Fortnite

[LudaChristine]

I'm sorry if this has either been discussed before or is a bit silly, but watching DS play Fortnite (played by the majority of teen boys, I think), this has occurred to me:

All (or at least most) characters are basically sexy women with nice arses. So when you play this game, you enter a nice, controllable world in which you are simultaneously watching an attractive woman's arse and also being that woman (because that's your avatar). I just wondered about it in relation to AGP...

I've noticed this. They're not all women, there is a mix (and similarly Rainbow Six Siege - which is 50-50 male and female playable characters). Having said that, the male playable characters are pretty buff and unrealistic compared to the skinny dweebs in front of computers playing them!

I did ask my son about it when I noticed, because he quite often plays female characters, and he said in Siege the female characters were more interesting - more interesting combinations of weapons and skill sets, I think. (I don't really get gaming.)

But yes, I did wonder about this in relation to the acronym we must not name. Not so much in terms of influence, but in terms of the mindset of the people creating the games.

Apparently, it is because the female characters are smaller and other players are therefore less easy to hit them whilst shooting (overheard too much Fortnite YouTube for my own good).

Ah, OK, sorry, I assumed that all characters female as all DS's friends, and all pro players, also seem to use the female skins.

Still kind of interesting, as someone's designed it that way....

i checked my son's phone and saw that his friends are saying that fortnite skins are sexy, their favourite one is the 'sun strider'. i told him that he's simping over pixels and left it at that. fortnite ruins our childrens minds.

There’s also teddy bears.. giant burger heads and bananas on legs...

my son says that they like using girl skins because they are thinner and 'sweatier'

I don't think it's a feminist thing I think generally comic characters and gaming characters which are female are sexier and are made to look 'cooler' which in my opinion they do.

But there's also male characters which are 'buff' so it's kind of even Stevens 🤷🏼‍♀️

@sharonsullyxx

my son says that they like using girl skins because they are thinner and 'sweatier'

"Sweatier" seems to be some sort of technical term for trying very hard, incidentally. Haven't quite worked out whether it's a term of approbation or derision - clearly I am not down wiv da kidz. (I think I shall phrase it in precisely this way to DS later on tonight - possibly with hand gestures circa 1990 - and watch him squirm in embarrassment.)

The characters have the same ‘kill box’ so equally as hard to shoot but the smaller female skins are able to hide better so there’s a small advantage to using the female skins.

Same with the gliders. Sweats tend to use the umbrella as it’s the smallest glider,

Sweats are the gamers that play for hours and hours on end.

According to DS and his friends the female characters have better stuff and are less likely to stick out of a hiding place (unlike the Eternal Knight whose helmet pokes out). The male characters are largely seen as gay, particularly when they dance. Gay is used here as an insult (the Netherlands). I'm still working on it.....
Burgers, bananas, Christmas trees, and cats are acceptable avatars; it doesn't have to be female. Just not gay.

Pretty sure the hit-box is smaller for the female players.

I quite like it TBH - same in Overwatch. I like that boys are choosing female characters to play because they are more interesting and have different skills.

Some of the male characters are unrealistically buff also, so not particularly bothered there.

All (or at least most) characters are basically sexy women with nice arses

Certainly not all. From what I've seen of DS and his cousins playing it, they've never chosed female avatars. They aren't super competitive though, so maybe not going for any advantages the smaller female characters give.

Having said that, the male playable characters are pretty buff and unrealistic compared to the skinny dweebs in front of computers playing them!

Way to generalise about people who game. Why do you think all gamers are "skinny dweebs?"
Girls and women game too you know. You say your son games, is he one of these "skinny dweebs" you speak of?

The sweaty thing confuses me. I think being a sweat is bad but a skin being sweaty is good? My son says the female skins are sweatier. No idea

In fortnite its slightly harder to hit the female ones, its also easier to hide and they have slightly more interesting skills. To be honest in lots of games where there is the option of a female ‘skin’ they often have better skill sets compared to male ‘skins’.

Sweaty is like being a swot. It can be used as an insult, or as an unethusiatic compliment. It means you're good but better than your team mates, which is bad. DS is a sweaty builder. His teammates insult him, he accepts with pride. It's a banter thing.

But there was literally a post on here the other day complaining that there aren’t enough female characters in Minecraft. Developers can’t win! They can’t police whether people choose to play as male or female characters. Would you be so outraged about a girl playing as a beefed up man?

For once boys are choosing to play as a girl rather than a boy and you still aren't happy?

They are obviously going to make the characters attractive, whether they are male or female, I guess there's a discussion we could have around that.

If they didn't put female characters in we would say that was sexist.

If our sons didn't play as female characters we'd probably complain about that.

I like that the kids have found that being a female character gives them a slight advantage in the game and they aren't too hung up on their character being a girl rather than a boy to make use of that advantage.

I honestly don't think many boys playing are looking at their character's arse. They are too busy trying to work out who is shooting at them.

I dont think my son even notices if his skin is male or female, he just goes by the most recent one he's managed to unlock.

I play as Jules or Skye. Gutted I missed out on Penny when she was available though.

Acquiring female skins to play in raises disturbing echoes of 'Silence of the Lambs' in my mind, but I'm superannuated, female, have never watched the film (because I like Antony Hopkins and knew I wouldn't enjoy it) and I don't game, so what would I know?! 🤷🏼‍♀️

My son's favourite skin is Fishsticks and Groot
Dd1's favourite skin is Aquaman
Dd2's favourite skin is Mr Meowscles...
I don't think any of them have much desire to be a fishman, tree, sea god superhero or muscley cat in jeans.

"Sweatier" seems to be some sort of technical term for trying very hard, incidentally. Haven't quite worked out whether it's a term of approbation or derision - clearly I am not down wiv da kidz. (I think I shall phrase it in precisely this way to DS later on tonight - possibly with hand gestures circa 1990 - and watch him squirm in embarrassment.)

I hear ya, Cara

Oh, I hear ya 😂😂😂

Being sweaty or a sweat means you try hard/play a lot and you’re good. My son uses it as a compliment to other players or in exasperation when he gets beaten - it wasn’t fair because that guy was a sweat! DS has been choosing female skins more recently as he’s got more into it whereas he always chose male skins at first. Or a banana. He also had a Thor skin recently but because he doesn’t pronounce his th very well I thought he was telling me about his foreskin

(I had actually picked up the meaning of "to sweat" - but it entertains me to pretend to DS that I don't know. Evil mother emoji needed here!)