Can You Only Play Your Own Gender?

[call me rae]

RP Gender Roles





 

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Since this beautiful thread has been bumped recently I went through and updated it for the new look. [/SIZE]

 


[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Anyway this thread started out a while back when I noticed an increase in what I like to call personal ad searches, you know the type : [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]M seeking F for XXX style romance roleplay[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px].[/SIZE]

 


[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Only in the case of personal ads it’s people who are looking for people who play their own real life gender only versus people who just play a specific character gender.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Example : As a lady I would be the F in the example above despite the fact that I can also play male roles as well.[/SIZE]

 


[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Often times this is in a roleplay search where the person treats the player and character as the same entity but other times it's just when people are more comfortable playing with a specific gender partner and assume this person would prefer to play their own gender[/SIZE]

 


[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]But that’s just my opinion so I thought I’d take this to the community at large,[/SIZE]

 


Questions

1. 
   [SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Do you only play your own gender?[/SIZE]
   

 

1. 
   [SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Do you have a preference for what gender your partner is in real life [/SIZE]
   

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Ex. you’ll only roleplay with women players not just women characters.[/SIZE]

 




DISCLAIMER : just a reminder this is an opinion thread and everyone is entitled to feel the way they want. so I don't want to see any attacks or off topic arguments please.

 

[call me rae]

To start us off


Do you only play your own gender?


Nope, I am totally neutral to gender/age/sexuality. I'll try to portray just about anyone as long as they fit the plot. Now I'll admit in originals I do tend to gravitate towards female but that's because I do a lot of magical girl style roleplays and everyone is a girl in those. And when not doing those I'm often doing some form of fandom where I just play my favorite character from canon.


But yeah I'll tell all my partners I honestly don't care who I play as long as they fit the plot and they aren't created solely to be arm candy for someone else.


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


Again no, but that's because I'm not comfortable asking other people real life details like that. I just find it awkward so unless you specifically tell me otherwise I have no real way of knowing your gender anyway.


Now I do understand if your doing a romantic style roleplay how people might be awkward about playing with the opposite gender in case there is a wrong message sent somewhere. But to me I'm like I know this is a story and I assume my partners know the same. So I again I'm not going to say oh just cuz your a guy I won't do a romance with you because that would be weird. Nope. Now if you start making unwanted advances to me out of character than I will either tell you to stop or leave but that's a separate issue all together I think.

 

[Dusky]

I'll admit to a tendency towards female characters, but I make males as the whim takes me, as well. I know @Mordecai plays predominantly males, despite being a damn fine lady herself.


I definitely don't think people should be limited to their own gender. Linking your character to your own identity like that can be dangerous in a way, especially if you already have a hard time recognizing the distinction between characters and roleplayers. I know a lot of people use it as pure gratuitous wish fulfillment, but I feel like that kind of perverses the hobby. Obviously wish fulfillment is always going to be an element, because who doesn't wanna have epic adventures?! But that shouldn't be more than a small portion of it.

 

[call me rae]

@Anomaly true enough although playing devils advocate I do know a lot of people that just feel like they understand their own gender better. I have a few friends who are ladies who only play females just because they don't feel they would be qualified to get into the male perspective. One of them is also someone who predominately plays romances and she said that playing the male perspective in those just made her feel awkward.


I personally come originally from fandoms ( most of which are superhero related ) so the best canons in those are male so I started out playing males anyway. Granted that was more me doing my best to do justice to an existing character rather than making my own but I feel the point still stands. I never really hesitated to play males because it never occurred to me that I should.


Not that I'm saying there is anything wrong with sticking to your own gender of course, just that I pretty much started out playing guys anyway so it never occurred to me to question if that was odd or not.

 

[LegoLad659]

Huh. I don't think I've ever seen a thread like this before... Sure, I'll throw myself in, why not?


Do you only play your own gender?


Actually I seem to be on the opposite side of the spectrum. I generally play female characters, while I tend not to write male characters. I don't know if it has something to do with how I create my characters or what - I usually see a picture that I like somewhere and base a character off of that, though that's not always the case - but that's pretty much how it goes with me.


Hmm, maybe I have a problem xD


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


Not in the slightest. In fact, I will rarely ever notice my partner's gender until a point where I have to refer to them with a pronoun and I have to figure out which one to use. That's the only time I will consider someone's gender, really.

 

[Sarai]

Do you play your own gender?


I do prefer to play at lest one female role. The kind of characters I tend to enjoy portraying are weak physically while having incredibly strong inner strength. This is more evident in the feminine then the masculine. Not to say it cannot be found also in a male character, I have prayed male characters this way as well and they come out as being (at lest in my humble opinion) good as well. The type that always has a plan for what step to take next. As writers we do need to be able to write in the perspective of both genders. One of my favorite books "Among the Hidden" was written by a women, but the story is written from the perspective of a boy, Luke Garner. And that anther dose a wonderful job at it too! I have have been working on a short story told from the perspective of a young boy as well. Sooo, I am willing to play both, I do enjoy female better though...


