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Purely Aesthetic Gender: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|We just got married, men and women are really different aren't they? But I don't see much difference between male and female Pokémon.
|''[[Pokémon Black and White]] NPC''}}
In those [[RPG]]s where one can generate one's own characters, it is often the case that the sex of the character is a purely aesthetic choice, with no difference whatsoever in terms of in-game stats. In other cases, there will be a small difference in beginning stats, but no difference in terms of the maximum ability score that can be gained. Character stats aside, often the choice will also have minimal impact on the game scenario, perhaps affecting only the manner in which [[NPC]]s address the character. In games with romantic plots, taking this far enough leads to a [[Gay Option]].
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** It's also worth noting that there are three "genders" - male, female, and, um, "huge". Yeah.
** This is actually parodied in-game - one of the decorative items you can buy for your supergroup base is a set of bathroom doors, and, yes, there is a separate bathroom for "huge" characters. Either they need extra-large cubicles or they just didn't want the normal-sized males to feel inadequate... ([[Fridge Logic|But the door wasn't any bigger than those for the other two "genders"...]])
** Mind you, aesthetics are [[Serious Business]] in a game where players can spend hours designing the perfect costume. Gender-limitations on costume choices can be a major source of controversy - most notably in the
* In the MMORPG ''Tibia'', one NPC refuses to talk with females, other than that, only effect of gender comes from other players.
* In the roguelike ''[[Nethack]]'', the gender chosen by the player for his or her character has only a few minor effects in the game. For example, men can be seduced by succubi, whereas women are seduced by incubi. (Lesbianism and homosexuality aren't implemented, and people screaming for support for bisexuals are reminded that this would likely end up a [[Game Breaker]].) Also, when polymorphed into an oviparous creature, females have the option to lay eggs - which, given the power of cockatrice (henatrice?) eggs, is actually quite a big difference...
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* The new ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' game, at least for [[PlayStation 2]]. The [[PS 360]] version simply omits the ability to play as a female character.
* ''[[Star Wars]]: [[Dark Forces Saga|Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy]]'' lets the player choose his/her gender. Male and female characters have different voice-actors, but that's it. Same stat's, same reactions from other characters, and same animations. Your character even goes by the gender-neutral name "Jaden."
* Recent{{when}} ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' games have allowed you to choose between playing as a male or female character. While these change who your potential [[Love Interests]] are, nothing else changes. Your female character can even become a [[Pregnant Badass]] (of a sort) by digging into 100-floor-deep mines while being the in-game equivalent of 8 months pregnant and suffer no ill effects!
** ''Magical Melody'' was an exception, but the only difference that came with pregnancy was your stamina dropped faster.
** In the Sunny Island games (''Island of Happiness'' and ''Sunshine Islands''), the character model of the gender you don't pick becomes an NPC that you can court and marry, unlike other games in the series where the opposite gender's model is unused.
* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda|Zelda BS]]'' and the sequel, you can choose to play as a male or a female. This has no effect on the gameplay or storyline, however.
* In the rogue-like Ancient Domains of Mystery, the only difference between male and female PCs is which stat is used for shop prices. Males use Charisma, while females use Appearance.
* In ''[[Saints Row]] 2'' [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"|The Boss]] can be a [[Scary Black Man]], a [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]], a [[Dark-Skinned Redhead]], a [[Meganekko]], a morbidly-obese gender-neutral pig-human ''thing'', [[Gender Bender|anything else in between]], and it literally affects ''nothing''. Not character interactions, not gameplay, not [[Virtual Paper Doll|clothing options]], not even The Boss's views on stripper poles and their regular operators. Hell, returning characters from the first game will only comment on your "haircut", even if your character is female. (For that to make sense, please note that in the first game, the player character still had a wide variety of customization, but was always male.)
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