New data compiled on our playing habits offers an interesting insight into gender preferences - and it's good news for female characters. According to the research collected by Quantic Foundry, one in three male gamers prefer playing as female characters - compared to less than one in ten female players picking male characters.
As shown in the full report, 48 percent of the men who were questioned prefer playing as male characters, with 29 percent opting for female characters. This is a stark contrast to the female respondents, with a staggering 76 percent preferring to play as characters of the same gender, and just 9 percent choosing a male protagonist.
Interestingly, age seems to factor into these results. The older the male respondents, the more likely he would prefer playing as a female character.
The researchers offer a few explanations for these results. One is simply that the male respondents are more likely to find the female characters attractive, compared to male avatars. Yet another theory is that gaming allows those who currently identify as men a relatively safe space to explore their gender, at least in comparison to exploring this in real life. The research mostly pertained to MMOs such as World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14, where these identifies could be explored. The researchers note that the same isn't seen in female-identified players, perhaps because there is less of a stigma against women wearing masculine clothing.
The research also included non-binary players and characters. Unsurprisingly, non-binary gamers prefer to play as non-binary characters in games. However, almost the same amount of non-binary respondents said they prefer playing as female characters, with just a 5 percent difference between them. It's possible that this is due to a lack of non-binary representation in games, as many character creators present binary options.
Between men, women, and non-binary people, men were the most likely to have no character gender preference. This is closely followed by non-binary gamers, 19 percent of which aren't concerned what their character's gender is.