I used to play the first-person shooter counter-strike. Even though I was pretty good at it I wasn't really the competitive type. And some days it seemed that every guy that plays is that type. Sometimes when I was playing, not sure if it was my comments or my name, but the guys would ask me if I was a girl. And I always responded as yes. And I must say, being a girl in shooter is amazing. You're treated like a queen. No matter how bad your score is, guys will tell you how awesome you are.

After awhile, I made a female character on a game called Maplestory. I told people that I was the female version of my real name. One year later I confessed everything about what I was doing to one of the girls that was in my guild. We talked on skype for 11 hours straight that night without my voice altering program. This how I met my wife, and how I came to living in another country.

I'm not saying that catfishing is a good thing. I watch the show and know it can hurt a lot of people, but out of all the things I done in my life. This is the one thing I wouldn't wanna change for anything. I'd be lost without her.

*edit* I didn't think everyone would get all technical about catfishing. My only really intention was so I could be myself and being treated the way I wanted to be treated. Wasn't actually trying to deceive anyone or take advantage of anyone. Like I remember getting a lot of free stuff in Maplestory. I never asked for any of it, usually they would buy it before I could even say no. One guy tried to spend real money on me, and I had to get really mad at him before I convinced him not to. Just to clarify, before people start thinking I'm gaming evil or something. But changing your age, sex, name, and or stuff like that, is catfishing in my eyes.

Before I came out to my parents, I used to go on Second Life as a girl. For awhile, I was a virtual sex worker, which I'm sort of ashamed of. But after I started transitioning, I was more interested in my first life.

Sort of? I have always portrayed a female online (mostly during my younger days and now that I'm opening up I'm going back to being who I feel I am). I never did it maliciously or with the intent of dating, eventually I got tired of having my validity questioned, granted I definitely understand why they questioned me. So I went through a spell of not being female online, which led to me not playing mmos anymore. So I'm very quick to mention that I am transgendered now, I don't lead them on.

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I've always played female online characters, but have never catfished, because online is where I could truly be free.

Catfishing is fraud. Since I am a woman, just in this male body, playing female characters online is not fraud, and therefore, not catfishing.

 
If you use catfishing as a means of fraud, or to attempt to steal a persons identity it is illegal on this site, and may lead to prosecution in life. Role playing in games is completely different to 'catfishing'.

I always played female characters online,  I don't think being yourself, and catfishing is the same thing.

I always got treated like hell in online shooters, to the point I just stopped using voice and pretended I was a guy so people would stop with the constant sexual assault threats

I am gender fluid and feel closer when I am on the female side of the spectrum which I believe is closer to the real me. I always tend to play female character because it just feel right, because it is me even though I am maab, I have never catfished someone although I have been catfished and it feels awful.

Quote from: Cindy on August 18, 2015, 02:16:48 AM

If you use catfishing as a means of fraud, or to attempt to steal a persons identity it is illegal on this site, and may lead to prosecution in life. Role playing in games is completely different to 'catfishing'.

As I understand it, Catfishing in games is playing a female character in order to obtain in-game advantages. Therefore, there is a statement/action that is false (playing a female character), with the knowledge that it is false, with the intent to deceive another, and the consequences of harm to another.

Sorry to be legalistic, but I meant catfishing is fraud in the civil sense, not in the criminal sense.

Definitely not an important question, but what program for voice changing did you use? I don't find mine to be very convincing no matter how I mess with it.

Quote from: Riven on August 18, 2015, 04:15:30 PM
Definitely not an important question, but what program for voice changing did you use? I don't find mine to be very convincing no matter how I mess with it.

I think it was VMware. But I remember people saying that I sounded a little robotic. I always claimed that it was because I had a crappy mic(which was true). But the deeper your voice is, the more distorted it's gonna be.

Quote from: Yakayla on August 18, 2015, 04:31:55 PM
I think it was VMware. But I remember people saying that I sounded a little robotic. I always claimed that it was because I had a crappy mic(which was true). But the deeper your voice is, the more distorted it's gonna be.

Vmware is a program to play virtual systems with...

Quote from: Yakayla on August 18, 2015, 04:31:55 PM
I think it was VMware. But I remember people saying that I sounded a little robotic. I always claimed that it was because I had a crappy mic(which was true). But the deeper your voice is, the more distorted it's gonna be.

I've been using morphVox, maybe I need to fiddle with the sliders a little bit more. I play warcraft alot and communication is key, I can walk the walk as well as I want but that doesn't help my voice online

Quote from: Riven on August 18, 2015, 05:10:39 PM
I've been using morphVox, maybe I need to fiddle with the sliders a little bit more. I play warcraft alot and communication is key, I can walk the walk as well as I want but that doesn't help my voice online

Well... over time it would be an opportunity to train a female voice 

Quote from: Laura_7 on August 18, 2015, 05:17:33 PM
Well... over time it would be an opportunity to train a female voice 

omg ya. I totally forgot about that. I couldn't just speak normally. If I did, I would just sound like a guy. But I can get my voice pretty high up there if I try, like elmo from sesame street. It took a lot of practice. It's all about slightly keeping you vocal cords tight. Once you figure it out, it's easy. But it takes a lot of messing around to get it. Pushing on the sides of your throat a little can help you get the feel of it too, like right where your head connects to your neck. Don't do this too much, cause you'll be hurting afterwards.

Quote from: Yakayla on August 19, 2015, 02:14:08 AM
omg ya. I totally forgot about that. I couldn't just speak normally. If I did, I would just sound like a guy. But I can get my voice pretty high up there if I try, like elmo from sesame street. It took a lot of practice. It's all about slightly keeping you vocal cords tight. Once you figure it out, it's easy. But it takes a lot of messing around to get it. Pushing on the sides of your throat a little can help you get the feel of it too, like right where your head connects to your neck. Don't do this too much, cause you'll be hurting afterwards.

here are a few hints that could help:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,190936.msg1701516.html#msg1701516

Its not necessary to go too high.... a natural sounding voice between falsetto and the male register is good...


hugs

I kinda got hit on in an online RPG today... I don't have any gender-identifying features on my profile, and this gal was being pretty friendly to me.  Eventually she asked "so are you a chick or a dude?" and I replied "um, a bit of both."  She very suddenly had to go.  And here, I thought she was just being friendly... sigh funny thing about being married, I always hope that people just want to be my friend and I get disappointed when it's romantically motivated. 

Quote from: sparrow on August 19, 2015, 03:59:10 PM
I kinda got hit on in an online RPG today... I don't have any gender-identifying features on my profile, and this gal was being pretty friendly to me.  Eventually she asked "so are you a chick or a dude?" and I replied "um, a bit of both."  She very suddenly had to go.  And here, I thought she was just being friendly... sigh funny thing about being married, I always hope that people just want to be my friend and I get disappointed when it's romantically motivated. 

Well it could turn into a friendship if you don't react to romantic connotations and keep it on a nice level...asking interested questions... and showing a few glimpses of oneself from time to time...
there have to be people out there looking for friendship too 

I played WOW for a long time and my main char (and most of my chars) are female. But since I'm not out, I showed myself as a girl. Now I'm back to wow, but I'm not playing with anybody. Maybe I would show myself as a girl, its a chance to show who i really am!

I play video games as female characters whenever possible! I almost never use voice though, sticking to Skype on my phone with friends I know and who know about me, so I don't much know about being treated differently. I have had countless asks for lewd photos though, but that's the occasional man on a video game you're talking about, so I didn't not expect it. Other than that, I don't consider it catfishing to just play as a certain gendered character nor use a program, because roleplaying people sometimes use voice-changing programs and it's no biggie there! I think you're fine.