Fem Boys

[Rydia]

Guys seem to complain a lot about male characters looking "pretty" or overly feminine. Many girls find these characters attractive.

What's your opinion of them?

I personally like them. I find them very attractive because they look clean and groomed and are pretty XD I dont' know why guys complain so much, I mean, just about every female VG character is super hot. Why can't us girls have a few sexy scantily dressed male characters?

Typically the more manly looking VG characters are just not attractive to me. The designers seemed more focused on making them look rough and tough and did not really care about looks, because, well most games are geared towards guys and guys do not care how hot their character is as long as they look badass or manly.

 

[Dishy]

I dont' know why guys complain so much, I mean, just about every female VG character is super hot. Why can't us girls have a few sexy scantily dressed male characters?

This.

I don't really care if the characters are pretty boys are not, if they're badass enough.
Sephiroth was pretty badass. 'Nuff said.

 

[Gabe]

But what happens when a male character looks SOO feminine, that a straight guy is attracted to them. Then the character designers have an issue.

 

[Dishy]

Haha, I guess.
But again, I'm not usually too bothered if a male character LOOKS girly.
It's when they start ACTING like a woman that gets to me lmao.

Could you give an example of a character that's THAT girly-looking that guys are attracted to him?

 

[Ayen]

I don't really care all that much. I mean I watch Anime, I see girly looking men all the time, it's nothing new to me. The only time it starts to get creepy is when a female is based on said girly looking man and the more and more you look at her, the more and more she looks like the girly looking man yet that doesn't stop me from finding said woman physically attractive

...

But yeah it never makes me rage or anything.

 

[Dee]

I don't mind pretty boys once and a while, but the typical bishounen with long, flowing golden or silver locks, beautiful lean, taut body with not an ounce of fat on them and almost feminine facial features just gets boring and old after a while. I'm really into yaoi, so you see A LOT of that, which is why I guess I'm burned out on the stuff. I like a bit of variety.

 

[Ultima Snake]

to be honest as long as they are good charaters then i dont care about how they look. they could be dressed in pink and talk in a camp voice for all i care

 

[Rydia]

But what happens when a male character looks SOO feminine, that a straight guy is attracted to them. Then the character designers have an issue.

Then prepare for hot yaoi fanfiction and fanart! Lol just go to deviant art and do a search on Sora and Riku.

 

[Amabdaan]

Well if the guy was meant to be a bad-ass and wicked-evil (sephiroth), it would not look trustworthy if he had a pink "dress", hearts for eyes and flowers in his hair. I think its about not crossing the line, so the characters still are believable.
But I dont think I have stumbled upon a guy that looks too girly.

 

[Rydia]

Well if the guy was meant to be a bad-ass and wicked-evil (sephiroth), it would not look trustworthy if he had a pink "dress", hearts for eyes and flowers in his hair. I think its about not crossing the line, so the characters still are believable.
But I dont think I have stumbled upon a guy that looks too girly.

But then we have scantily dressed female character, with big boobs, tiny waist, and little to no muscle who we are supposed to believe are badass fighters, swordsmen, ninjas, ect...

I think that is a little more unbelievable than a badass guy who looks feminine.

 

[Sultan]

What's my opinion on pretty or "girly" looking guys. I don't have a problem with -them-. There are people like that, and they can save the world, sure why not?. What I do have a problem with is nearly all of them look like that, they look "too perfect" and the same goes for the females. I don't care for the sleazy designs the over-sized breasts and the pretty face. It's distracting in a sense that they're like fashion models, not fighters or adventurers or those kinds of roles.

Sure there can be one or two beautiful looking people, but they need to seem like real people at least. And these so called "manly" character? Please. The reason why guys like to play as these 6 foot + ripped characters with scars and shit is because that is their egomaniacal fantasies. Again, of you want to make a character like that, at least try to make him look like a real person, one that we can connect to. If you look at the big tough guy archetype, you'll see that they're overused and similar in design.

Do I want to play as a pretty "fem" boy? Not all the friggin' time. Do I want to play as Gutts/Auron/Solid Snake or any of these "manly man" characters? every once in a while, maybe. But mostly I want to play as a -regular- looking person. I'll play an attractive person so long as they present them the right way. Take Basch for example, yeah he's a handsome looking fellow, but at the same time he's not tall, he became sickly thin after his imprisonment, he has a believable scar and not the cliche one that goes across the eye vertically. He grew a beard because he didn't have the luxury of shaving. Because we see these things happen to him we can see him more like a real character rather than just "the tough one".

