Reply to:

<<If the graphics (or at least some of the graphics) for male chars were such
that they appealed to you, would you play a male char? >>

Yes. And I have actually, though I've never stuck to one as a main character.

I guess I have enough of having to be "one of the boys" at work :P Since I RP
a lot, its easier and more relaxing for my main characters to match my sex.
As
well, I'm a mid-30's grey-haired professional and mother. I am NOT going to
come home and find being a 16 year old male's wet dream relaxing :) :) If its
my free time, then it should be MY fantasy.

Really, the whole thing is about fantasy. And there is a mismatch, either
way
you cut it:

A: Lets say you want the graphics to look like a fantasy strip show (it is
a fantasy
game) -- OK .. the women do, the men don't ... I as a female loose on the
voyeur side.

B: Lets say you want the graphics to look like functional fantasy
characters. Well,
the male ones DO! However, leather armor for a female Erudite Paladin is a
pink halter
top you couldn't even swim in w/o a serious "pop out" problem ... need I
say more.

Granted, B is what we label "sexist", but as a female CUSTOMER I'd like
either "beefcake"
(and write off the female "cheesecake" as - its just fantasy graphics
and I'm getting mine watching the men ;)), OR A choice in some graphics for
my female
warrior to actually look sleek, dangerous, and invincible .. see me and
FEAR me (rather
than HEH quit oggling my G-string").

As well, just a pet peeve here. Lets say I *wanted* a female character to
dress and fight
with a vamp look. Well, casters generally don't melee ... a caster vamp
FITS, a warrior
in a G-string is stupid (unless we all go option A). But Nooooo I get the
warrior in a
G-string, and the mage looks like Nancy Regan at a formal dinner!!!! Aaaaa!

I do think there is a significant female audience for these games. I also
think the
game designers would do better to include thoughts to a female audience in
the design.
And NOT be eliminating the graphics that appeal to the teenage male (yes
they work), but
by adding a few choices allowing the female player to not "spend 10 levels
trying to cover
her arse". As a female who's played RPGs for 25+ years I would suspect
that I would
be dissatisfied with any game "designed for women".

I would also like to thump those of you who are bashing the art director.
Like I said, as
a female, were I in her shoes, I would likely have made similar decisions
:) Who knows,
maybe she is the reason barbarian males aren't tooooo bad nekkid.