thread: 2005-03-15 : Cross-gender Play
On 2005-03-15, Meguey wrote:
Kat, I have a very similar experience of determining a character's gender. Occasionally, they come forward gendered, but often they do not, and it's a discovery process. Sometimes, two characters emerge as posiblities, and the decission is based on suitablity to the story. Rarely do I find myself with the foresight to think "Hmm, what issues do I as a player want to address, and what character/gender best allows me to do that?" After the fact, I can look back and see better what I'm exploring.
Interesting point, Matt. I think the other thread about playing romance may also be pointed at opening up 'female' realms to male characters. I've seen bits of it here and there, with a male PC (or TV character) able to be the caring parent figure or nurturing healer figure, etc. I hope that this continues. I would actually argue that male PCs get more of this than TV/movie males, because more players are aware of the need for balance.
I play a woman if I want a complex character that's easy to play, and a man if I want a complex character that's a challenge to play. Wow, this is totally unexpected. Can you expand on this a bit?
