Why's that silly, you ask?
Basically, it's silly because in the past I've pretty much only chosen girl characters while playing Animal Crossing games.
There are a number of reasons for that, of course--with the main ones being that I think they're cuter and I prefer their selection of clothing and accessories--but that's really neither here nor there. The fact is that I usually go with a girl, no question.
So, why am I hemming and hawing about going with one this time around?
For starters, with New Leaf, I'll undoubtedly spend some of my time visiting friends' towns and otherwise interacting with fellow players while making use of the game's online capabilities. That's virgin territory for me, as all of my previous Animal Crossing forays have been completely solo affairs.
In that kind of situation, I was able to lose myself in the character and world I created--much like how I've been losing myself in the characters and world of THE "DENPA" MEN 2 over the last few days, or how I lost myself in the characters and world of Fire Emblem: Awakening and EarthBound before that.
Throw some honest-to-goodness, real-life interaction--especially with people I know--into the equation, though, and all of the sudden I have a different perspective on the experience before me.
Are people expecting to interact with "me" while traipsing around my village or theirs? And, if they are, does that mean I should play as myself rather than as a girl with rosy cheeks and pale pink pigtails?
Those are only a few of the questions currently swirling through my brain, though. A few others: will people think it's weird or strange or odd that I've chosen to play as a girl rather than as a boy? And, as such, will it make our online interactions awkward or uncomfortable or weird?
I know I'm likely over-thinking things, but I decided to share these thoughts and insecurities and feelings here anyway because I think it's interesting to suss out where they come from and what they mean.
I also think it's interesting to consider why I even care if people think it's weird or strange or odd to choose to play as a virtual character that's of a gender different from my real-world one. After all, given the name and content of this blog, I clearly don't much care if people have a problem with me being gay, or liking the color pink, or enjoying games with "cute" characters and settings.
So, why do I care if people have a problem with me preferring to play as a girl rather than a boy character in New Leaf?
I'm not sure, to tell you the truth.
I'm also not yet sure how I'm going to answer or solve this particular conundrum--although my current solution is that I'll make two different characters: one of whom will be a boy character who resembles my actual self (and who will represent me when I convo with friends, most likely) and one of whom is a girl who exists simply to look cute and don fabulous frocks.
With that out of my system, what are all of you going to do once you get your hands on a copy of Animal Crossing: New Leaf? Are you planning to create a character who at least somewhat mirrors the real-life you, or will you create one who's little more than a figment of your imagination?
46 comments:
If you treat it like an MMORPG, a guy playing as a gal isn't anything new. I spent my time on Final Fantasy XI as a Tarutaru male, and my buddy played as a Mithra catwoman. Nobody expected him to be an actual female player and nobody expected me to be actual hobbit-sized.
My New Leaf character will be "me," though. I've always played Animal Crossing that way, and I'll be boring the crap out of my Facebook friends by posting pics of my adventures.
One question: will there be more than one house for more than one player to live in? I mean...with you being the mayor, can you share that? Is there going to be room for four characters and four houses in this one? I hadn't thought about that yet...but I haven't seen a single thing saying there WILL be. It seems you might get one shot at this...hm. I don't know how I feel about not being able to have more than one character...if that's the case.
As far as your conundrum? Pick whichever one you'll have more fun with and screw the rest.
According to the AC wiki, each character gets a house.
So...you CAN have more than one ACTUAL player for each copy? How do they handle mayorship?
The first player is the mayor. The other three players are residents; they can fund projects, but they can't choose them.
Good to know! Thanks!
Sounds like a non-issue to me, having two will let "you" visit your friends and allow you to project yourself a little bit more authentically. As long as you don't mind being overshadowed by your fabulous female alter ego, anyway! ;) (This actually sounds like the start of a really interesting Animal Crossing-themed character drama!)
Trust me, Bryan, I have these same kinds of conundrums!
I often play as a female character in games when given the chance. First and foremost, female characters tend to get all the best character customization and clothing. In games where you can design yourself, I'm rarely satisfied with the male offerings.
Secondly, there's the old adage, "If I'm going to kill crabs for four hours a day, I'd better look cute doing it." Well, I think that's how it goes. Anyway, I tend to get much more invested in what a female character accomplishes than what a male one would.
With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, I actually started out as a female character but made a male one also. I knew I'd be playing with friends, and me likely being the only guy with a girl avatar might've made things odd. So I definitely feel you on that one.
However! In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, I've decided on a male character as my main. It's mostly to represent "me", plus I think the AC boys can look pretty cute.