 

[Valvalis]

Take Basch for example, yeah he's a handsome looking fellow, but at the same time he's not tall, he became sickly thin after his imprisonment, he has a believable scar and not the cliche one that goes across the eye vertically. He grew a beard because he didn't have the luxury of shaving. Because we see these things happen to him we can see him more like a real character rather than just "the tough one".

I agree, Basch is a really good example of an "average" character (despite his being good-looking). I actually thought Vaan and Penelo looked very much like regular people too, they weren't particularly attractive or tough-looking

This is an interesting thread question for me, because I've actually rarely seen any game characters in still pictures *before* seeing them in the games. So whenever I've been introduced to them, I instantly get a vibe of their personality at the same time, and so if they look "girly" but don't act like it, it's hard for me to think of them as being effeminate. But either way, it doesn't bother me, it's usually more the personality and/or backstory of a character that attracts me to them or doesn't. Sometimes I'll think a "girly" looking male character is attractive (i.e. someone like Albel Nox from Star Ocean) and sometimes I'll prefer someone more rough-and-tumble (think Cid Highwind), it kind of just depends on how they carry themselves. I mean really there aren't all that many game characters I can think of offhand that toe the line IMO anyway, one of the only main ones that actually comes to mind right now is Flea from Chrono Trigger, who within the game does actually make allusions to himself being somewhat androgynous:

A lot of times also, I've noticed such characters tend to be a bit narcissistic (Kuja and Sephiroth are two good examples), and I don't really see narcissism as being pertinent to one gender or the other I think really it's like what Rydia said, some of the prettier male characters just like to be clean and well-groomed.

 

[Rapture]

I don't personally see whats so wrong with having some good looking guys in our games...Guys get really pretty girls who are scantily clad with their *ahem* large assets like Tifa *cough cough*, upper thigh shots of Vanille's bum, and Rikku from X...its like she walks around wearing a strip of fabric over her thighs and a flippin' Bra...and we don't complain.

Let us have our nice looking guys to oogle a bit. I'd call some of them ultra fem like Vaan (ew)...but Cloud and Noctis I don't think are ultra fem like Vaan, just on the metrosexual side. I'm sorry but I don't think the ultra burly "Man" types like Barret and Jecht are uber sexy. Huge muscles on overly greased bodies just doesn't do it for me

excuse me but i like my men manly

LUL. Tom...you like men? ...



Big muscles just aren't my thing...I'd rather have nice hair and a middle of the line chiseled bod on a guy. ...and if he doesn't dress like a hobo, that's always a plus

It obviously bothers guys when they have to play as someone they see as "fem" because it goes against all of their sense of manliness but...I don't think SE has crossed any lines yet... unless....Vaan

 

[Gaige]

I dunnoooo. I tend to like both kinds of designs, if they're done well enough. I'm attracted to both, as attracted to video game characters one person can get.

The advantage of having a "pretty boy" as a protagonist is that more often than not, this person is inexperienced in the whole fighting thing that the game will likely contain, and we get to see them grow up in a sense. It gives room for more character development more often, which is an attractive factor of this more inexperienced character.

Now the manlier character, The one with facial hair, scars and a more rough and tumble appearance, is attractive to me as well, because chances are the "tough guy" will show emotion less than the "pretty boy."

However, that makes any display of emotion they DO give us that much more poignant and meaningful, rather than the "pretty boy", who can end up getting the label of brat or crybaby because they show TOO MUCH emotion. Examples of characters who have kinda obtained this label include Tidus and Vaan.

Really, it's all down to the designer and how sympathetic they make the "pretty boy" type character, presenting us with real, believable issues and flaws that will attract us to him. And because I've seen a lot more "tough guy" characters succeed, I prefer the "pretty boy" type when it's done well, and tend to prefer them because when it's done well, it's done really well. Not to mention that kinda character is better eye candy for me.

 

[The Witch]

But what happens when a male character looks SOO feminine, that a straight guy is attracted to them. Then the character designers have an issue.

That's when it's a problem my dad once thought Vaan was a chick

But then we have scantily dressed female character, with big boobs, tiny waist, and little to no muscle who we are supposed to believe are badass fighters, swordsmen, ninjas, ect...

I think that is a little more unbelievable than a badass guy who looks feminine.

Right on, girl!



First of all, I think we all have to ask ourselves... what makes a man slightly feminine in these games? Their length of hair, their complexion, their attitude, their attributes, how they act, what they say, how they dress, their face, etc, etc?

