It's well known (or is it?) that a lot of the people behind female characters in MMOs are guys in real-life. What you might not know is that approx 70% of female players uses male characters. People aren't always who they say they are.. especially not online.
Nottingham Trent University has conducted a study, being published in US journal CyberPsychology and Behavior, which reveals that a mammoth 70% of female players use male characters, while a surprisingly high 54% of male players have female avatars.
Maybe it shouldn't be so surprising though, given the basic gender politics still at play in gaming. After all, some female players reportedly make the swap to get preferential treatment in a male-dominated game or to avoid sleazy attention (have a look on any forum ever for evidence to back that one up), while male players often digitally drag up in order to seek out exactly that sleazy attention in order to flirt for help and loot (again, any forum ever).
