Why do so many men play as women in first person VR games?

[Obi]

I'm an incredibly ugly looking person in real life. I really wish I was cute, more than anything, so for my escapism I play cute characters. Most of the time the female character designs are the cutest so I play as them. But sometimes you get a cute guy like Mirage in Apex, so I play him. Or sometimes you can be a cute little robot or animal, so I play as that.

 

[NoKisum]

I haven't mess with VR games yet. But if the type of games in question are like any other games with various avatars and/or character creators, I usually just make a random girl because guys with afrocentric hairstyles are usually too crazy and impossible of an idea for developers to think up.

 

[Deleted member 19070]

I think its really reductive and kinda sexist to assume there's a singular phenomenon... would you think there was 1 single reason a woman would want to play as any sort of male character?

- some men do it for hetero thrills
- some men like the attention it gets them
- some men just want variety in RPing
- some men are curious about being a woman
- some men are REALLY curious about being a woman
- some men are genderfluid
- some men just latched on to more female role models
- some men do it for a political statement
- some men just really like a specific character or type that happens to be female
- some men just think... women are cool

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Apologies if anywhere I implied there was a singular reason. Of course there are many. There's been many articles written on this for non-vr games and I was interested in reasons why this happens in VR games given the different dynamics of character embodiment.

 

[Jonathan Lanza]

I have occasional fantasies of looking like a cute anime girl. I genuinely do not know what this stems from.
This is the only time I've ever admitted this.

 

[Maternal Heart]

It's funny, it's almost like the premise of this thread is that men shouldn't ever try to empathize or put themselves in shoes of other people. Meanwhile, a whole lot of other people are forced to put themselves in the shoes of men all the fucking time across so much media.

 

[Common Knowledge]

It's funny, it's almost like the premise of this thread is that men shouldn't ever try to empathize or put themselves in shoes of other people. Meanwhile, a whole lot of other people are forced to put themselves in the shoes of men all the fucking time across so much media.

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That's certainly something that needs to be worked upon, I agree. Which is why I kind of shake my head at the "cause I want to be a hot girl" responses. It'd be nice to see a little more depth from guys who play as women than that.

 

[Deleted member 19070]

That's certainly something that needs to be worked upon, I agree. Which is why I kind of shake my head at the "cause I want to be a hot girl" responses. It'd be nice to see a little more depth from guys who play as women than that.

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For myself, when I change to female characters in Social VR apps and especially when I don't speak, it does give me some perspective with how I'm treated differently. VR enhances this a great deal as well.

 

[TinfoilHatsROn]

It's funny, it's almost like the premise of this thread is that men shouldn't ever try to empathize or put themselves in shoes of other people. Meanwhile, a whole lot of other people are forced to put themselves in the shoes of men all the fucking time across so much media.

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It's more like: In a first person game where you aren't forced to be a man or a woman (you can choose how you want to be represented) why are (some) men choosing to play as a woman. Isn't it? Cause in those other games you can't not choose to be Nathan Drake. Or whatever generic white dude. Though nowadays we've progressed to having PoC and women and I should acknowledge that. (Though in MMOs you can also choose to be who you want.)

The answer is a variety of reasons though.

Edit: Added more deets

 

[Sub Boss]

Girls are cuter and have boobs

 

[RadicalDreamer]

I fully support people being able to present or exist as they wish, even just as a curiosity, and VR is such a great opportunity to be able to do that in comfort. It's affirming to see men here honestly talking about why they use female avatars, and that the perspective gained from a VR environment can enlightening, or rather, breaking the rose-colored glasses that many males wear during every day life.

Also, r/egg_irl would eat this thread up.

 

[Poppy]

probably because they feel like it

 

[Deleted member 48434]

Girls are cute, guys are gross.
I know what I would rather be.

 

[Fat4all]

i play as a dumpy man and always name him Agmire

 

[Captain of Outer Space]

I play enough games with male leads, so I like to shake things up now and then and go with female characters when it's an option.

 

[Deleted member 8561]

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

IRL I look like one of those generic male protagonists that were in every goddamn game last gen. I've already spent way more than enough time playing as myself.

I might as well be someone completely different. It's escapism... right?

 

[KhandoleezzaRice]

I imagine it's because some people like playing dress up and customizing attractive looking women. Anecdotally speaking even though a lot of people say that they want to play as something other than themselves, the less humanoid, conventionally attractive or jokey something is the less people pick it. Specifically I'm thinking of Final Fantasy XIV where the vast majority of people you see running around are humans or cat-people.

 

[Deleted member 3093]

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That's what I'm inclined to think, for some of them anyway. People experimenting with gender.

