Curse

SOT · May 08, 2005, 07:13 PM // 19:13

I am kinda sad actually. I read all this and think "is this a game or 'Hard Ball'?

sad..so very sad...a game becomes a pundit forum

explode9339 · May 08, 2005, 07:14 PM // 19:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Principa Discordia

It's a social norm, yes. RPGs are not social in the real sense of the word, they're shared entertainment. Social rules do not apply in an RPG, simply by the definition of roleplaying.

Firstly, you agree with me by saying "its a social norm", and for that I thank you. "RPGs are not social in the real sense of the word", is a completely ambigous sentence that has little meaning. What is the "real sense" of the word social? I can give you the definition - Social: tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one's kind.

I would argue that most people play MMO Rpgs because of the ability to form relationships and cooperate with eachother. Otherwise, they would drop the MMO, and play just regular RPGs. Many missions and quests all but require the formation of relationships and cooperation to complete. PvP also requires cooperation and the formation of groups/parties/"relations" to compete effectively. GW is VERY Social.

"Shared Entertainment" is not social? So when I play poker with my friends thats not social? How about when I play basketball with them in a 5v5 game? How about when we sit around and watch Football every Sunday? What about when 4 of us connect to teamspeak and party up in a game called guildwars and duke it out with other 4 man teams in a pvp arena. Then after the battle, congratulate the other team or thank them for the challenge. These forms of shared entertainment are not social???

Taphoo · May 08, 2005, 07:15 PM // 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by explode9339

(mostly snipped to save space)

(Sorry, I had to be the devil's advocate here)

Enjoy flaming this response!

-Ex

Nicely done! I haven't seen a Troll that well done in quite a while!
Bravo!!

NoseJob · May 08, 2005, 07:16 PM // 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOT

I am kinda sad actually. I read all this and think "is this a game or 'Hard Ball'?

sad..so very sad...a game becomes a pundit forum

It's just an honest discussion about one of many aspects of online gaming. This topic is not the entire game. Thank god.

SOT · May 08, 2005, 07:16 PM // 19:16

I rest my case

Redfang · May 08, 2005, 07:21 PM // 19:21

I am not my character. When you played Monopoly, did you choose the shoe or the thimble. The shoe! Omg you perv.

explode9339 · May 08, 2005, 07:23 PM // 19:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redfang

I am not my character. When you played Monopoly, did you choose the shoe or the thimble. The shoe! Omg you perv.

You are the summation of your collective life experiences.

SOT · May 08, 2005, 07:29 PM // 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by explode9339

You are the summation of your collective life experiences.

And you're a literalist. I forgive you :P

Dendra · May 08, 2005, 07:31 PM // 19:31

In Table Top RPGs, when I first started playing I used to make females b/c I kindas liked the "empowerment" of being a woman when everyone else was a man (anything you can do...), but as I grew older, I kinda lost that connection anddecided that I couldn't play a female convincingly; the last female I played was a tomboy sherrif in Deadlands.

In MMORPGs I generally play a female for two reasons:
1) because none of the male characters look good,
2) because if I have to stare at something for hours at a time, might as well look pretty.

... and if no one said it yet: DISCWORLD.

SOT · May 08, 2005, 07:34 PM // 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dendra

In Table Top RPGs, when I first started playing I used to make females b/c I kindas liked the "empowerment" of being a woman when everyone else was a man (anything you can do...), but as I grew older, I kinda lost that connection anddecided that I couldn't play a female convincingly; the last female I played was a tomboy sherrif in Deadlands.

In MMORPGs I generally play a female for two reasons:
1) because none of the male characters look good,
2) because if I have to stare at something for hours at a time, might as well look pretty.

... and if no one said it yet: DISCWORLD.

LMAO discworld. THANKS!

Sun Warrior · May 08, 2005, 07:35 PM // 19:35

The only female alt I have is Gwen Incarnate. I made her for the main purpose of giving PUGs some good laughs and to unlock some necro skills.

