no, it's not sixist.

not even close.

So it stands to reason that we should use the information we have at hand to deduce what these women might have been capable of, especially in conjunction with historical context and circumstances. That would be where you're going to have the most trouble in defending your (or attacking my) position. Human evolution, common sense, historical context and worldly observations dismiss any "studies" dealing with averages or statistics - its all across the board. Men are physically superior to women -- and within medieval culture and society would have been superiorly trained. I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one, as this forum isn't the appropriate platform to throughly discuss the issue. What's more, and I don't wish to sound rude, but its a little annoying that I have to argue a point that should be common sense. I did not respond to the rest of your argument as you were attacking a hypothetical that I did not submit.

Edit: Typo

No, it's perfectly fine if you want to check out a male ass in third person view for hours and hours and hours ....

there are so many fewer tall women as compared to men that it's a waste and boring to discuss.

there are so few women that match men's strength that it, too, is a boring topic and not worthy of a debate.

I always go with a female in single games. I dig strong women, mostly dated business women or athletic types. So for me it's more enjoyable to watch a woman kick ass then "Conan". However online I pick male as you sort of represent yourself to others with the avatar.

DIE CHAOS SCUM! FOR THE EMPEROR!

I once talked to army officers who had led an all-female unit in their peacetime training, and they said that it's just not possible to sum women up as "inferior". Women are generally less capable than men but there are, like you said, plenty of women who can reach "male-level" physique and prove themselves good soldiers. In fact, the officer said that the women - who had all volunteered for service as is the law in Finland - were superior to most men (who are conscripted) he had trained.
That said there are plenty of capable women and likewise there are plenty of men who will never be capable or willing to conduct usual warrior-ness. While we can all agree that women tend to be lacking in upper body strength it's just one aspect of a larger situation.
They did criticize some aspects of the female troopers, but they were mostly aspects brought by the stay-in-the-kitchen mentality of this country.
This sums up my view exactly.

Except that, you know, I never dated anyone Not with a face like this.

You sicko.

Borris Vallejo. Look him up.

He created some of the most iconic fantasy imagery in the world. You've seen his work on dozens of book covers and posters, you just never realized it was him. THIS is what I imagine my female characters to be.

Forget realism. Forget what 'our' history says about women in battle- it's a fantasy game. It's YOUR fantasy game. Play what you want.

I like it when a guy plays as a female. It means to me that he likes females and since, I'm one, it's nice to be liked. Does that make sense? Simple answer, not going to get deep about it.

wow, my computer must have been wigging out.... sorry

PLEASE DELETE THIS

i hate not being able to delete posts, this was an accident. check below for my actual 2 cents

i only play male characters. you know why? i'm male.



duh.

edit: oh but if i would play an archer, i would make an female.

No, it's not necessarily sixist. What could be sixist is the reason you don't want to play as one (like the aforementioned "women can't be warriors!" posts), but if it's just "I can't get into a female character" that's probably just personal preference.

(Also, while I'd have to dig around quite a lot to find a link, there's a not-necessarily-scientific but at least reasonably reliably done survey that indicates that most men who make a female character aren't doing so for eye candy purposes.)

The only thing id ever do on a female characer is prepare food and organize clutter...no woman of any universe, mythical or real, could ever handle the most of the feats of skyrim, especially combat oriented feats. Maybe a female could do some retrieving quests...if they could survive encounters with creatures and bandits, which they probably couldnt. Women are just plain weaker and less gifted at badassery than men. It might be sixist, but its also a fact.

It depends on why it makes you uncomfortable, I suppose. One of my main saves is a female warrior. I tend not to anolyse why such a character is appealing to me, but something about a fiery-haired Nord girl going toe-to-toe with dragons and beasties just feels right.

And no, there's really nothing sixist about not relating to a character enough to hold your interest. It took me several attempts in each Elder Scrolls game to make a character I actually cared about enough to keep playing with. Maybe your problem is more to do with an imaginative block.

Edit: I'll add to this, this thread has turned into something of a mess. I didn't read what way the topic had gone. Female warriors aren't unheard of in Norse mythology and Scandinavian history. But even if they were, it'd be difficult to imagine why anyone would have a problem with it in a universe where there are certainly stranger elements of fantasy.

Hey if I feel like playing a female warrior housekitty, I'll play a female warrior housekitty.

I don't why people make such a big deal out of this.

Its common for males too show theyre female side once in a while, dont worry

Because people are constantly being brainwashed to make them think this way or that way. Control is power. If youre into books, read Robert Sheckley's (sci-fi) "The Status Civilization". Excellent old sci-fi book with a twist.

Stereotypically this makes sense.

Mages are generally intelligent people, they study at schools, devoted to magic. And females are generally more intelligent then males.

Fighters are based on strength, and males are typically stronger then females.

Again, this is stereotypically. Personally I like playing strong female fighters.

I always play females in games, whenever I can. My Gf thought it was weird, but its just what I do. Perhaps it is because I play in third person, from behind like I do in World of Warcraft, so
its better for me to look at ladies from behind for so many hours than dudes.

Also, I got used to playing so many games back in the day where you could ONLY be a guy. It was refreshing when you had the choice to pick a female character.

I do know that the adolscent males, in World of Warcraft, often take issue with it. This is probably because they are at a stage where they are so unsure of their masculenity. Real men
play female characters as often as they feel like it, as readily as they'd play an Orc or an Elf (which are things they are not in real life.)

Its like I tell the kids in WOW, "You are far more closer to a female human genetically, than you would be to a dwarf/elf/gnome male." To which they usually say,

"wht?"

i don't agree with this.
what do you put in the word "intelligent"?

Playing a male is cool. But its what you expect. In order to make the game more fun you gotta pay a female. I like playing females and having guys underestimate her all the time. Shows that some women are exceptional and strive for respect and to prove themselves.

I don't think I could rationalize my habit of using female characters besides that simple one-plus-one logic. I was once, of course, accused of "wanting to be a female" and that's not the case (though I wouldn't mind trying it out for a week or two, to understand women better). All sorts of wacky theories have arisen but they are all wrong. I think, in fact, that those men who resent playing as females are the sixually repressed crossdressers they accuse "people like me" of.

I'm a male and I regularly play female characters. I don't identify with my characters as being me and it's something different after years of playing computer games where the character is some muscle bound action film stereotype.