 

[Alucard_DCLXVI_]

I, as a born male, don't particularly identify with anything stereotypical regarding the social connotations of "my" sex (in fact, male gender expression is a black hole to me where I reside in a corner, purely out of fear of disturbing my social anxieties).

It brings me great joy to inhabit a female avatar in a fictional setting - where the escapism temporarily, somehow, alleviate the real world frustrations of acting the part of what's "expected" of me. Sadly, this escapism is not yet available for Playstation VR I believe.
----

My experience might certainly be an outlier within "men's tendency to play as women avatars".

Furthermore, an interesting and relevant inquiry in this is also how many play for self-insertion/(narrative engaged)escapism vs approaching the medium as entertainment/a "plaything"/ - something to enjoyable pass time.
Games allows both of these approaches (even at the same time in one instance); thereof I find it hard how to gauge and assess relevant information without detailing this juncture in anyone's statement - because it seems like this would be a consequential divider in determining the attitudes the original inquiry asks to research.

 

[Transistor]

I guess when you spend your whole life being one thing, it's nice to change it things up, if only virtually.

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Pretty much. Sheeeeeit, 99% of my custom characters are women.

 

[carlsojo]

I play as a female character in general when given the option. They almost 100% of the time get better style options.

 

[Plum]

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Haha.

What a funny random comment.

Just posting an egg here like that.

I definitely don't know what it means having experienced those implications myself.

No siree.

 

[Robin]

There are a hundred reasons as to why. Why do people perform any kind of roleplay in video games? It's self explanatory: people are curious about things and experiences they can't have in real life. And that's fine.

 

[Deleted member 48434]

When I tried out VRchat, picking a female model and looking down was the weirdest fucking feeling.
It was pretty cool

 

[SoftTaur]

If I'm gonna be staring head down at my chest for 30 hours I'd rather stare at a woman's chest.

Wait a second...

 

[Deleted member 3093]

Haha.

What a funny random comment.

Just posting an egg here like that.

I definitely don't know what it means having experienced those implications myself.

No siree.

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What a plum comment

 

[Dark_Castle]

Because deep down everyone is a feminist! :)

 

[WaffleTaco]

Some people here to need to explore their gender in real life apparently, like a lot of these are very common trans thoughts.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

Same reason I play women in other games(Skyrim, Mass Effect, Call of Duty, Destiny, etc), its just "different" I guess.
Basically raised on playing/connecting/self inserting with male characters , i just like to experience something different.
On the other hand something like a long term MMO(FF XIV) I play as a male because it feels more like a direct representation of me.

I also have to say, playing Eve Valkyrie for the first time and looking down at a women's body in the cockpit gave me this weird feeling that actually immersed me more than typical dumb vr body parts.
Like its so different than what your brain expects to see it breaks the "that is totally not my body" disconnect.
(honestly I might have gotten that feeling with a male body the first time but thats what the PSVR demo had and that was my first PSVR game purchas)

 

[Crayolan]

girls are cute

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pretty much, it's not complicated

 

[Deleted member 48434]

Some people here to need to explore their gender in real life apparently, like a lot of these are very common trans thoughts.

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I get the feeling that most people are probably gender curious to an extent, some more so than others, I imagine most people lie about it though, as it's often not considered socially acceptable. I don't particularly like when others insist that having such curiosity MUST mean they are an egg, and I see it happen maybe too often, in both trans communities and transphobic communities. People should be able to explore gender without having any expectations forced on them.

 

[SturokBGD]

If I wanted to be me I'd put the controller down.

 

[Musubi]

I usually play women characters in games because i kind of identify and want to be them more than a man.

 

[Naked Snake]

Who wants to stare at dudes?

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Gay dudes.

I'm a gay dude and I never play as a female character when given the choice, and I feel disinterested in many games that are only playable as a woman, for example Tomb Raider, and Shantae. It's mostly only if the woman is sexualized/scantly clad, otherwise it doesn't really affect my interest in the game (for example Metroid or Celeste).

Not saying all gay dudes have this preference, I'm sure many like to play as females for whatever reason.

 

[Common Knowledge]

Some people here to need to explore their gender in real life apparently, like a lot of these are very common trans thoughts.

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Some of it is likely that. But I also think some of it may just be tied to low self-esteem and opinion of one's own appearance, which seems to be a common sentiment among communities like this one. Like, if you think you're ugly and gross in real-life, roleplaying as a "cute girl" will likely be appealing to you.

 

[LavaBadger]

I guess when you spend your whole life being one thing, it's nice to change it things up, if only virtually.

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I don't get into VR, but this is my rationale.

When I play games, I don't play "me". I've never done that. I play a character in a game. Why not be anyone? I try to play as diverse a group of characters as I can.