"The Charr killed me and broke my flute. I want to kill some Charr. I think Im going to follow you."

explode9339 · May 08, 2005, 07:40 PM // 19:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOT

And you're a literalist. I forgive you :P

Lol, I prefer to be referred to as "accurate".

If you must use a noun, I guess I can settle with "realist".

NoseJob · May 08, 2005, 07:41 PM // 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by explode9339

Firstly, you agree with me by saying "its a social norm", and for that I thank you. "RPGs are not social in the real sense of the word", is a completely ambigous sentence that has little meaning. What is the "real sense" of the word social? I can give you the definition - Social: tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one's kind.

I would argue that most people play MMO Rpgs because of the ability to form relationships and cooperate with eachother. Otherwise, they would drop the MMO, and play just regular RPGs. Many missions and quests all but require the formation of relationships and cooperation to complete. PvP also requires cooperation and the formation of groups/parties/"relations" to compete effectively. GW is VERY Social.

"Shared Entertainment" is not social? So when I play poker with my friends thats not social? How about when I play basketball with them in a 5v5 game? How about when we sit around and watch Football every Sunday? What about when 4 of us connect to teamspeak and party up in a game called guildwars and duke it out with other 4 man teams in a pvp arena. Then after the battle, congratulate the other team or thank them for the challenge. These forms of shared entertainment are not social???

The whole social thing is irrelevant. A monkey can wear a golden ring, but it'll still be a monkey. I can put on a dress, and I'm still a man (one laught at, but that's besides the point). It's not how you look, it's how you react.
What do you care if someone likes to pick a female character?

TopGun · May 08, 2005, 07:42 PM // 19:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longshaft

part of its main feature is building and developing a character u can ..erm..identify with.

Incorrect. Just flat-out wrong.

Actually, one of the main features of RPGs I love is the ability to be someone you could NEVER be. My toon looks like a vampire- pale skin, dark eyes, dark red hair, and its a necro. I'm fairly certain that I'll NEVER be a vampire in real life, but this game allows me to be a vampire who feeds on the dead and sucks the life out of others to supplement my own. If I make my toon a carbon copy of myself... well, then I might as well live my own life, shouldn't I?

However, that has absolutely NOTHING with my choice to play a female toon... the reason I play a female is because:

1) Goth girls are sights to behold, and rare ones at that. Since they're so rare, making a CG chick is great.
2) I hear this is a 100 hour game- might as well stare at a female for 100 hours.
3) I feel so gay when making a male character. I'm not homophobic, though I know far more bisexual/gay females than males... but at what point do you say "Oh yes, that's what I want my man to look like" when you're creating your character? That just doesn't go over well with me.

That answer your query? Good.

Asrial · May 08, 2005, 07:43 PM // 19:43

So far, there's only been one thing that's wierded me out in GW and that's discovering that my quest partner was 12 in RL (or so they said). Given that I'm almost 27, a bit unnerving. Heh. I felt more like a chaperone at that point, than a friend.

Anyways, on to the subject.

1) If you're asking an honest question of what motivates someone to play a character that is opposite their real sex, then kudos towards enlightenment

2) If you're asking this question to be sarcastic, then I hope you've had a good laugh because I know I've had a good time reading some of the mature posts in this thread

3) I have played a female character before and I have flirted, pretty heavily, with other guys. For the record, I'm a guy in RL. Also, the game I did this in is a text based environment so there's alot better opportunity to RP. It's only been one female character (given to me by a friend of 9 years who was leaving the game and we agreed it'd be better if I had control of her than let her be destroyed).

The flirting was because I was hanging out with a female friend of mine and it was horrendously fun. I will never tell the victims (read that word carefully.. victims) I'm a guy because it'll ruin their fun too. My friend and I couldn't stop laughing.

Why would I do something like this? ..because it was fun, it didn't hurt the other person, and I'm not concerned that I'm going to start trying to date a guy. I'm as straight as can be and find the idea of screwing another guy absolutely disgusting (I'm not anti-gay, just talking from my own standpoint) and am constantly thinking about screwing women

As has been mentioned, it's a game. It's not supposed to be RL so let loose and have fun. When you log out of the game, you step back into reality.