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


No, but it might affect which characters I choose to play. If my partner is female like me, I'll be more likely to take on male roles to help the plot along. If my partner is male, I'm more likely to leave male characters to him. Maybe because the last thing I'd want is for him to OOC tell me, "Yeah, men don't act like that... Like ever!" I know this might go back on my whole thing about being a better writer and you might be wondering. "Well, Sarai! That would be a grate chance to get better!" and I'd say your right! lol But I'd rather just watch and learn from how he portrays the male characters and use that latter in my own writing. IDK, that's just me.

 

[LegoLad659]

Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?
No, but it might affect which characters I choose to play. If my partner is female like me, I'll be more likely to take on male roles to help the plot along. If my partner is male, I'm more likely to leave male characters to him. Maybe because the last thing I'd want is for him to OOC tell me, "Yeah, men don't act like that... Like ever!" I know this might go back on my whole thing about being a better writer and you might be wondering. "Well, Sarai! That would be a grate chance to get better!" and I'd say your right! lol But I'd rather just watch and learn from how he portrays the male characters and use that latter in my own writing. IDK, that's just me.

Huh, I never actually thought about it that way... That makes a lot of sense.

 

[Rustic]

do you only play your own gender?


i heavily skew towards people of female/nonbinary genders, which is reflective of my own gender experience, yeah. i don't really have a problem playing a male character at all, but if you give me the option, i probably would go for a character of a different gender. there are a lot of well written male characters in popular media, but not a lot of well written female/nonbinary characters, and since i don't identify with or feel an attraction to males, there's no real drive for me to make or use another one.


do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


i wouldn't turn anyone down based solely on gender! if you're interested in what i'm interested in, are sufficiently good at what you do, and are respectful towards me and the subject matter, you're good to go! that last one is the key, though - the subjects i prefer are usually done more often and in a way i'm comfortable with by females, so my one on one list might have a noticeable skew towards them. it's hard to say for sure, though, as i... really don't ask? i might check to see if someone's gender is listed on their profile if i need to know their pronouns or something they've said has made it relevant, but i usually won't notice without being told unless it's painfully obvious.

 

[Paranoid Android]

I only ever made two female chars, but one of them wasn't accepted and I gave up on the RP I made the other for. ._.

 

[Zilla]

Do you only play your own gender?


It depends on where/what I'm RPing. In open-ended FFRP (such as in chats) I tend to play male characters before playing female as there is usually a lack of them. Having a male/female dynamic isn't as important to me in 1x1 RP as romance isn't a story element I focus on, so I really don't care what gender I play. I have found it extremely difficult to find someone who doesn't want romance in a 1x1... so I focus more on small groups.


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


Not generally, no. I care about a well written character that is in a fun and interesting story. That said, if someone else has an issue with it I may or may not be transparent about my own gender. I have encountered people who find it "weird" that a female would choose play straight male character.

 

[Yuuki Kagami]

Do you only play your own gender?


I tend to make alot of female OCs. Though I do have some Male ones, I even had a genderfluid OC before. I don't really have...good ideas and concepts on how to make Male OCs. The first one I made that I still use, Is Kitsune, He's a little Fox Boy. Cute, Adorable, And Funny. The second is basicly a god. His name's Kizuto and he likes drinking hot sauce.(Lol wut?(>u>))


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


Not at all though I feel a bit more confortable when males play as male OCs, But that's just my opinion. Eithier way, I'd be good RPing with anybody as any gender of OC. ( ). But as of know I currently only have 1 girl OC that I use and 2 Male OCs (I hardly use kizuto due to him being OP As a God, Though for casual RPs, He's fine)

 

[Mordecai]

So, as Anomaly said earlier, I am a woman and play predominately male characters. Why? No idea. I really don't have a preference and am perfectly comfortable and confident playing both genders


, nor do I really have a preference as to the gender of my partner or the gender of character they decide to play, so long as it fits the situation and the objective of the roleplay.

 

[Coward]

Do you only play your own gender?





Not even vaguely. At the moment all my main characters are male and I'm female x.x


People are people, but I enjoy getting a second hand taste of male life. It's strange how different men are treated from women even in fantasy worlds, and even in RPs that supposedly do not have a gender bias. If I play a male with some drive and initiative the people around him often start folding to his will, whereas if I do the same with a woman there's usually a sluggish response if not outright backlash. Sometimes female characters start standing around waiting for direction when my male appears, which is totally bizarre to me.


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?





No, do as you will. I sometimes think it's a good sign when someone is playing the opposite gender - proves off the bat that it's not a self insert. Also I will sometimes shy away from people who outright refuse to play the opposite in their interest checks. Nothing personal, I've just been burned by people who want a male romantic prop rather than an interesting character.

 

[AAndroidD]

Do you only play your own gender?


It will depend on the roleplay. In general, I tend to think "Will the experience as this gender impact upon the RP experience?". If it is a world where sexism and general discriminatory attitudes similar to that small amount or much more sever than in our own world exists, I have a tendency to opt for the character gender that is in power, as opposed to worked against. Just personally, as a man, I dont feel right putting myself in the shoes of a character oppressed in that way because, in real life, i feel like it isn't my place to be a part of that struggle. Like the characters' stories aren't mine to tell.


