MubaiMirror.com – Lisa Baertlein
Most guys on MMORPGs would rather play a female character than a male one. It?s has nothing to do with sexual identity ? it?s just purely to gain the upper hand
When men appear as buxom, scantily clad females in video games like World of Warcraft, Everquest, A3 and Ragnarok, it is more about winning than finding an outlet for a real-world affinity for gender bending.
?It has nothing to do with exploration of sexual identity,? said Brenda Brathwaite, a game developer who delved into the subject for her book ?Sex in Video Games?.
While there are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender-friendly groups that operate within massively multiplayer online games commonly referred to as MMOs, issues of sexual orientation take a backseat to slaying beasts or rival factions, researchers and gamers say.
?If you come out in World of Warcraft it doesn?t matter. Who cares? You can be gay, straight, transgender. What matters is whether you can swing a sword,? said Brathwaite. ?It?s pure MMO capitalism.?
In an About.com poll taken last year, nearly two-thirds of the 920 respondents said they play characters of the opposite sex in online role- playing games.
Kathryn Wright, WomenGamers.com?s consulting psychologist, earlier this decade found that 60 percent of male players who don female avatars, or on-screen personas, do it to gain an advantage in game play.
An enthusiast with the online handle Jackpot649 nailed the Zeitgeist in his response to the About.com query: ?I?m a guy, but if I gotta look at an avatar all day, I?d sooner look at a female avatar. Plus, people give you more free stuff.?