People get clean, groomed confused with being metro or feminine. And in my opinion, having a big burly scar on your face, or having a scruffy beard or something like that doesn't make a man more of a man. :/

Just cuz a man has a beard on his chinny chin chin, doesn't mean he acts like a man. For example, there's a very pretty male actor named Jonathan Jackson... he's got a feminine face, voice(see here; 1) BUT he has a beard/thing. so, beards don't automatically make a man more manly than a man with no scars or beards.

For me, I judge a male ff character's femininity by; their clothes, hair length, what they do, and their attitude.

-If a male character obviously acts manly(Cid and yes I'm going to say Vincent and Cloud ) I don't care how much of a pretty boy they are, they're not feminine.

-If I see a guy dressing in Tight clothes, low shirts, etc etc. it's just a turn off and it reduces the male's manliness in my eyes. Feminine looking clothes is more of a turn off than a guy's face, if you ask me

-Hair length, it doesn't mean much that much of the time, but if their hair is long and styled pretty(sorry to say it, like Leon's from KHI-II) I just can't see them as that manly any longer.

-Their attitude is what defines a man. If they obviously act like a man, then that's all that matters to me.






Also, I've been told by some men that Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Steve Burton and a few others look feminine... or that they're not "manly" but, they are in my eyes. Why? Because they dress and act like men. Honestly, just because a guy has a pretty face doesn't mean they're less manly. A man is manly by how they act.


Just for an example, I hear some fan girls/boys say Edgar(ff6) is manly for his womanizer-esk ways and how he looks(beard-thing). But, the guy wears ribbons in his braid and his hobby is decorating. Some would argue that's feminine compared to another ff character that happens to be beardless but wears manlier clothes, has shorter hair, and has manlier hobbies(building motorcycles/fighting)... get what I'm getting at, here?

Don't write a male character off just because they happen to be cleaner cut or less rugged. It's the whole package that makes a man a man.

 

[Martel]

I don't mind fem boys, as long as I can tell that they're actually male. There is a fine, fine line between being a boy with feminine characteristics and being a boy with a cross-dressing leather fetish, and it's when that line is blurred that I'm a little disturbed by the whole thing.

Although for once, I'd like to see a male protagonist who isn't a) a young boy, b) a fem boy, or c) a guy with muscles that would make the guys in DBZ look like fem boys. Can't we just have an average-ish male lead for once?!

 

[RapidBlaze]

Although for once, I'd like to see a male protagonist who isn't a) a young boy, b) a fem boy, or c) a guy with muscles that would make the guys in DBZ look like fem boys. Can't we just have an average-ish male lead for once?!

That last one made me laugh

I'm not that bothered about fem boys. So far, Square Enix have managed to make the storylines of their games interesting enough so that I don't have to constantly think,

'He's gay.'

'He looks like a girl.'

'Is that a chick?'

'She's a dude!?'

Usually, I take notice of the other factors which differentiate fem boys from being a total wuss, for example:

1) The way they talk.
2) The way they act.
3) What they wear.

So, I don't care about their facial appearence.
The only annoying thing is that Vaan is a fem boy...

 

[The Witch]

Usually, I take notice of the other factors which differentiate fem boys from being a total wuss, for example:

1) The way they talk.
2) The way they act.
3) What they wear.

Exactly. It's the whole package that determines it.

 

[Squid]

If we're talking about real life, I like my boys to be a little manly, they can be hot and a little rough looking at the same time
I don't like a guy who spends more time getting ready in the morning than I do :S

But if we're talking video games, I really don't mind, I love the look of the slightly feminine just because they always look better in cartoon form than not.
See I dunno what a character like Squall or Cloud would be classified as... they're kinda pretty but also a little rough? I love the looks of them but dunno how you'd classify them :S

all in all, if a character is hot and feminine or not, I'll still probably like them

 

[Terra Branford]

It doesn't really matter if they look that way or not. It shouldn't bother you, though there are some cases where I feel a little creeped out...

I would have a problem if they are too girly looking. I don't want them using my jeans or something xD

Just for an example, I hear some fan girls/boys say Edgar(ff6) is manly for his womanizer-esk ways and how he looks(beard-thing). But, the guy wears ribbons in his braid and his hobby is decorating. Some would argue that's feminine compared to another ff character that happens to be beardless but wears manlier clothes, has shorter hair, and has manlier hobbies(building motorcycles/fighting)... get what I'm getting at, here?

Cali, how dare you.

A ribbon is not a reason for a character to be girly and neither is his hobby. I don't know how many times I have to tell why he does what he does and why he dresses the way he dresses.

And its not Edgar's womenz skills that makes him manly, its how he is that makes him manly.

Edgar's just the Pimp. The Boss. The Man.