I've never really noticed it in games, maybe for movies/tv shows -but that's it.

However I will say: Why the hell does the female always get the crossbow? Seriously almost all female lead in games/movies carry a crossbow as their main weapon for whatever reason

As a male, I find it hard to put myself in the shoes as a female.  It totally ruins it for me.  It is not a matter of insecurity or something of that nature.  I just have no intetest in portraying my role in a story as a female.  I have tried to look past it, just doesn't work for me most of the time.

I don't even understand. I assume than you can't watch TV shows like Star Trek Voyager, Xena. Or movies like Alien then?

How then does playing as Jill in RE3 different then Leon in RE4. She is using all the same abilities and items as Leon. She interacts with people as a generic person. She doesn't seduce Carlos. you're not getting quized on labor pains. Or doing a breast examination. You even beat the Tomb Raider reboot. And that has a harder scene to see a woman be hit on. So it can't be a violence factor.

Are you just falling into the trap that if you are intrested in something with a woman focus. You're imeditaly branded as gay. So you just can't continue on in the game?

StarOcean said: I've never really noticed it in games, maybe for movies/tv shows -but that's it. However I will say: Why the hell does the female always get the crossbow? Seriously almost all female lead in games/movies carry a crossbow as their main weapon for whatever reason

All this reminded me of is Link's Crossbow Training

Even if the OP is right about the reason, I don't mind at all. I'm fed up with the typical trailer I see when a new game is announced. This year's E3 was such a breath of fresh air with more kids, girls and women than usual acting as leads.

It is not quite as black and white as that.  I can portray myself as any mythological creature in a game be it human, elf, orc, or beast so long as it is a male character.  The thought of portraying myself as a female just does not interest me and leads to a lack of connection to the world I am trying to emmerse myself in.

I know you can say the difference between playing as a non human character or a female human may be minimal, but for me it is not.  Even in the Tomb Raider reboot I had to pretend I was watching a movie to get through it, while in Uncharted I can actually portray myself as Nathan Drake.  And even with a great game like TR, the difference in portrayal impacts the overall feel pf the game for me.

I am not alone in this, nor do I have anything against females leads.  They just keep me from enjoying my personal experience with the game more often than not.

So then the interaction is the sole problem. How about other aspects like a book. Would you feel akward if you read Wonder Woman, or She-Hulk in a public area. Or a T-shirt with them on. I'm really curious. I hope i'm not coming off as an ass.

StarOcean said: I've never really noticed it in games, maybe for movies/tv shows -but that's it. However I will say: Why the hell does the female always get the crossbow? Seriously almost all female lead in games/movies carry a crossbow as their main weapon for whatever reason

Metroid, Heavenly Sword, all of the women in Soul Caliber, Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, Dynasty Warriors, Warriors Orochi beg to differ :D

What I don't understand is how you can't imagine being a female, but can imagine being a non human.

No not at all, as it is all about portrayal.  In a book or a movie, I am reading or watching a story.  In a game however things are a bit different.  I am controling and, in a sense, living the story through the protagonist.  As a male that has no desire to portray myself as a female, this presents an issue in some games.

Now I have tried to look at it like a book or movie, but most of the time it just does not work for whatever reason.  This worked for the TR reboot as I said before, yet it failed to emerse me into the world like Uncharted does.  It does not make TR a bad game, I know it was great.  I am just unable to experience the full effect of it from what I love about gaming, which is emersing myself into the shoes of the main character and living the story in a sense.