WoW Gender-Bending

[Zyro]

Ah... so glad to hear my theory is wrong

Shapeshifting is awesome. I really wish my first character had been a druid. At least I'll have one before WotLK, at which point I sincerely hope The Emerald Dream is accessible. Blizzard said it would be pre-original-launch.

[Aitana]

Ah... so glad to hear my theory is wrong

Shapeshifting is awesome. I really wish my first character had been a druid. At least I'll have one before WotLK, at which point I sincerely hope The Emerald Dream is accessible. Blizzard said it would be pre-original-launch.

You weren't entirely wrong. The ability to heal was a factor in why I picked a druid. The ability to shapeshift was a factor in picking a druid over a shaman.

[Baelspar]

Well, from the Tifani Thought Bank, her first Horde character is a Tauren Shaman. She's tried Troll shaman, and they just weren't as cool to her, and she can't imagine playing an Orc shaman. Her first characters were a Dwarf warrior and a gnome thief (The gnome is named Feegle and runs about with a macro for the kick attack that let's the victim and world know that Feegle is giving them "such a kickin'"; which I feel is all the reason that character exists.)

Tifani says that she recalls fighting Tauren shaman in WSG, and didn't like coming across the train of them with the Earthbind totems and stomps. I think she wanted to return the favor. She enjoys thwacking people, although the group that character runs with force her into being the group healer. (She still takes glee in frost shock)

The Tifani character is just an appeasement to me to have her play on this server.

[Eyesore]

On Silver Hand, I am Brandywyne, a female night elf hunter (70). She has been in Templers of Dawn since about a month after WoW launched. Along with some other ToDs, Brandy had previously existed on the Dawn server in Horizons, an excellent RP environment. Guild members there accepted me as female, just as guild members here accept me as male. Since forum chat made it clear I was a devoted grandparent (truth) I was seen as maternal, but too old to be of special interest. It was and is rare for her to be bothered, but when she is, I find (found) that staying in character soon ended it.

After knowing me for years as female, in their forums I revealed that I was male, to explain why I resisted Vent, and such. You can't roleplay a female when audio clearly contradicts you. Other than in that discussion, though, i maintained the female persona, and guildies continued to refer to me as 'she'. When Blizzard decided to ban my name, Brandwyne, as not being roleplay, guildies, and others, objected to how 'she' was being treated. They reversed their decision.

Without once having to fabricate a falsehood, or lie, I was seen as female in multiple gaming formats, for several years. As a roleplayer, that was satisfying. As a person, well, it both tickled my fancy to pull it off, and made me feel deceitful, for the same reason. When I changed my focus to Emerald Dream, I made most of my characters male. It hasn't been as much fun. The closer your avatar is to who and what you are, the less it is roleplay, the more it is just another game. Fine for some, but one of my motives in having played Unltima Online, EverQuest I & II, Horizens, Planetside, City of Heroes, Camelot and WoW is to escape being me.

Eyesore
Earthwind

Edited to add EverQuest and EverQuest II to the list...now how could I have forgot them?

[Zyro]

Very well said. I believe RP is important to differ from your actual self.

On the note of naming, I thought about the gender thing a bit when I made Windham, and I used a name that was not sex-specific, but yet melded very well with either. This way even on vent I will be called something not as feminine as, i.e.- lisa.

[Terpsicore]

well i'm not that heavy RP and dunno how well i do but you people know i'm a man, but my 2 main characters in wow are females (terpsicore and minnae)

When i've played table RP games gender does mater to the final task of my character, for example lets see Minnae, from start i wanted to be healer, the healer is the one that takes care about the groups, the one that "ease" the pain, and the one who will keep you in fight, that kinda make me think bout that special girl that makes u feel u can do anything, or even closer the mother that was there when u needed her.

but for example too, i havent leveled it more but is one of my potencial dps class, my shaman is male, i want it enhance and i find myself wanting it male cuz is more like me, he is a melee fighter that is in the battlefield, using all the tricks, all the effort just to fullfill its goal, might go kinda careless cuz the "lack" of ranged just as sometimes i find myself

ussualy the chose of gender goes something like that, some cases like Sunbless are a bit more trivial, but is valid i think too, Sunbless is my female Blood elf mage, i decided to made her cuz i wanted a mage, once i Have Raiztlin (if u surf the forums u can even find me speaking of it on barracs/terp alt builds) he was male but i couldnt feel that thing that makes the link character player, but then recently my sister came asking me for help to write a story, she had drawings of the characters, a world map, and bios of all the characters but she didnt know where to start, for some reason i got charmed by one of her characters that did come from fire kingdom and kinda tried to make the char close to what was the final creation of my sisters character

[Nuzzie]

interesting I might say the lest. When I first started I made a char that was different that many ppl didnt have out there, so it was a female tauren hunter. Then a female tauren druid, cause I noticed that there was mostly male taurens out at the time. Then I payed around male chars, like undead warrior, troll/tauren shamy, orc warrior, and a troll mage. Once BC came out I wanted to see what the new blood elf look like, and rolled one. Male Preist and then Male Pally at first. I do might add that the female blood elfs are harder to see in game then the males. In some ways jumping into this game it also like being a super hero, hiding your real self only letting certain ppl know.
Picking classes based on gender I guess I might be one of the many to prove wrong. Being a male, I more toward the Healer/Caster classes then the Beefy Melee/Tanks classes. It might have to RL event from my past dealing with health issues and what not. To sum it up, I dont look at Gender when I make a char first, it the last thing I look it. I figure out what Class I want, then Race, then how they look, and last the Gender. Then I try to make a name fit what I see, which isnt easy to do.

