You will have to choose. That's why I said "mostly". I doubt anyone is taking turns in the character gender.
I actually do take turns in playing gender. I'm not totally sure why, but whenever I've just played a game through as one I'll likely pick the other. Oh well. Technically I've played more as male.
The only time there's a male in the party is when I'm using Npc's. If I'm creating a party all by myself it's all chicks. There pretty to look at and when do you ever see a band of traveling girls saving the day?
If I can choose my gender, I'm almost always female because I find there is a general lack of female chars in video games in general. I'll play male characters occasionally but I vastly prefer female ones.
It just not feels right when I'm playing as a male in any RPG. I loose a lot of immersion, and since most of the game won't let us choose which gender we'd like to play, I play female when I have the choice. Still, I played some male CHAR through BG1 & 2, but... Well, that's not the same feeling
When I play a game like BG where you get a blank slate character who you build on your own, I almost invariably choose male. I tend to self-identify with my characters like many others and I just don't get the same connection with a female character.
If the game has prewritten characters to choose from and you play through one of their storylines then I pick the character I like best, irrespective of gender. I've cheerfully played female characters if I find their personalities more engaging than their male counterparts or they had a fighting/playstyle more in line with what I like. To use Baldur's Gate 1 for the PS2 as an example, I unhesitatingly played the sorceress because she was The Mage of that game and I was going to play The Mage.
It's actually changed a lot for me over the years... When I first started I played a lot of male characters. But as I got older, I found myself creating more and more female characters. I guess because in the original BG, it was just more fun to be a man (I get to has all the ladies! ). And the story doesn't really change depending on gender, so why not play a male? I'm a woman in real life; I live it every day. Why not do something else for a change? XD
Though as I said, now I'm playing a lot more female characters. It's nice that they've added new romance options for girls (which is part of what turned me off to playing my own gender... What do you mean playing a girl means less content!?). But I also think it's that I, as a young woman, had matured into my sex over the years, and feel more in-touch with female heroes than I used to.
I do still like my men, but now that I've made some female characters, it's a pretty even split.
I like playing females but I pick males for BG because the romances are better! There's also a lot of awesome girls in the game (like Edwin, teehee) and I usually take Imoen so I like having a male charname to balance them out.
After shamefully abusing certain gender privelages in Fallout 2 when I was 16 and knew it was easy to gain money by er, "playing the oldest profession" in fallout 2, I kind of entered this guilt-ridden slump where I found out that I couldn't in good conscience role-play a female character ever again.
Not just because of some guilt-trip, but because role-playing the opposite sex is just not something I'm mentally capable of doing; it's weird. When it comes to making my own character in any game that allows you to, I always play Male.
I chose this one since it is the closest to a "both" option. I cannot say I play one more often than the other since I "roll with the dice". The only time this is different is on games like Planescape Torment, where your character is fixed.
...I must admit I entertained the idea of adding "both", but in the end I dropped it, because I just wanted people to decide. And because I find the idea of creating a male CHARNAME only to trans-gender him to a her with the belt disturbing.
We had many polls about people and their preference already. I was thinking about asking for the preferred race (or "what race would you be"), but then I know I would have to add Mind Flayer for me, Beholders for @KidCarnival, Myconids for @OneAngryMushroom and @God knows what mummified undead gnome illusionists are. (Yes, I am looking at you, @Anduin!)
Because you wanted people to decide? But if people really are playing both gender as frequently, then forcing them to choose one option is asking them to lie. What's the point?
For BG, I've had two female characters and one male; overall, though, it tends to even out (male in NWN1, female in SoU/HotU, female in NWN2/MotB, male in SoZ, female in IWD1, male in IWD2). The only RPG I can think of where I was consistent with my gender choice throughout multiple playthroughs was "Mass Effect", because I literally cannot imagine Commander Shepard as a man.
I guess beholders means I play both. So yea... I pass it first as male (am a male) but I do pass with a female character 2. To see how much influence on the game gender has and how to pass certain situations with the character of oposite sex.
7 out of 10 of my toons are males, more immersive and I often have Viconia in the party. When I play female I'm always chaste. This might change with the new BG2EE NPC.
Need a both option... as I roll characters of different genders depending on my mood. Usually in BG2 I multiplayer start and make a custom character to join my team. Always the opposite gender of the charname that I made.
I have a male mage... when I start BG2 I will be making a female monk to accompany him.
I also have a female dragon disciple... in BG2 I am thinking I will make a male stalker to join her.
So you really need a both option for me to answer accurately
I actually alternate for the most part. I don't see the character as 'me' when I play, so the character has nothing to do with the player. I get a concept of a character and, from there, roll him/her, and then play. Whether it's my Joan d'Arc inspired pally, my male berserker, female bard half-elf, male archer... I flip-flop.
I usually play guys in computer RPGs because I enjoy the romantic subplots and I think up until recently female characters tended to get the shaft.
I do wish there was more material attached to the girdle of masculinity/femininity in the first game, though. I would have liked to be able to become a woman for a good chunk of the game as a way of throwing all the bounty hunters off.
Comments
(And Cursed belt of Genderbending does not count!)
Still, I played some male CHAR through BG1 & 2, but... Well, that's not the same feeling
But then I beat it as a Dude Ranger... and I've beaten the individual games (BG and SOA but not TOB) with both, so its pretty fifty fifty.
Gotta try the beholder option.
If the game has prewritten characters to choose from and you play through one of their storylines then I pick the character I like best, irrespective of gender. I've cheerfully played female characters if I find their personalities more engaging than their male counterparts or they had a fighting/playstyle more in line with what I like. To use Baldur's Gate 1 for the PS2 as an example, I unhesitatingly played the sorceress because she was The Mage of that game and I was going to play The Mage.
How do Beholders reproduce?
Though as I said, now I'm playing a lot more female characters. It's nice that they've added new romance options for girls (which is part of what turned me off to playing my own gender... What do you mean playing a girl means less content!?). But I also think it's that I, as a young woman, had matured into my sex over the years, and feel more in-touch with female heroes than I used to.
I do still like my men, but now that I've made some female characters, it's a pretty even split.
Not just because of some guilt-trip, but because role-playing the opposite sex is just not something I'm mentally capable of doing; it's weird. When it comes to making my own character in any game that allows you to, I always play Male.
With that being said, most of my characters are female
I have a male mage... when I start BG2 I will be making a female monk to accompany him.
I also have a female dragon disciple... in BG2 I am thinking I will make a male stalker to join her.
So you really need a both option for me to answer accurately
I do wish there was more material attached to the girdle of masculinity/femininity in the first game, though. I would have liked to be able to become a woman for a good chunk of the game as a way of throwing all the bounty hunters off.