Being Gendered Correctly

[PArcher]

In all games, I ALWAYS default to "he". No, I will not change, despite being female myself.

Why?

Because the majority of gamers (even that Farmville-inflated "45% of gamers are women" number still means 55% are male...and 50.0000000~01% is a majority), and its better to refer to someone by the majority than by a minority.

Do I care when people say "he" to me? No. I don't have to deal with the creepers who want you to "prove" you're female and those who harass you for being female.

Also, I haven't really met many females in the game. Period. I get on any voice-comms, most of the time I'm the only female in the room and everyone is "shocked" there's a woman around. And haven't been told that I'm calling someone by the wrong pronoun yet either.

[Tharian]

It's not a general catch because it's an assumption. If you want to go gender neutral, use "they".

Actually not to nitpick, but historically within the English Language the Masculine Pronouns have actually been considered the Gender Neutral Pronouns as well. That is because English does not have an individual set of Gender Neutral Singular Pronouns the way most other languages do.

[SarcasmMisser]

What if people are just missing the S key on their keyboard? Please don't be ableist and check you S-key having privilege.

[SchalaZeal]

I know it impacts you on a much deeper level than it does to me, but there isn't much to do. In gaming people assume you are a guy until you say otherwise.

In online gaming, most gamers assume it's irrelevant, not that you're a guy. You could be a robot, or an alien from some far far away galaxy. If you can play the game and actually qualify as 'alive', then you're in, and who cares about the rest?

That is because English does not have an individual set of Gender Neutral Singular Pronouns the way most other languages do.

The masculine pronoun is also the default (non-gendered singular) form in French.

[Tharian]

In online gaming, most gamers assume it's irrelevant, not that you're a guy. You could be a robot, or an alien from some far far away galaxy. If you can play the game and actually qualify as 'alive', then you're in, and who cares about the rest?

This is actually how gamers from a decade or more ago would have felt. Gamers of the year 2014 are a tad bit more politically correct, unless said Gamers happen to be fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, or Battlestar Galactica.... in which case your entire point is still wholly valid.

The masculine pronoun is also the default (non-gendered singular) form in French.

All I know is that Irish Gaelic pretty much has a different way of saying each word in the entire language depending on if it is gender neutral, feminine, or masculine, which is in part why it is one of the most difficult languages to learn.

[Sapphic]

When I started MMOing I rolled male chars as was concerned at what reaction I would get being female in what, at the time, was pretty much a male dominated arena. But, after playing EQ1 for a while I came to realise, it doesn't matter.

I fell in love with MMOs because it's a game with a social cooperative side. Most single player games I do not like because they don't have that.

I don't play to be treat any different based on my gender, if I get referred to as he, it doesn't bother me. Maybe because I originally "hid" behind a male avatar.

But, in game, we arent she or he. We are gender: Gamer! XD

[GalaxyGirl]

When I started MMOing I rolled male chars as was concerned at what reaction I would get being female in what, at the time, was pretty much a male dominated arena. But, after playing EQ1 for a while I came to realise, it doesn't matter.

I fell in love with MMOs because it's a game with a social cooperative side. Most single player games I do not like because they don't have that.

I don't play to be treat any different based on my gender, if I get referred to as he, it doesn't bother me. Maybe because I originally "hid" behind a male avatar.

But, in game, we arent she or he. We are gender: Gamer! XD

This this this this this

Who cares what people assume, you're playing to have fun. Not hook up or something. I usually avoid explaining I'm a girl unless I make friends on a game and don't want any miss conceptions.

[SchalaZeal]

What's funny is that, like the OP, I'm also a trans woman.

Since even before I came out, I took to only play female characters when possible (when not gender locked classes, like in DFO). But I quickly learned that no one (in MMOs) really cares about what sex I am, too.

Trolls would think my wanting it to be known is more reason to harass me, not because I'm female and they hate women. But because mentioning something irrelevant is perceived as attention-seeking.

[ruskie]

I'll generally refer to people by their characters gender or as they(this usually for people that join a LS/FC and that I haven't yet seen)... Outside of that unless I know either by being told or hearing them on voice chat I will keep refering to them as their characters gender(and yes am a male playing a female character).

[Amelia_Pond_Behemoth]

In a game that's still more heavily populated by male players, calling an unknown person "he" is more often than not going to be a correct assumption. Please don't take it as anything hurtful

I'm a male playing as a female character. I strongly believe in making my real life gender clear. I want to receive help for quests because people genuinely want to help, not because some sicko might think he'll have a chance if he keeps lavishing me with attention.