Eee! Slumber party! I'll go get the marshmallows and box sets of cartoons and anime :)
I'm male, and I'm in for the $9.99 prize.
As for the questions, my likes and dislikes in gaming don't really tend to be defined primarily by genre. I'm usually more interested about how the game uses its mechanics, characters, and setting to help tell a story, and I don't really discriminate all that much by genre when it comes to narrative (and hell, some games just define genre classifications *cough*papersplease*cough*). I do enjoy some games that are less about narrative and more about the core gameplay, but while there I am more likely to be drawn to certain genres then others, it's not always an absolute certainty that I will like a game in genre X or dislike a game in genre Y. Still, between those two very broad categories, I've noticed a few general trends toward certain genres in the games that I adore (and despise) the most.
Favorite Genres 1.) RPGs: I love me some RPGs in particular due to their flexibility as to what their entries can do with regards to storytelling; some of my favorites, like Planescape Torment and Deus Ex, focus heavily on story and the player's actions, while others (Roguelikes like, say, FTL or DoomRL in particular) are good at delivering fun romps that are more focused on action, and I can dig both ends of the spectrum. Oddly enough, the whole 'build creation' thing which is apparently a big thing for most RPG fans is something I just can't stand; I'm one of those hippie types who likes to select mechanical features for my character for roleplaying purposes, trying to min/max my character has exactly zero appeal, and diagramming feat trees to make sure that I can get a particular thing without screwing myself by missing a prerequisite makes me feel like I'm taking a not particularly interesting or compelling test.
2.) Psychological Horror: Horror stories have always interested me, and especially in games. In particular, I love the sheer number of ways that a game can instill fear in the player, especially on a psychological level; from Silent Hill making me afraid of being alone and unnerved on a subconscious level by its symbolism and atmosphere, to games like Spec Ops the Line making the player horrified at their own actions, to games like Call of Cthulhu and Amnesia, games can do far more to terrify than in film or novels by virtue of making the player fear for the virtual life they have control over. That said, very few games in this genre measures up to my standards. Standard gory action horror does nothing for me, as part of the appeal of horror for me is not being in control, while being able to take on enemies with an arsenal of firearms feels more aimed toward power fantasy.
Stealth: Stealth has a certain voyeuristic appeal to it, and is great at building tension, and can lead to some interesting storytelling possibilities. Also, its nice to play a game wherein the player has to reign in their homicidal gaming instincts and not resolve every problem with murder (well, unless its absolutely necessary). Sadly, Stealth also has a nasty habit of not being done all that well. A good stealth game should at the very least have a clear indication of visibility and encourage stealth without making getting caught something you can save yourself from without alerting everyone, and too many games can't even bother with the former; the Hitman series, while creative, elevates the problem to a new level with there being no way for one to tell if something is going to attract attention until they have already tried it. Still, the Thief games got me hooked, and I always keep my eye out for the next good stealth game.
Most Disliked Genres 1.) RTS: I simply do not have the brain for RTS. I approach games on a personal level, so playing as some sort of omnipotent armchairbound general does nothing but make me feel distanced from the events of the game. There are exceptions in the form of Syndicate and Dungeon Keeper, but then the other problem of simply not being able to wrap my head around any tactic other than "gather all my things and throw them at the enemy things" comes into play.
2.) Sports: As a guy who doesn't like sports, I sometimes get a lot of weird looks, and whenever sports come up in conversation, I respond with the IT Crowd schtick about "
did you see that ludicrous display last night?". Having been in the band in high school and attended countless football games as a result and also having watched many assorted sports in varying manners, I can safely say that those people can stare at me all they want, because I simply don't get it; the concept of watching people do something as mundane as athletics simply doesn't do it for me, and I don't think that anything short of the Ludivico Technique will make me feel any different about them. Sports games are slightly more tolerable for me in theory since they are less about spectatorship, but the problem is that I can't even imagine twatting around a field with a ball to be fun in the slightest. Well, maybe if there were orcs involved or something.
Hm... 3.) RPGs: Ok, this is going to be a bit difficult to explain. While I do appreciate RPGs wanting to tell a good story or just being about the gameplay, RPGs can just as easily piss me off by handling their narrative aspirations poorly; if you try to have a story and fuck it up, I will not be amused. One good way for an RPG to get on my bad side quickly is to pretend to be concerned with telling a story, but winds up being treating the story as an excuse for going from one place to another . That might not be bad in and of itself (after all, it provides context to establish that the player characters aren't just a roving band of murdering psychopaths), but when the game continues to vomit exposition at every single turn without substance beyond the most base of power fantasies and a fetish for 'phat lootz', I lose my patience. Baldur's Gate in particular is guilty of this with me. It also commits the same cardinal sin of RPG design as The Witcher by confusing length with substance, thus padding out the game with endless sidetracking; when
this is looking like less of a hassle than a quest in your game, I think its safe to say that less might be more. Sadly, storytelling in RPGs, for all the times that it is responsible for delivering stories with heavy emotional and intellectually stimulating content, just as often is responsible for a game whose writing I detest for reasons such as these.
Tl;dr: I'm the games as art hippie who prioritizes narrative and atmosphere, though I can go in for some more basic and satisfying gameplay. My greatest enemy is a story told poorly or otherwise wasted.
As for playing a female in a game, if the option is present, I always play one at least once in RPGs. It's less about gender-bending for its own sake, but more a chance to get a look into how the game differs when playing a female character. It's an interesting, and on occasion amusing (although sometimes infuriating), opportunity to get into the heads of the devs and their attitudes towards gender and sexuality, while also simultaneously serving as part of my exercises to help me practice roleplaying characters that aren't merely self-inserts. Some of my personal favorite knee-slappers and face-palmers include Fallout 2 (sex *everywhere*! Also, the ability to roleplay as a non-straight person, both for males and females. See devs, its not that hard!) and Ultima 6 (if male, only females flirt, if female, both genders flirt, and yes, its as creepy as it sounds). As for other female characters in other genres, I enjoy the experience insofar as I am experiencing the story from a different, and on occasion insightful, point of view. To give example, when April Ryan got threatened by Zach in TLJ, her position resonated much more so than if the character had been male, given how society is especially shitty to women in that regard. Susan's arc and the reasons behind it were also very interesting to experience due in part to her gender. That said, trying to make the female character be in a position where I feel the urge to 'protect' her is a very good way to get right back on my bad side. I'm looking at you, Tomb Raider 2013.
EDIT: IF you need my to give another least liked genre, I can come up with something. It's just that this divide within the genre has come up often enough with me to the point that I'm almost on the verge of trying to invent a new genre name to encompass the RPGs that I hate that share those particular qualities.
