[Gaming] Something else about RPG Gender Differences that annoys me

[roseembolism]

There was a recent thread on rpg.net about games that enforce gender differences: what games have them, how they are handled, and what players think of them.  I've always been of the opinion that altering basic stats based on gender is a bad idea, and that if one HAS to enforce the idea of a gender-segregated society (which in turn I tend to dislike), that social occupations and roles is the best way to go about it.

I think that a more important thing to note is that when it comes to games that give gender-based limitations and bonuses, nearly always the default average is assumed to be male.  This basically implies that the default "Human" is assumed to be male, which I think is as damaging a notion as the actual limitations.   I wonder how many people have been turned off a game by the implication that women are as inhuman as say, elves?  

Fortunately, games that enforce gender disparity seem to be rare, and generally in a genre I'm not interested in (generally historical or semi-historical simulation, like Harn).  that being the case, I wonder why people bring up the idea as if it might be a good idea?

Comments

[shana.livejournal.com]

The game that I was in that most dealt with gender disparity, it was solely on account of the GM. The game was set in the 1920s, and he required you to play a character of your own gender, and to justify any skills or abilities you wanted to use. All the male PCs could be veterans, but the females had to work a lot harder.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

There's always "Eccentric British Noblewoman" as a background; based on the Jeeves and Wooster series, it seems one could justify nearly any skill by playing one of those fearsome creatures ("I learned demolitions to take care of the gopher problem on my estate. My gardeners had no intestinal fortitude at all!").

It seems to me that even when it is designed to enforce a particular setting, gender difference as far as profession and skill selection really end up just hampering people playing female characters more than anything else.

[shana.livejournal.com]

The Ethiopian princess (not my character) picked up all sorts of useful skills in Paris, including savate and race-car driving.

The demolitions expert was "Father" Tom Callahan, who was French. At least his passport was. His goal was to blow up the British Navy. He got eaten by a monster before he managed it, though.