting animations or animations in general for females then i pick female, pretty tired off only rolling male chars all the time so i mix it up.

  7. #7
    I've always picked female characters. I see them as being sleeker, faster, more calculating and subtle, rather than muscles/brute strength/hulk smash

    So I guess in this scenario I'd be a bit both?
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  8. #8
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    I'll be completely honest in saying I've no idea why I play female characters, thought I will say that WoW is the only game I do this in. It just feels... right, where as in other games where there is a choice (whether is be console games or other MMOs), it's always a male, and playing a female feels (sub-par?) I've no idea, but always type B, I never put myself into my character, though when I feel my character shares some of my personality (like Squall from FF8, even went as far as to buy his necklace and wear it), I tend to get a bit more involved in the lore/story of the game.
    For reference, I am a male and play a beautiful female Worgen (I know no one else likes them D=) and a female Panda.

  9. #9
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    Can't find truly fitting transmog set for male trolls apart from mainstream ones, while for female trolls i find many.

  10. #10
    Fluffy Kitten Remilia's Avatar
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    I'm a bit of both, it highly depends on what it is I suppose.
    It also depends on how I look at the aesthetics of the game too. >.>

    That and lots of times game males look bad.

  11. #11
    Red headed female dwarves are where its at.
    (Warframe) - Dragon & Typhoon-
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  12. #12
    Type B. I've been roleplaying online for years, so my characters in games are just an extension of that. One of the main reasons I typically dislike games with a silent protagonist.
    ~ flarecde
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  13. #13
    Bloodsail Admiral hiragana's Avatar
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    I play mostly as type B in most games, since i cant relate to the character well. That said i play as an extension of myself in some games. That doesnt mean that i need to play someone that looks like me though. I play an orc male in skyrim whose married to another orc male and wears massive plate armor while using destruction spells, just because that what id do haha.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    I´m a girl, and i´d say i´m hovering between Type A and B. I also play male characters, really depending on the aesthetics solely. For example, i play a male High Elf in Rift, because i don´t like how the females look. Obviously, with male characters i always am Type B when playing.

  15. #15
    Legendary! llDemonll's Avatar
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    Type B

    I played Male Gnome to 70, then Female Undead shortly after BC came out through Cataclysm when I stopped. My only other real alt was a Male Undead I leveled to 70

    The main reason I picked Female Undead was because of the casting animations and everyone and their mother was playing male undead priest and i didn't want to be "another one"
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  16. #16
    Merely a Setback Adam Jensen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by flarecde View Post
    Type B. I've been roleplaying online for years, so my characters in games are just an extension of that. One of the main reasons I typically dislike games with a silent protagonist.
    I'm definitely with you on that, that's one of the few things I liked in DA2 and did not like in DA:O.

    Now, Skyrim is such an open world that a voiced Dovahkiin might not have really fit, but for DA, ME, DE:HR, having the protagonist voiced just made it feel more solid.
    Putin khuliyo

  17. #17
    For me, it completely depends on the type of RPG, its depth and whether it's actually aimed at including you and your decisions in the game, or your character's.

    Generally, silent protagonist games put you in the mind set that this is basically you: Whether as a mage, warrior or space cowboy, the decisions are yours and the game follows your course. In games where the character you play has options and choices that are based on what they are within that world, it tends to drive towards projecting what you believe that character would do.

  18. #18
    Type B. I create a character based on a concept. If that character turns out fun, male or female, then I may continue that character in other games. For example, I always have a sneak-based archer in TES games that is female, which is a continuation of that same character that was used in the previous game. In fact, due to the similarities, I continued this character into F3 and F:NV. However, my Heavy (armed and armored) is a guy. One of my favorite characters in City of Heroes is female (and one of the first female characters that I had), so I try and copy that character into other games where ice is the primary focus of the character (In LotRO, my male Loremaster has a Frost Raven named after her). I created a female Forsaken warrior in WoW, because her 'special move' animation is a front-flip attack. Originally made to dual wield fist weapons (I wish their fist weapon stance was the same as their unarmed stance, so badass), I got conned into Tanking and enjoyed it (though I used fist & shield whenever possible, which means everything up until heroics). So, it first depends on the concept of the character, and then if that character grows on me for whatever reason, I try and continue their legacy in other games.

  19. #19
    The Lightbringer Shakadam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bathory View Post
    I've always picked female characters. I see them as being sleeker, faster, more calculating and subtle, rather than muscles/brute strength/hulk smash

    So I guess in this scenario I'd be a bit both?
    This is pretty much me as well.
    The sad truth is that, even though I'm a hetero male, I identify better with female characters in video games. 99% of males in video games are depicted as macho, brutish thugs with biceps the size of a small country and the intellect level of an ox. That's just not me.

  20. #20
    Deleted
    Mine's simple, I go with the most agile looking, most games that allow for gender selection tend to favour speed and agility in female characters and strength for the male ones and so the choice is fairly straightforward.

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