We Told You So
From a gamer discussion of playing the opposite gender, a man discusses what happened when he rolled a female character:
I didn’t believe it was bad either, probably because I’m not one of the 13 year old retards or the 35 year old misanthropes who can’t believe there’s an actual woman on the other side of the screen. I had nothing but male characters just because, well, I’m a guy and it’s more comfortable for me to play one. Then [..] I made a female NE rogue[...] It took ten levels before I was totally changed in my way of thinking. I had every sort of harassment possible, all from people who thought that if they did some emote spam I’d swoon for them and give them some action, either IRL or IC. I don’t think they cared. It was neither cheeky nor amusing.
I like how also, as a subtext to him finding out how badly women get harrassed, he also has to throw in the “oh but I’m a nice guy!” line, so of course he “just didn’t know, but also reveals without saying so in so many words that he thinks women are lying, or at least exagerrating to get attention. “I didn’t believe it was bad.” Because women constantly complaining about something means nothing, it’s just those bitches whining again, right? But when suddenly it happens to him, the man, then OMG it’s true!
Amd the sad thing is, yes, clearly he *is* one of the “nice guys” for actually recognizing this is a problem. *makes mental note to continue dating women*
RP-wise, here are just the more egregrious things male characters have done to my female avatars in a storyline in the past year: drugged one’s drink when she wasn’t looking so they could take advantage of her; started having sex with one when she was passed out drunk (she plays an alcoholic); called one a cheating whore for being at a party and dancing with someone else after she’d briefly danced with him, even though she said not one word about him being her boyfriend or anything else; and lesbian-baited various female characters of mine for showing affection towards another female avatar. Thus most of my female characters now RP that they don’t trust men – and almost all other RPing females do the same. I’m not quite ready to analyze this – or my in character responses to each of the situations – but lets just say for now the trend troubles (yet somehow does not surprise) me.