The main reason, though, is that male characters can have female hairstyles and dress in female clothing in this version! So even if I wanted to "branch out" a little, I could do so with my same character. I'll probably make a secondary female character anyway, just for fun. But this kind of makes it an easier choice.
Here's hoping you can come to a decision you're happy with! I still need to think of a town name...
Thanks, Zaphod. Lately I've been thinking I must be in the minority when it comes to the AC games--in that I've never played as "myself," really. I don't know why, but it's never really even been a consideration for me.
Also, thanks for making me realize why multiple characters would be a good idea regardless. You'd be amazed at how few times I've remembered to do that in past games!
Just stepping in here to support what Zaphod's already said. One copy of the game can include four characters, but only one of them can be male. I didn't actually know until now, though, that each character can have his/her own house, too, although I guess that makes sense. Yay!
Thanks, Michael. Like I said in the post, I'm sure I'm over-thinking things--or worrying about things needlessly. Of course, that's par for the course for me :)
Anyway, it's funny how something like this -- making it easier for AC players to meet up online, etc. -- can cause such issues.
Now the question is: which of my two characters will get to be the mayor? AHHHHH!!!
Oh, and one more thing: I love your idea of making some sort of AC-themed drama out of this kind of situation!
Ah, so it sounds like you've dealt with similar conundrums in the past, Kamiwoo. Interesting! Thanks for sharing your stories/thoughts, by the way, I really appreciate it :)
I do think that the boy character designs in New Leaf are quite cute, by the way--and much cuter than they were in earlier iterations of the series. (Especially the first--I *hated* the boy design in that game!)
Still, I prefer the girl character designs. Plus, they have better hair and clothing and accessory options :)
BTW, should I ever get MH3U (and I'm pretty sure I will), I'll more than likely play as a female in that game, too.
Finally, don't remind me about having to pick a town name. I can't decide. WAHHHHHH! :(
"As far as your conundrum? Pick whichever one you'll have more fun with and screw the rest." Thanks Justin :)
Wait what, only one can be male? What is this, some kind of Animal Crossing harem??
...or is that a typo for "Mayor?" Looks like the gender decision is really getting to you! :)
Yes! Obviously the girl is mayor in this scenario. Or, you're the mayor, but all the animals are secretly plotting to overthrow you. :(
Ack! Yes, I meant MAYOR. Not male. Ha ha! I think you're right that this decision is getting to me, Michael :)
Isn't that the case in all AC games, Michael--that the animals are looking to overthrow the humans? Or is that just in my copies of the games? ;)
It's worth mentioning that you can dress as a girl while playing a male character and vice versa.
I think they're just projecting onto humans 'cuz they're different (strange considering the animals are so diverse), and their real problem is that Tom Nook has everyone in servitude. It's not your fault that you're the best at finding bells!
Ha! Yes, Tom Nook definitely is the real problem. Although seemingly not in this game?
Yeah, I know. I'm not really interested in that, though. This isn't about me projecting personal feelings onto my AC character or anything like that. It's more about me preferring to play as girl characters in these games. As such, I'd rather just go with a straight-up girl character in New Leaf. That said, I'm glad that folks who want to play as guys who dress as girls--or vice versa--can do so this time around. I'm kind of amazed Nintendo even made that an option, to tell you the truth :|
HA! I wondered about that.
Yeah, sorry for any confusion it may have caused. At least Michael caught it!
Looks like he's moving up the business chain and passed off his previous responsibilities to family members. Grooming a new generation of capitalist tyrants, no doubt! http://animalcrossing.wikia.com/wiki/Tom_Nook
That swine!
BTW, you know what I'd really like to see? A Ms. Nook. What have we yet to meet a female tanuki in these games? Maybe in the Wii U version??
I imagine it would just be Tom Nook in drag, and the two are never seen together. :D
NOOOOOOO! Although now that I've thought about it a bit, such a scenario could be pretty brilliant.
Hey, Nintendo, hire this guy to develop ideas for the next Animal Crossing game :)
I'm easy to reach, Nintendo, and my consulting fees are quite reasonable!
Nah, take 'em for all they're worth, Michael :)
Others have mentioned this already, but I shall echo them: play as whomever you want. As long as you're comfortable, that's all that matters :)
When I was heavy into FFXI, I managed to convince my best friend to get into it as well. He chose to play as a female Elvaan just because he wanted to.
So yea, go out there and have fun! :D
(This reminds me to add New Leaf to the list of games to get. BAH! xD )
Thanks, Mineeva! I know it's kind of silly to worry/fret about such things, but that's how I am :)
I'm glad I could remind you to pick up the game yourself, by the way. Once you get it, we'll have to visit each others' towns!