However, this all depends upon the world it's set in.


Even with that in mind, I have a slight gravitation towards male characters, especially when biology comes in to play prominently in an RP. Since I've never had them, I can't tell what things like period pains or breasts weighing down your chest would feel like - and as a result feel like if those kinds of features will have a fair impact on the roleplay based upon my own method of approaching said roleplay, I will stick to a character who I can say "yes, I share the same body features as you, and so I can accurately say what getting kicked in the dick feels like"


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


Annnnd this one's much more simple. Absolutely no preference! I honestly feel like character gender rarely makes a difference, but I would hope that the partner is simply choosing their character to Roleplay something they can do well, as opposed to being a person who prefers and is better at writing female characters struggling through a male character for the sake of gender balance in an RP.

 

[CoconutLeaves]

Do you only play your own gender?


Haha, not exactly. I play both males and females and it doesn't really matter to me. To me, gender can open up some doors and close some as well. And playing one gender can open up some scenes that I think can lead to an aspect of my character developing that the other can't. This is rare of course, and I like to think I prefer playing more on personality, with gender only placed in to give me a scope of what I could do. This is an odd statement, and I won't be able to explain it well since I don't fully understand it myself.


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


Not really. In all my rp's I have fun with any gender as long as the roleplayer I roleplay with share the same wavelength. Of course it doesn't mean that I have bad rp's but the wavelength does matter since he or she is interested in how things unfold, and I would like that as well. However, if he or she does not like how it's going, game over. Which is why gender is irrelevant.

 

[Idea]

I usually prefer playing male, since that´s what I am. However, for matters of balance of to freshen out thigs, I do also play females, and really have no problem there.


I do prefer when my partner plays female, though. Nevertheless, I am not bothered by m partner playing something they are not, although I am bothered if they play a gender different than they´re profile pic: It´s very confusing to me sometimes, and I´ve made some awkward mistakes before over it.

 

[Sarai]

I am bothered if they play a gender different than they´re profile pic: It´s very confusing to me

I never thought about that being a problem before. wow, that could be confusing to some people.

 

[himetoki]

I play both males and females in the canons I ship. It doesn't matter too much to me as the storyline is what matters the most.


However, I do think it's harder to see from a man's point of view, or if you're roleplaying purely for a romantic element and want to be loved; a few rpers and writers I know get onto these online gigs and find themselves real-life relationships which I don't always recommend.

 

[Meredith]

Do you only play your own gender?


Oh, definitely not. I couldn't do that - I feel like I'd get pretty bored pretty quick. I have a preference for playing males, but female's fine too - it depends on the inspiration I get for the roleplay. I don't worry about portraying a male character the wrong way any more than a female character. People still have the same basic needs and motivations, depending on their personality, and I'm sure my partner would tell me if they thought something should be changed~


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


Nope! They can play what they want to and be whatever gender they like. It doesn't matter much to me.

 

[Idea]

I never thought about that being a problem before. wow, that could be confusing to some people.

I don´t know how it is for other people, but I´ve had to quit RPs before because of it.

 

[Camilanizer]

Well I am transgender and know how both genders act so yes, I play my own gender. And I am perfectly fine with roleplaying either of them or anything for that matter. However, I play female characters more than males.


No, I am fine with a male playing a female and a female playing a male. I don't want to force people to pick a specific gender. I am also fine if someone feels awkward playing the other gender and would prefer to play their own.

 

[Muggles]

I play characters of all genders including non-binary, and I play opposite characters of all genders.

 

[budgieboo]

Do you only play your own gender?


Yes, I do. Ever since I started RPing back in ROBLOX, most if not all of my characters were female. Throughout from what I could remember, I only had 3 characters that were male, and even so I never really developed them all that much. I actually feel discomfort now when I'm basically forced to play a male in RPs, usually due to strict ratio rules. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because I'm just not very confident in my abilities, especially in playing guys, because when I do play guys they tend to be very feminine in a way to me. I'm just more comfortable with playing women, and girls in general, because people are less likely to call me out in RPing women wrong? Or, that's what I feel, at least.


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


For my partner? I'd say no, as I don't usually notice the genders of other people while RPing. Maybe the gender of the character for 1x1s may matter depending on what kind of RP I would want from that, but for the most part, I don't really care, I think?

 

[elie]

Do you only play your own gender?


No, not usually. To be honest, I often play a female role. I don't normally care, because roleplays are stories, so why can you not? It's like saying that a Male Author can not have a female as the main character. I think that it doesn't matter what gender you play as for that very reason.


Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


No, of course not! I don't control what they play as.

 

[call me rae]

Do you have a preference for the gender of your partner?


No, of course not! I don't control what they play as.

lol I meant more does it make you uncomfortable to play against a specific gender of partner. Like for instance you would prefer your partners be male or female. Not necessarily that they only play males or females but they themselves are a specific gender.