**A Surprising Twist in Video Game Characters Research**
A new study published in the journal *Communication Research* has shed light on a fascinating phenomenon: female gamers tend to prefer playing characters that are considered sexy, despite not being interested in dating them.
In the study, researchers created four different types of female characters in the game *Darks Souls VI*: high-sex appeal and high strength, high-sex appeal and low strength, low-sex appeal and high strength, and low-sex appeal and low strength. When given a choice to play as these characters, female participants consistently chose the most sexually appealing character, regardless of their real-life preferences.
This finding has implications for the gaming industry, which often assumes that female gamers want to play characters that resemble real-life versions of themselves. However, this study suggests that female gamers are more interested in exploring different identities and personalities through their gameplay.
Source: Psypost
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