I'm having the same problem with Pokemon X/Y though luckily I have till October to decide. I chose to play as a girl in Pokemon White 2 due to her hair making me think of Princess Leia and Sailor Moon. All the Pokemon in my party right now are male but that's just a coincidence. Strangely enough Pokemon is the only game series were I'll sometimes chose to play as a girl (the only ones I played as a girl are Diamond, Platinum, and White 2, the rest I've played as a boy).
ALSO TO EVERYONE here's a face guide for AC:NL. http://www.jvgs.net/new-leaf-face-guide.htm
Ah, I'm with you when it comes to Pokemon X/Y, Sam. Actually, at the moment I MUCH prefer the girl design to the boy one in that game.
I also quite liked the girl lead in White 2, it has to be said, although I've yet to buy or play that game.
Before that, I believe I've played as both boys and girls in previous Pokemon games, although I haven't spent much time with any of them outside of the first (Red) and Black/White.
As for the face guide for AC:NL--thanks for sharing it! I've actually had that ready to go for myself for a while now, but it'll be good for others to see.
Hmmm, maybe I should work up a post that shares that info plus some info on where to find good QR codes, etc.
I'm going to be a girl because a friend of mine created a boy and named him after me haha.
Well everyone's chimed in to say a resounding "play the way you want!" so I'm just going to quickly add that I certainly wouldn't have a different opinion of you if you played a boy, or a girl!
I think this topic is really interesting, though – it's always neat to see what gender people choose when playing games where you can do so, and why. Actually, I tend to play male character when given the chance, mostly because I like looking at a character I think is "hot" (HAH I'm so shallow) and I hate how girl = skimpy clothing and big boobs in most games. That said, I always tend to gravitate towards female avatars in Animal Crossing, mainly for the reasons you've described: they're cute!
I hardly ever think of an avatar in a game as a projection of myself, but I do know lots of people feel that way! I think Animal Crossing is a game that's easier to project yourself into than others, though.
Anyway, regardless of what gender you pick, I look forward to seeing you in-game soon!!
Ha! I love it, Alois. I look forward to seeing this girl--or at least hearing what her name will be :)
Thanks, Anne :)
I think this topic is interesting, too--although I guess that's probably kind of obvious, since I decided to write about it and all.
Anyway, I especially find it interesting that so many people project themselves into Animal Crossing--mainly because the game is so cartoonishfantastic/unrealistic to me.
I mean, I totally can see why people would "role play" in MMOs with more realistic graphics, and with more realistic avatars, etc., but in these games? It surprises me, no question.
BTW, if I were to play an MMO--something I've basically never done, aside from the 30 minutes I spent with Second Life back in the day--I'd definitely play as a guy.
Which probably seems weird given this post, but, really, it isn't, as I'd likely be playing myself (or some idealized version of myself) in the MMO, while in Animal Crossing I'm just playing as "some random adorable character."
As for what I'm going to do with New Leaf: like I said in the post above, I'm likely going to make two characters--one a boy and the other a girl.
The girl likely will be the character I play as when I'm on my own, while the boy character will be used when I interact with friends, etc.
Anyway, like you said, Anne, I very much look forward to visiting your town and otherwise interacting with your New Leaf character. YAY!
haha temped to go girl, the dress has so much more drawn space. I can understand the dilemma, most games just like whatever girl time or boy time but with AC our character is a constant entity. ... kinda of haha
Yes, that's definitely one of the reasons I prefer girl characters in AC, Robert. But like you said, things get a bit complicated when you take said characters on line and start interacting with others. Gah!
That sounds like it would make a good post for tomorrow being the day it comes out. Also apparently they did play the K.K. remix of "Get Lucky" at the Nintendo World Store Event.
I'm amazed they didn't censor it out of the american version especially since they made Gracie Grace female outside of Japan.
I'm considering it, Sam. The other possibility is June 14, when the game hits Europe. That way I can kill two birds with one stone, as they say.
Also, I'll bet that Nintendo World Store event was AWESOME! I'll really have to drag my husband there someday...
Very true. Maybe it just slipped through the cracks...
I'm really glad I'm not the only one who had this dilemma. I've been feminine ever since I was a tot, and although most of my friends know I'm gay, it could be a little strange to interact with them as a different gender (not to mention my eleven year old cousin who doesn't have a clue and wants to meet my character.)
Did you end up having a male or female character as mayor?
Hey there, Forrest! I created both boy (Bryan) and girl (Aino) characters for New Leaf, with the girl being the mayor. I have to say, though, that I'm liking my boy character just about as much as the girl one, which is pretty surprising to me considering my past experiences with the Animal Crossing series.
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