It's been a few months since we last reported on the ever-intriguing topic of gender bending in those interactive spaces which allow it (most prevalent, then, in virtual worlds), and rather than rehash old news and old statistics, we thought we'd turn to Terra Nova's latest discussion on the subject. We know that it's mostly men who don female avatars, but - asks the virtual world blog - who are they?
Heroine-Sheik and TN author Bonnie Ruberg offers testimonies of some of the people who responded to her informal survey. She's also provoked some inspired commentary from the men and women who adopt another gender's clothing.
If you read between the lines of the post, however, the use of female avatars by male gamers has an interesting twist: when you take away the disparity of strength between the sexes and are left with only the superficial shell of gender clothing, female avatars wield much more social power than male.
From one of Bonnie's respondants:
When playing a female avatar, I enjoy feeling popular, sexy, beautiful, and more than a little powerful. it's amazing how much power a smart female can wield over the desperate, the socially awkward, and the stereotypical unwashed masses of geeks that typically inhabit an MMO setting. And I play that up. Even something as simple as using an atypical male response (like using "cutie" when addressing a male or demonstrating "physical" affection) is enough to convince all but the most jaded skeptic that I am female.
From one of the comments:
I play female characters exclusively; I like to make them as small as possible (even if it means sacrificing a slot to accommodate a size reduction appliance.) and as beautiful as possible. I've found this type of character perfect for manipulating other, mostly male, gamers; I think it triggers not only the male desire to protect, but also incites them into competition...either way I profit. ;)
TL Taylor's ruminations on female players of EverQuest suggest that the design of MMOGs "levels" out differences in ability, strength and power. When the physical strength imbalance goes out the window, and the primary difference we're left with between male and female characters in a MMOG is purely one based upon embodied gender.
The men in this (opportunistic) sample use female avatars as tools to get what they want. Sure, it happens the other way (and one of the post's commenters makes this point eloquently). According to research into women's use of online games, often female players adopt male avatars to slough off the unwanted attention and play around with anonymity. Their use has been put down to personal empowerment, yet the above suggests female avatars are adopted for social betterment.
Why, then, are they worth less financially than their male counterparts?
So confused.
