This has been the case for years now, but it still boggles my mind. Gaming is an overwhelmingly male hobby. 90% of the people playing enthusiast level video games are male. Yet the clear majority of protagonists in these products are female.
New resident evil? Female protagonist.
New Ghost of Tsushima? Female protagonist.
New Hollow Knight? Female protagonist.
New Silent Hill? Female protagonist.
New World of Warcraft expansion? Female protagonist.
And that’s just the biggest trailers of the night. Gay ass indie is almost entirely female (or queer coded) characters.
Is there another industry that hates its own core customer base this much?
My main character was a female belf death knight around the same time. The only time I got directly mistaken for a girl (by someone I knew for more than a day) by a desperate dude, I just said "wtf, I'm a guy". I don't think guys choosing female avatars with at least one character was rare, because most functioning people don't overly project and seek representation, relatibility or whatever they call it, from the media they consume. Guys pretending to be girls, however, were rare and notable.
In general tho, I always found it off putting when people are too eager to immerse into an online setting, distinct from deliberately role-playing into fictional settings. Not that far removed psychologically from those who attach too much identity into their professional sportsball team, with a low situational awareness and ability to compartmentalize.