Main character...male or female ?, Thought's. Options

[darkhalo]

Just thinking about my project tonight....and same again....the male lead character.
Not always been the case....ala MoN, but should female leading roles be more emphasised ?
Looking back, majority of rpg commercial games have been based on male hero characters.
Is this a true reflection of today's perspective.....and in development terms, do female game players
want to see a change in gender roles ?
Just curious .

[Shaddow]

You should never think that a hero should be male or female, nor do I think, there should be a 'main' character. A good rpg has a solid cast of characters, each with their own personalities and back stories and each with such an effect on the game that the mission could not be completed without them.

I personally believe that you should make characters for your story that fit your story, if they happen to be male or female is a matter of the character, it should have no real basis on the demographic of the game. Maybe that's just my personal opinion, but I dislike games that focus on a 'main' character be it male or female.

Edit: On a personal side notes, why are there not more robot characters in rpgs?

This post has been edited by shaddowval: May 6 2012, 04:57 PM

[obsorber]

The main reason why most of them are male heroes is because RPG Games especially earlier ones were more attractive to the male players than females. RPG games tend to have a medieval fantasy approach to it even if there is some advanced technology or nation within the game. Even today, women aren't as fascinated by RPG Games as much as men. However, when there is a female lead character, she tends to make a massive impact on the player even though they are usually male because of the uniqueness of it if it is pulled off well.
Today, now RPG games have sprawled I would argue that both genders work. However, to make a bad-ass female lead would be difficult because it would make it difficult to give the player the emotional response that is expected from women. It's possible, just a bit more complex I think.

[shinyjiggly]

Typically, most of my main characters tend to wind up being female, but that's probably due to me being female myself.

In your case of trying to choose between one or the other, you must be able to realize that gender isn't everything and that at the end of the day, a female lead or a male lead could theoretically have the same sort of personality. How would it be if the man was the one parading around in swimsuits or the lady was the one driving the tank? Slightly more interesting maybe?
Always keep an open mind about what you can do with a character, no matter which gender you do choose for them. I would like for both genders to have less stereotyped roles applied to them, but that's mostly just my side of whatever soapbox I might me sitting on.

So my final answer is sort of a null and useless ploy to get the OP to spend some time in deep thought about their potential main character.

[Essenceblade]

I don't think the choice between male and female characters should affect the game, or their personality, but such a statement is often nulled.

I've played plenty of games where the protagonist is a male. That's true, common games today, and in past. I would think this is because especially in real life, many people don't like the concept of women being beaten up or being half demon, or wielding a chainsaw cutting down monsters and loving it. I'm not going to turn this into a sexist thing, but from what I've experienced. A lot of games say "Leave the fighting to the men, and the healing to the women". I tend to disagree with this.

In almost every game I see, a female is almost always a cleric or white mage, archer, theif, witch or something along the lines of a mage or back line attacker, while the male characters are always thugs, rogues, warriors, soldiers, berserkers, paladins and potatoes. Only in a few cases do I see games which ignore this rule. (FF13, though, Vanille is a "mage", Fang and Lightning were both front line battle soldiers and dragoons, while snow being a hard head, was less of an attacker. Sazh was a back line damage dealer and more of a mage, and so was Hope.)

I'll also state a true fact that when a female character in a game is seriously injured, it's a lengthy cutscene of sorrow, last-ditch romance, and crying. When a male character dies, it's usually a much shorter of romance if the other person is a woman, or it is usually ended with a "Go, just go, forget about me!" whilst escaping a crumbling palace from that two-headed genie.

I think it solely boils down to how a man would act, and how a woman would act. I mean, sure, there are women who would be up for a fight and knows how to shut the antagonist up when need be, but they are usually referred to as "Female Clouds" or "Crazy women", but think about it, what games have you played where a male character is a white mage or along those lines and they don't really like up front battles and when injured, a lengthy cut-scene is played?

The callious types are seen in both genders, but most definitely seen more in men.
The silent types are also seen in both genders, but most definitely seen more in men.
The conservative type are rarely seen in men, but rather a large contrast in women.
The curious types are pretty much never seen in men, but are always in those younger females.
The big-headed macho egos are almost never seen in women, but almost always seen in men. I mean, there's always "that guy" who goes "Heh, time t' party!" in the middle of battle.

But listen to me De-railing.

My final point is that really. Most game designers take a man and woman's personalities into account before making a story, antagonist, secondary character, and of course, the main. You'll never see a blood thirsty battle loving woman as a main character, but you'll also never see a ever-curious, ever-sensitive back-line male as a main character. I tend to ignore this rule when I design my characters, and it is often seen as "oh, it's a man in a woman's body, odd."

This post has been edited by Essenceblade: May 6 2012, 11:47 PM

[bulmabriefs144]

Marketers are actually afraid to have games with strong female leads, because they feel like it would drive off male viewers.

That's crap. Look at Legend of Korra.