I play enough games with male leads, so I like to shake things up now and then and go with female characters when it's an option.

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Also this.

 

[Komo]

Because it lets them be something their not. I should know just seeing how comfortable I was in VRC as a female was my final push to transition.

 

[P-Tux7]

I like to play more as a girl than as a man to be honest. For some facts like the clothes are always cute, the designs are better, the fashion is nice, etc.

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Ugh, this! So what if I want to be a boy AND have long hair and flamboyant clothes? It's a video game where you're a kid whose mom trusts them to go out and catch monsters. Realism in culture is already out the window, Nintendo.

 

[Akira86]

i wonder if it has something to do with crossing that threshold for a really virtual and different experience. anyone can just be somene of the same sex, but changing it, people might be deliberately shifting the dynamic for themselves as far as persons, personas, and avatars go.

In games if they have two characters, male and female, I don't hesitate to try both because, why not? I haven't done VR, but this might be how others feel as well.

 

[Deleted member 8561]

 

[Quample]

I always try to make the character look like myself if I can. I don't know if that says something about my psychology or if it says something else for someone who often switches genders, but it would be an interesting study. It's probably an Occam's razor situation though; some people like to go all in with the fantasy of being someone else, some people (like me) want to be me, just in a virtual world.

 

[Vipu]

I can play both, it depends from game what I choose.

 

[Vegeta'sKakarot]

Probably cause the male options are boring af

I choose female sometimes in games in general cause they simply have better/more interesting designs. Pokemon for example has a ton of excellent female designs and the male designs are all "eh".

Like look at this

Why would I choose the boring male when I can have CHICKEN HEAD

 

[Blade Wolf]

The impression I'm getting from this thread is that we need hotter men in games.

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lol pretty much

 

[Theta]

I always pick the female option whenever given the choice.

 

[ASaiyan]

I think its really reductive and kinda sexist to assume there's a singular phenomenon... would you think there was 1 single reason a woman would want to play as any sort of male character?

Click to shrink...

For real, lol. As someone who generally creates self-insert (i.e., male) avatars...do we really have to assume that men who use female avatars do so purely for objectifying reasons? There are plenty of people who take an opposite approach to character creation than mine, and choose to "roleplay" as a character very different than themselves when given the opportunity by the imaginary world of video games (instead of something "boring", such as a person who is exactly like what they already are in real life). In fact, if threads are any indication, quite a lot of people on ResetEra create characters this way. No need to write them all off as "degenerates" for just wanting to play as a woman....

I haven't mess with VR games yet. But if the type of games in question are like any other games with various avatars and/or character creators, I usually just make a random girl because guys with afrocentric hairstyles are usually too crazy and impossible of an idea for developers to think up.

Click to shrink...

I doubt I will ever have the opportunity to make a video game. But if I do, and there is a character creator, the one thing I can guarantee is that there will be as many black hairstyles as I can physically fit in there. Era has drilled into me what an unfortunately common and exclusionary omission this is.

 

[Fredrik]

Gay dudes.

I'm a gay dude and I never play as a female character when given the choice, and I feel disinterested in many games that are only playable as a woman, for example Tomb Raider, and Shantae. It's mostly only if the woman is sexualized/scantly clad, otherwise it doesn't really affect my interest in the game (for example Metroid or Celeste).

Not saying all gay dudes have this preference, I'm sure many like to play as females for whatever reason.

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What if you play an RPG with romancing options, do you still play as a male then?

That's when it all falls apart for me as a hetero man when playing as a female. I dislike the dumb dating gameplay enough as it is but flirting with men just take things into total weirdness for me, can't do that.

I have no issues playing as Lara or Aloy though, then I go back to the regular hetero thinking that they're hot ladies that are easy on the eyes, wouldn't play as "Tom Braider" even if I could. :P

Anyway my wife is seriously straight forward. She always play as a female character, 100%, almost only read books with a female main character as well, love watching movies with powerful women, etc. She plays Zelda games though, but she would instantly dump Link and play as Zelda if she could.

 

[Roshin]

I will play what looks interesting to me. Women, orcs, dwarfs, men, whatever. I've seen enough generic male characters in my time, so yes, I often pick something else.

I look forward to the day I can do this without having someone question my sexuality or suggesting that all I want to do is objectify women and look at boobs. Hopefully it will happen in my lifetime. :D

 

[Naked Snake]

What if you play an RPG with romancing options, do you still play as a male then?

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I don't think I've ever played such a game... But aren't there some RPGs that let you romance same-sex characters? I think Dragon Age did that? I'm sure others have too. The only time I was into RPGs was on the original PlayStation (jRPGs that is); it's been that long.

 

[Datajoy]

Role playing is one of the most appealing aspects of playing games.