The world of online gaming is always interesting to me. I used to use online games in a text-based format many years ago (MUDs). There were a lot of people who would role-play very well. For example, a friend of mine named Nelson had a character who was evil, and even though he and I were friends, his character was a jerk to my character.
There were also people who would create a female character even if they were a male in real life, mainly for the purpose of playing a character.
A Chinese gaming company that runs a very large online game has banned men playing female characters. In fact, in order to create a female character, you are now expected to provide verification through a Webcam. This seems like something that won't last for long, but it's an interesting step for a company to take.
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