Gender of the Lead Character

[looneymoon]

[quote author=Cthulhu link=topic=642.msg28110#msg28110 date=1236418863]

I find that most of the games have dude leads,

fixxed, it's not like there's a lot of choice, . I can only think of 5 titles with a female lead: FFX-2, FFVI / XII (but they both count only for half since both don't have a defined main character), Tomb Raider, those Samus games, and the upcoming XIII.
[/quote]

Xenosaga and Parasite Eve come to mind as well. Some females shared lead roles in the Resident Evil games also.

but yeah, there is huge male-lead dominance in video games

 

[Max Payne]

Jill was the sole main character of Re3, with Carlos as a sub character

 

[ForceStealer]

Heavenly Sword's got a female lead too, as does Perfect Dark. So its not that unheard of, but yeah there aren't a ton.

 

[tangerine]

Both Valkyrie Profiles pull it off well.

 

[Tennyo]

Clock Tower 3 has a female lead. Also, wasn't the lead in Silent Hill 3 a girl as well?

 

[Celes Chere]

I prefer a male lead, for no particular reason. I guess it's just what I'm used to, and I really don't mind it.

X-2 went over-board with female stereotypes, and that kind of pissed me off. Female leads like the ones just mentioned (VP and SH3 *her name is Heather/Cheryl btw*) are really interesting characters. X-2 was kind of... "Omg you poopie! Lol. <3"
"Liek omigawd pop star!!!!"

 

[Strangelove]

[quote author=Tennyo link=topic=642.msg28601#msg28601 date=1236560611]
Clock Tower 3 has a female lead. Also, wasn't the lead in Silent Hill 3 a girl as well?
[/quote]
I think every Clock Tower game had a female lead.

Rule of Rose was another. And Koudelka.

 

[Ryushikaze]

Xenosaga was Shion's story. While other characters did have their own arcs, it all eventually came back to her.

Also, anyone who played 10-2 for the plot is a silly monkey. Protest about it all you wish, but I can't hear you over all this Job system!

Yeah, gender doesn't matter in main characters.

 

[Cthulhu]

Jill of the Jungle, bitches.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

The main reason why I like male leads is that female characters usually tend to fall into the generic 'KIND HEARTED STRONG WILLED PRINCESS/PRIESTESS/WHATEVER THAT LOVES ANIMALS' or whatever.

 

[Ravynne Nevyrmore]

If the game has a story and the character is an actual character with development and whatnot, I care more about that and the story.

If the character is supposed to be an avatar, as in an extension of myself in the game world, then obviously I prefer to play as a female. Male avatars feel too large and bulky to me when they move, and as a very petite person IRL this gives me a disjointed feeling that I find to be quite distracting.

I never understood the "I would rather look at a female ass than a male one" rationale. I...have never found myself unable to tear my eyes away from my character's ass. o.O I am 90% convinced this excuse is just the male's attempt to conceal his deeply seeded desire to be a woman.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Doesn't matter to me. I play FF for the stories, and simply to be visually overwhelmed.

As long as the content is great, gender is irrelevant.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

Clock Tower 3 has a female lead. Also, wasn't the lead in Silent Hill 3 a girl as well?

Heatherrrrrrrrrrrr.

It doesn't really matter to me, but I rather like it when I'm controlling a female character. I really liked Portal because I got to be Chell, and Chell was kickass. Also GLADoS. Or wherever you put the random uncapitalized letter.

 

[Megatron]

Well I just remembered my male friends being put off by FFX-2 because they didn't like the idea of playing as a girl.

That's... really stupid. Who cares what the character's gender is, srsly

 

[Teva]

Eh apparently I voted on this poll some time ago and since I can't remember what my particular choice was or if I contributed to this thread already . . .

I personally don't have any qualms about the gender of a main character. To me, as long as the character isn't portrayed as a stereotype (READ: FFX-2's OMGZ!smexy teen girl leads! and OMGZemo!Squall) then I don't see why we can't have a female lead or a male lead. Likewise their backstory has to tie into the main plot somehow or else I won't consider them to be a main character--just a side character.

It doesn't really matter to me, but I rather like it when I'm controlling a female character. I really liked Portal because I got to be Chell, and Chell was kickass. Also GLADoS. Or wherever you put the random uncapitalized letter.

Also I agree with this statement. Chell's portal gun and her characteristic silence was kickass. She was like the female counterpart to Half-Life 2's Gordon Freeman.

 

[Max Payne]

The main reason why I like male leads is that female characters usually tend to fall into the generic 'KIND HEARTED STRONG WILLED PRINCESS/PRIESTESS/WHATEVER THAT LOVES ANIMALS' or whatever.

isn't that the same for male characters?

 

[Megatron]

"That kind of shit is the fault of bad writing, not anything gender-specific."

- Samus "Suck on this Ice Missile, Bitch" Aran