Has anybody ever imagined what it would be like if they were the opposite sex? Online games have attracted several thousands of players and have prompted an increasing number of cross-gender experimentation. Gender-switching is considered to be the ultimate challenge of online games. The test of skill that excites online players is the ability to be somebody that your not. In Alex Pham's article "Boy, You Fight Like a Girl," it discusses the relationships of many online gamers that gender-switch while playing and the reaction that the individuals come across. Pham's article identifies the positive and negative aspects of online gender switching.
Pham argues that gender switching has always played a major role in online games, such as, "EverQuest," "Asheron 's Call," and "Ultima Online." Many people change genders to get away from everyday life and be someone that they are not. Being a different gender is a challenge, a chance to show intelligence, Pham comments. This gives people the chance to let go, to have a different personality that they might be to afraid to try in real, everyday life added Pham. Gender switching might be fun and games, but can have real-life consequences. For example, men are more conscious on how women are treated. Men, playing females, find that they are not taken seriously and are constantly pushing away advances from others. Women that play men avoid the cheesy pickup lines, but fear losing respect of other individuals if their real identity is revealed. Society sees gender switching, while playing online games, as being sick and perverted forms of experimentation. Such strongly held views emphasize how important gender identity is to people. For that reason, Pham points out that much effort goes into trying to find the imitators.
Pham explains his point in a very pe
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