I personally like female heroes, as they can be any ideal (while males are expected to act like typical Knight in Shining Armor). Action girl? Mousy librarian type somehow stuck with the role of saving the world? Masculine, feminine, or something in between? Sure. Heck, you could do an actual housewife who uses frying pans and sewing needles as weapons. The only way you'd really break the mold for a male character is to make him decidedly not stereotypically masculine, or otherwise odd.

[Badgerthrottle]

Usually male is the way to go, but if you think you can pull off a female lead, then by all means show them how it's done.

[Kaust]

The problem with RPGs is they are renowned for, lets be honest, cliches and stereotypes. They make their own epic out of the preconceived and its easier to satisfy an audience with the grand scale of the plot rather than the intricacies of character relationships and development.
The plots themselves also often hearken back to a time when women were the secondary gender. So the idea of healer likely stems from the ideal of a woman 'supporting her man' (how many times has the white mage been the love interest?), as well as common contemporary professions for women (or rather regarded as such, to the extent that its a little odd to see men in these roles) being nurses, housewives, or teaching, especially to younger children. Women are considered apt for these roles for their supposed domesticity or 'mothering instinct' and its likely a consideration when people sit down and develop their characters and say 'I want a female here' and build the character around being female rather than gender being a background element.

Ultimately, these stereotypes work because, though standalone they are quite weakly developed characters, they form a massive personality collage where the actions and attitudes of everyone who shares that style of stereotype are combined (you referred to someone as the 'Female Cloud' for instance) making that character appear capable of significantly more; capable of holding more opinions, capable of making more decisions, etc. We judge a person on past actions and its like giving them a hundred pasts, or even like you've somehow played the game before. Sometimes it really is like seeing the same regurgitated character off saving the world again but with seemingly no recollection of ever doing it before (...everyone ever is Link to sum up the paragraph).

[m4uesviecr]

To be honest, I wouldn't say that there should be a more female lead opposed to male lead, I just think there should be less cliched heroes. Making the hero female would, of course, be one step in traversing that boundary. I wish there were more strong female leads. I grow tired of the female side character who is the "healer". But I also agree with Shadow - A good game has a well-rounded cast of characters. Though there are games where a particular person does have precedence over the others, the character of each individual cast member helps in keeping the content, and interest, of the game in tact. Kind of like rpg super glue.

If you do decide to do a female lead, make sure to have her be a well-rounded character. I couldn't get over myself playing FF13 with two AMAZINGLY BALLS IN YOUR FACE female characters. Yeah, you had Vanille, but her personality held her own in the game as well, along with all the other cast members. Just don't put the focus on the fact that she is a woman, since that will be clearly obvious given the fact that she is the main character.

[Tsukihime]

My party in games has always consisted of girls in the lead.
Don't even bother training the guys.

Game gets a little hard when the girls temporarily go somewhere else, leaving me with a bunch of weak useless men that are too undertrained for the next dungeon.

Reminds me of fire emblem; lots of girls to fill necessary roles in battle, don't need the guys. They can carry excess equipment.

Actually I think a lot of the fire emblem games had a female lead.

This post has been edited by Tsukihime: Jul 3 2012, 07:10 PM

[Yuu-Mon Musuedo]

I can't say anything better then what everyone had spoken so far. I pretty much agree on what most said. But how I feel about it is that I like female playing the main role some more.

Maybe not going on a adventure or other things like love, but because they have to, a real reason. In fact, fully grown women in RPGs that I seen had been done well. Like one character you can choose from Unlimited Saga, who is a very strong-willed woman on a mission, and Ashe from FF12 who is helping her kingdom.

So far, all my RPG Maker games that I am serious about has a strong female lead who isn't afraid to get as rough as any males. I just like to see more females like that, so it's pretty much the main reason why I make one. I don't really mind which gender has the lead, it depends on the story that will fit that character as well. But like I said, I'm into cool female leads more.

Marketers are actually afraid to have games with strong female leads, because they feel like it would drive off male viewers.

That makes me think of the Mass Effect games, where they will always show the male Shepard and never the female, rather it be a poster or screenshots preview. I didn't even know you can choose between genders until I popped the game in. Which they did a good job making a tough female Shepard. lol

[Puck]

It shouldn't matter too much unless story relevance, such as love interests, or certain events that are gender specific. Maybe classes or such in an rpg, like how Ragnarok Online had female Dancer and male Bard class. But even then, I'd have liked to see a Male Gypsy type character. So you know, in my opinion it isn't relevant. I played Dragon Quest 4 on a run as the male and female and saw no difference besides the face set and sprite. It's only a graphical difference that satisfies a specific group of players in my opinion.

