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…
- Playing someone that differs from one’s irl identity
- Physical Attractivity
- Male character writing and design
- Lara Croft effect
- Lady Dwarf
Male. If I can make a character, I’ll make a male character almost every time, especially on a first run. Or if the character is otherwise a placeholder for "me* in the game.
That said, I love when games give us female protagonists that aren’t sexualized (think FF6), and I’d love to see more of that.
So, do I prefer to play as a male character? It depends.
I’d like to see some good takes on “female perspective” in games. But if it’s basically an aesthetic difference, I’m making a character that matches my gender because it’s supposed to be “me” in the game.