Males playing females & vice versa. Are you treated differently?

Thing I don't get is, surely those guys that flirt with girl avatars must know, they surely must know that they're talking to a dude 95% of the time, yet they still do it...


I've tried playing both female and male characters and I do get treated pretty differently, nothing major, but it's there.

Too bad players can't just treat other players like they would want to be treated themselves.

I think this is the crux of it. I don't really understand the more sexualized things described on this thread, but the flirty RP makes sense to me regardless of who is behind the avatar. Playing the character rather than yourself is fine and interesting, but it throws some people off and still doesn't account for the more colorful and less logical whispers people have received.

People will be people, I guess. I guess I've run into it so seldom that it's a non-issue for me, and since I either don't consider the player gender or paint everyone with a gender-neutral brush in my head it doesn't occur to me.

I am secure enough in what passes for my masculinity to admit that I am so inept at manual labor that I never use my hands. I have a desk job, and I get other people to do stuff around the house that needs fixing.

As a female who plays (and roleplays) both female AND male characters, I don't notice any different treatment. Most people usually assume I'm a guy unless I tell them otherwise, regardless of the gender of my character. I know a lot of guys get a lot of flack for playing (and especially ROLEPLAYING) female characters, but I can't say as I've noticed the same for females playing male chars. It certainly hasn't been my experience, to say the least. People generally seem to think it's a-okay for me to play male characters without some deep seated psychological disorder but are quick to question the motives of a male doing the exact same thing.

It doesn't matter if he just likes the aesthetics of the female body (which is deliberately overly sexualized and artistically designed to EVOKE sexual attraction instincts), prefers the female animations for X class abilities, is roleplaying and wants to experience the game's story through the eyes of a female protagonist, has sexual identity issues, wants free stuff from gullible saps (which DOES happen, I've seen it first hand on many times, it really really works), or is some creepy sexual deviant. It doesn't matter what his motives are, it seems most people become armchair psychologists and diagnose him with sexual identity problems or write him off as gay.

But when I play male toons, nobody says anything, nobody treats me any different, nobody cares, and everyone is quick to understand if I prefer the animations or aesthetics of a male character over female. Nobody goes into crazy amateur psychology 101 mode and tries to diagnose me with gender problems or anything silly like that.

Sewing needles are better

I lol'd. And I would say that it's probably largely true, as well, but wanted to add that as a female, I'm perfectly willing to dress my female (and male hnnng) characters in skimpy, lewd attire if it looks awesome. I also happen to know I'm far from the only one. I think guys are getting more bent out of shape over the scantily clad females than we are lol. We just gripe that we can't objectify our male toons in the same way.

Combine Covert energy armors with the loin cloth that's out there on your male toon, and you pretty much have a Chippendales stripper at the end of his act. He just needs a sock to stuff down the front ...

true. but there are not as many objectification options :P

I still think that sensuous dress should have looked the same for female and males. why is it that male characters suddenly get more coverage? like the skirts getting leggings added to them, corset top acquiring a shirt, etc.
and for that matter... hour about those dancer outfits? I'd like some male versions, please.

I don't mind objectification as long as its equal.

Have you looked at using existing male outfits to do the Village People? How close can you come?

Village people... some closer than others. but Xerxes of 300 fame... not as close. I want jeweled collars and belts with flowing scarves attached, jeweled sandals and bracelets... you know :P salve, dancers, things equality please. moar options.

there are a lot more female only outfits than there are male only outfits (in fact the only outfit that I know of that's male only - is social 1 formal attire)