[Dark Gaia]

Well, the idea you should be aiming for is not to have either a male or a female protagonist, but rather to have an original protagonist. You've stated that you're thinking of going for a female protagonist simply because you feel that you don't see enough strong female leads in RPGs, but just making your protagonist female for the sake of that isn't going to do your game any favours. RPGs are built on stereotypes -- the characters and the story all follow very well treaded tropes, and any RPG that wishes to steer itself away from these is going to need to have differences that are deeper than just gender.

You need to have a reason for your protagonist to be the gender they are. It has to mean something within the story, and there has to be something you're trying to convey by writing them that way. If your protagonist is just the typical aloof warrior with a dark past and no personality that we've seen countless times before, it doesn't matter whether they're male or female. They're just a trope, and their gender is irrelevant.

[bulmabriefs144]

The problem with RPGs is they are renowned for, lets be honest, cliches and stereotypes. They make their own epic out of the preconceived and its easier to satisfy an audience with the grand scale of the plot rather than the intricacies of character relationships and development.
The plots themselves also often hearken back to a time when women were the secondary gender. So the idea of healer likely stems from the ideal of a woman 'supporting her man' (how many times has the white mage been the love interest?), as well as common contemporary professions for women (or rather regarded as such, to the extent that its a little odd to see men in these roles) being nurses, housewives, or teaching, especially to younger children. Women are considered apt for these roles for their supposed domesticity or 'mothering instinct' and its likely a consideration when people sit down and develop their characters and say 'I want a female here' and build the character around being female rather than gender being a background element.

Ultimately, these stereotypes work because, though standalone they are quite weakly developed characters, they form a massive personality collage where the actions and attitudes of everyone who shares that style of stereotype are combined (you referred to someone as the 'Female Cloud' for instance) making that character appear capable of significantly more; capable of holding more opinions, capable of making more decisions, etc. We judge a person on past actions and its like giving them a hundred pasts, or even like you've somehow played the game before. Sometimes it really is like seeing the same regurgitated character off saving the world again but with seemingly no recollection of ever doing it before (...everyone ever is Link to sum up the paragraph).

I personally like female heroes, as they can be any ideal (while males are expected to act like typical Knight in Shining Armor). Action girl? Mousy librarian type somehow stuck with the role of saving the world? Masculine, feminine, or something in between? Sure. Heck, you could do an actual housewife who uses frying pans and sewing needles as weapons. The only way you'd really break the mold for a male character is to make him decidedly not stereotypically masculine, or otherwise odd.

That's why this works. With a female, you can have her be strong but still decisively feminine. This should be more the ideal, because having a strong female just to be like "women can be strong too" is an all too obvious message that in order for women to be strong, they have to be almost like men. This is the modern message, but I think it's wrong. A better ideal is something more like this. Someone who isn't afraid to be a woman, and saves the day by behaving like one.

[rewells]

I think the biggest thing to consider when deciding gender is less how the character acts, but how the other characters treat them. For instance, one of my favorite cutscenes in a game ever is at the end of Final Fantasy IV. Cecil tells the other male characters to join him in the final battle and tells the girls to stay behind. But Rosa and Rydia stowaway on the airship, and when Cecil finds them and says something to the effect of "I thought I told you to stay behind," Rosa responds "But who would heal your wounds in battle?" Though she fits the female-white mage stereotype, she is just as important as the male characters.

On the other hand, the designers of FFXIII described Lightning as "a female version of Cloud"...so she could have really been a male or female without affecting the story. Yet, one can argue that this was a good choice on the designers' part and shows that women can be just as strong as men (actually, Fang is the tank and the best character to use and kicks all the guys' asses). So I guess I'd give the FF series kudos on handling gender dynamics in games, with the exception of FFX-2...my god, what a horrible game.

[userjosh704]

Aya Brea is probably awesome because she is female. She's what, 5'1"? 90lbs? I really like looking at her little stick legs sticking out of her over sized jacket. I imagine Parasite Eve would have been significantly less interesting if they made the hero male. I can't explain why. You can please some of the people some of the time... You can't predict how people will react to your story or whether it will be more or less successful because of a male or female lead. You think anyone predicted bronies?

[Clord]

I ended up going with all main characters being female route and it worked out well in public demo releases for an one game. Gamers often mentioned how they liked the plot.

This post has been edited by Clord: Apr 22 2013, 11:27 PM

[UmbrotheUmbreon]

I honestly think the gender should fit the personality and role of the character and game. The game I'm working on has a female main character, because of the nature of the game's story, and that character's personality fits it best. I don't think that every RPG game HAS to have a male lead role, but it is usually what happens.

[Nadia]

I belief that the gender of the mainchars in a rpg are unimportant as long the story fits with them.

So there is no need to change anything as long everything in the gameworld works and makes sense, and if only a female char fits to be the mainchar because of the story it is ok, if only a male char fits it is ok too, if both genders would work without problems in a story, you can still give the players the options to chose between them.

And if anything is not workiing well... we have still the robotoption.

[UmbrotheUmbreon]

And if anything is not workiing well... we have still the robotoption.

Best answer ever, of all time