4) The reason I find the female avatars in GW (and other games) enticing, and would play one, is because it's aesthetically pleasing to my eye. It hits me on the fantasy sexual side and while I'm not off banging away, I do get visual pleasure from it.

Pixels on the screen? You bet. Not real? You bet. A substitue for a girlfriend? Not even close.

Why does someone paint their walls a specific color? Aesthetics. No different here.

Horogan Sivoris · May 08, 2005, 07:43 PM // 19:43

I played ultima online on a small shard know as the fractured shard. There, was one charachter, who believed it was wrong to choose an opposite sex charachter. This confused the heck out of me. Admitedly, I'm male, and do generally make the majority of my charachters male. But I see no harm, in being a female charachter. For whatever reason.

For a start - from the first post - we get told off if we stare at real women :P

Hypothetically, If I wanted to create a female charachter for any reason, there is no reason at all for it to be even conicidered slighty "imoral" or wrong. Even if my reason was something like "Because I want to feel like I'm a female" it is still not wrong. People can do pretty much whatever they want to do.

Anyways, yes teh female rangers are teh hawt. Especially that studded leather armour... *stops before he gets banned*

NoseJob · May 08, 2005, 07:48 PM // 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asrial

Why does someone paint their walls a specific color? Aesthetics. No different here.

You just said something in one sentence that took me some posts to explain. Thanks.

Asrial · May 08, 2005, 07:49 PM // 19:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Horogan Sivoris

Anyways, yes teh female rangers are teh hawt. Especially that studded leather armour... *stops before he gets banned*

The necromancer does it for me

Dendra · May 08, 2005, 07:52 PM // 19:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOT

LMAO discworld. THANKS!

I know can't be the only person to knew where that last name came from...

I will say this for being a guy and playing a female character (who is of course named Dendra), I'm sick and tired of guys coming up to any female character I happen to play (Heck, in PSO you had to be female sometimes) and giving me crap! I'm not going to call you or sleep with you!
... althoughto be hypocritical, thanks for all the stuff nonetheless (I do ask three times just to be safe).

Slade xTekno · May 08, 2005, 07:54 PM // 19:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by explode9339

I can see both sides of this debate..

On the one side, its a game and you can pick whatever sex you want as your character... but

On the other side, its a social norm that males choose male characters when they play and women choose female characters when they play. Just like girls play with barbie dolls and boys play with GI Joes. Just like men wear shorts and pants and women wear skirts and dresses. Girl babies get pink rooms and male babies get blue rooms. Its just the way the world works - and it works that way because its best that way, otherwise it would be different. Of course there are reasons to stray from the norm, but generally, there is a norm for some reason.

I dont understand why a male would choose a female to play in an mmorpg (unless he were gay or wanted to be a female in RL). Everyone understands that sex in game is assumed as sex out of game. Though it is a game, it is real life. You do not leave the real world when you sit down and play GW. You are still living and breathing. You are spending valuable hours of your life playing this game. Yes, its a game, but its still real life. People interact in the game and sex does play a factor.

You get no bonus based on sex in this game. People will choose different clasess (monk v ranger) for example because it affects the way your character performs. Sex has no effect.

One of the main reasons is to say you like the way the cartoon looks because its female, and this is sort of ridiculous to me. Based on this theory you should yourself become a woman, that way you could look at yourself all day long. OR, you could just put a picture of a hot chick near your computer to look at. But, come on, looking at the female character cannot have THAT much of an affect. You are more looking at your enemiese and your skill bar and health bar than avatars.

I firmly believe if a male chooses a female character in THIS game (as there are no bonuses what-so-ever [unless you are a merchant]), then that male is either homo or bi sexual, very effeminate, or immature.

(Sorry, I had to be the devil's advocate here)

Enjoy flaming this response!

-Ex

Excellent post.

However, if the average male teenager was given the option of Barbies or GI Joe without fear of social repercussions or anyone knowing, which do you honestly think he would choose?