When players in World of Warcraft believe they are dealing with a woman, they tend to be generous – and some have cleverly exploited that.
The beauty of an RPG like World of Warcraft is that you can slip into a completely different role. However, being able to create a character freely can also lead to some strange encounters, because sometimes, when hormones go a bit wild, women in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft get a small advantage – in the form of gifts from their fellow players.
A “business model” that can also be utilized by men. Many of them have now admitted that they intentionally pretended to be women to get expensive mounts or good loot. In many cases, the other person would have simply assumed they were dealing with a woman – and later felt “cheated”.
In the WoW Subreddit, some tell their stories and those of their friends or family members.
Many mounts for a few nice words – and disappointed guys
However, not always is there malicious intent behind it, as some players simply share little information about themselves, as Ixiraar explains:
I didn’t pretend [to be a woman], but back in Mists of Pandaria, a guy just bought me a Sky Golem (for no reason) because he thought I was a woman. (…) then at some point, I said something that hinted I wasn’t a woman. Until then, I thought he was just a super-helpful guy who wanted to help his friends. I never thought my gender was the problem. Then the guy freaked out and demanded that I pay him back for everything he had given me and helped me with.
Even little brothers apparently already know the effect of assuming a female identity on the internet, as Kersikai reports:
In Mists of Pandaria, my 10-year-old brother invented the concept of Cat Fishing (in the sense that he had never heard the term and came up with the idea himself), and he proudly showed me a whole bag full of Onyx Panther mounts. That was a big WTF moment for me.
Some take the fun too far – and resolve it with a real “bang”, as -Elgrave- reveals:
I had a friend who got a lot of gold and many carries in the Dragon Soul raid in Cataclysm. He deceived one guy, but never explicitly said he was a woman. He kept mentioning a lewd picture of himself, and the guy then gave him an ultimatum: the Collector’s Edition of Mists of Pandaria for the photo.
So my friend took a picture of himself with his shirt off, where his arms slightly covered his very obviously male, hairy chest, and made a ‘duck face’. The next moment, he was blocked.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that World of Warcraft is not a dating platform, and one shouldn’t expect any kind of affection in return for kindnesses shown in the game. Because that can also lead to very uncomfortable situations that no one wants to be in.
Often, the attention for women in games can also become a problem, because women are still frequently targeted or belittled due to their gender.
