Following a modestly successful article about approaching female gamers in social games, some might wonder why I would be following up two weeks later with something pertaining to the same subject.

Not quite.

I've been playing my current MMO of choice more than usual these past few days because Blizzard is dangling that proverbial carrot in front of my face from a very long rod.  When or if I ever get that carrot is irrelevent, however, in light of our topic this evening.  For those of you who do play these MMO games, voice chat is not always an option and even when it is, not all players utilize it.  So how can you be sure if the person you're grouping with is a guy or girl?  You can't.

In the past, various communities have taken it upon themselves to conduct research in futile attempts to document the men to women ratio in such massively popular MMOs (not to be redundant) such as World of Warcraft.  Even games that dwell in its shadow are suspect to this vague territory, such as ArenaNet's Guild Wars.

There's really no need to go into the experience of being a true female gamer in these situations, as most major points were touched upon in a previous Sunday Special.  Rather, let's talk about the guys who gender bend for gold and goods.  As a fairly serious gamer, most of my friends and acquaintances are of the male variety, and I've learned that quite a few of them do in fact play one or more female characters (or "toons") in MMOs.  Most of the time, I hear them justify the choice to virtually crossdress with, "The girls just look better."

Sounds reasonable enough.  Everyone knows these developers can't ignore their own base instincts, and I've been known to make a few male characters myself here and there -- mostly on account of not wanting to watch my poor Ranger run around in a bikini made of twigs and leaves, or observe pole dancing every time I hit "/dance." 

Aesthetic preferences aside, there is the undisputable fact that females get free stuff.  This universal truth has become a deciding factor for many male gamers when creating a new toon, and it only adds to the shady gender aspect of MMOs.

You can tell how long ago this was taken based on our armor.

Having played the gender bending game myself in these virtual worlds, I know from personal experiences that in most cases, other players will be nicer to you on a general scale, even before you announce your true sex.  That's not to say they're meaner to a male character, just less attentive and generous.  No, I'm not the kind of person to ask for gold or items, and you'll find that most real females don't outright beg.  No, we subtely hint that we need a new weapon or more money for a certain mount (or just a little help with a quest), and if someone responds, wonderful.

I find that men (and boys), whether playing a male or female toon, show much less tact when it comes to getting what they want.  Even when pretending to be a real girl, the charlatans tend to lay it on pretty thick and bluntly.  If they want something, they'll outright ask for it or dance naked (as naked as the game will allow) in a populated region.

The funny part is that their fellow guys often fall for it, and maybe when that false affection runs dry, they'll turn around to complain about how manipulative women are.  Aside from the fact that these "women" are usually men as well, the duped party is likely to repeat such altruistic behavior over and over again until they're blue in the face. 

It appears that most gamers know the general ratio of men to women in MMOs, often joking about it themselves; so why do they keep falling for that pretty face with the pointy ears and glowing eyes?  In games that allow characters to marry, these situations can get pretty ugly.

Now if you're an aspiring MMO con man (or woman) who is looking to pick up the art of in-game crossdressing, there are plenty of resources you can turn to for help.  I've included one below for your benefit. 

Enjoy, have fun, and remember to keep it clean!