[Leothiel]

All my playing characters are gents. Any bank alt I have right now are women.

[Gorehorn]

I have been doing table top RPG's since half of you were in diapers and the other half were changing them (1978). I have played both sexes, characters that had changed sexes (usually involentarily) and shape shifters withthe ability to change sex on a whim (even one that was unclear as to their "true" gender because of the ability to change came so early in life).

I enjoy picking toons that are built on a history,.. often the last thing chosen is sex and that choice is based on whimsy more often than not. A shaman named Stormwytch must obviously be female, where as a hunter named Pathwinder or warlock named Scornweaver could go either way, and a tauren named Gorehorn just screams frontline marine corps-male in my mind.

I take a great deal of pride in making sure that none of my characters are very similar and have often been forced to convince people that they were all controlled by the same person. Pathwinder, the shy orc raised in the wood searching for frindship and more comfortable around animals than humanoids is so far removed in personality from Gutstripper the bloodthirsty troll fire mage that in no way could they be sharing the same guiding sole..
.....
.....
But they do.

[Itheca]

I must admit that I’ve always taken a special interest in gender-related discussions for the simple fact that it has been prevalent in my life. Growing up, I was very much a tomboy and, on occasion, had been asked IRL if I was a girl or a boy. Now, despite looking obviously female, I still nurture some of my more masculine personality traits – as they’ve been deemed. My immersion into gaming began with FPS games like Tribes, Quake, and Counter Strike. I played these religiously, honing my male character (with a very, erm, male-focused name… which probably isn’t appropriate mentioned here >.>), and no one ever thought to ask if I was female or male. However, those females who did announce themselves in-game, unfortunately, seemed to be more interested in attention than playing the game. The other type of female had worked very arduously to be respected by the males in their clan and, therefore, had a rather abrasive/direct personality. Such is the plight in FPS, I s’pose.

WoW is my first RPG and, having never role-played in my life (outside of the bed chamber… HEY OH!), it didn’t occur to me to pick a character based on some story I had pre-fabricated. Of course, I rolled first on a PvP server, so the point was rather moot, anyway. First character I made was a Mage. I have played every class and have only been happy leveling DPS classes. I am bored out of my mind whenever I have to heal on Silenas, although I would enthusiastically do it if the group needed it… despite the fact that she’s Ret. (So, please wait 2.5 secs for me to give you 700 health… oh, you’re already dead. Whoops.)

Anyway, after playing on PvP realms for a while, my mate and I decided to roll RP-PvP because we wanted more mature interactions with other players. (If you’ve been here too long and think I’m nuts, just roll on a PvP server… you don’t even have to leave the starting area.) I rolled a warlock (originally named Andrissa – the name did not fit me) and joined <Frost Phoenix>. I didn’t get a chance to become too friendly with the guild as, several months later, they disbanded. Then BC released and I rolled Silenas for some melee fun… but, damnit, she is so femme, it irks me. I had a few mates who I would quest with and, back then, when they asked if I was really a chick, I’d say “no” because I just wanted to play and decided not to give them the benefit of the doubt. When I joined <Fallen Phoenix>, it was mandatory that I use vent for raids and instances… *sigh* Suddenly, everyone was my friend. You can figure out the rest.

After a long hiatus from WoW during which I grew up a little and had a personality shift, I came back and decided that I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t volunteer my gender, but didn’t hide it if questioned. When I began posting on the ED forums, people thought I was a guy and didn’t question the nature of my posts. Then I went on a raid (with vent) with some notorious forum-dwellers and word got out that I was a chick, naturally. Now, all of a sudden, any damn thing I posted on the forums or said in-game was regarded differently. If I made any comment that was provocative in nature, it pigeon-holed me as a strumpet, whereas it wouldn’t have before. Now, I’ll admit that I can be more ‘open’ about certain contexts and usually only venture there with a jocular flair (shits and giggles, right?), but since I’ve been on both sides of the gender fence, I know – first hand – that there’s that damned double-standard looming.

With regard to RP, I’ve had the worst luck. I don’t know if I’m doing it wrong, or maybe role-players are just unnaturally lonely, meh… Every time I’ve attempted to role-play, it’ll begin alright with introductions, beginnings, and so forth, then venture into back-stories, and eventually interaction. But, why – for the love of banshees – do people always steer toward sex?

“I’m a tailor, Mr. Undead; let me stitch up that loose arm of yours.”
“Heh, heh – yer pretty… I gotta ‘nother limb yeh can look at, little lady.”

Where’s an Ally priest to MC me when I need one?

Phew – I hadn’t intended to go anywhere past a mini-rant, but this turned into a jaded treatise. My apologies. I have to stress that I am not a harridan, harboring self-serving misandristic tendencies, and I am fully aware that my sardonic and jocular nature does invite a certain feedback – please don’t misunderstand. An intelligent person would change the way they interact with others in order to avoid unwanted regard, but I’m just stubborn enough that, although there is a double-standard, damnit – I’m going to be who I am… and bitch about it later. >:)