Study Claims Men Play Female Avatars to 'Win'

mytrip writes to mention a News.com article about the rationale behind male players playing female avatars in online games. The article says that, while some players are probably exploring 'gender roles, many just want free stuff. From the article: "Kathryn Wright, WomenGamers's consulting psychologist, earlier this decade found that 60 percent of male players who don female avatars, or on-screen personas, do it to gain an advantage in game play. An enthusiast with the online handle Jackpot649 nailed the zeitgeist in his response to the About.com query: 'I'm a guy, but if I gotta look at an avatar all day, I'd sooner look at a female avatar. Plus, people give you more free stuff.'"

Sounds like

[venicebeach]

Autogynephilia [wikipedia.org]

Re:duh

[grammar fascist]

I've played a female character once, ages ago, on a MUD. I can't for the life of me remember why - probably thought it was funny. I definitely put one over on one of my best friends...

Anyway, when I first logged on, some high-level male character was in the guild. He dumped a bunch of gold on me, a nice suit of armor, a great sword, kissed me, and took off. It was weird.

And no, I didn't like it. :p Well, I did. Not the kissing part, the equipment part. But it seems like, online, men expect something sensual from you if they give you favors. I suppose it's not that unlike life in that respect.

Re:That's basically it

[Murodese]

Confirmed. Also, often female characters have had far more time put into things like animation - hoping to hook male gamers. This has the additional side-effect of making the female characters look a lot more 'smooth', and just generally makes for a more enhanced gaming experience. People read into things like this far too often for no good reason, it seems.

Re:Creepy

[grammar fascist]

So if i were to ever create a female avatar I wouldn't be running around with a frity name like daisy-sunshine, but instead I'd go for something more macho as to not deceive anyone.

You'd have the fear factor going for you then, too. Women named "Butch" are just scary.

Re:This is why I treat all players in the game as

[springbox]

And let's admit it, men like to control women, weather they be digital or real. Games just makes it easier for men to control beautiful women.

Don't be so ignorant. There are a lot of games where you're stuck with what your character looks like for a potentially long time. Since I have a choice, I don't pick the often fugly males. I don't know where you pulled your idea out of, but basing your opinion of everyone on a stereotype can be pretty offensive.

Re:Don't forget closet transsexuals

[Anonymous Coward]

You might want to look at ffs - Facial Feminization Surgery. It's done wonders for me. Really - went from looking like "guy in a dress" to looking like "relatively cute girl."

Better than a shotgun.