For a number of years, and still to this day, the concept of an androgynous "pretty boy" protagonist and subsequent supporting characters has been a popular gaming trope. There are several reasons for this...attracting female gamers, homosexual male gamers who like feminine men, etc. etc. And of course because it is a popular trope in other media formats such as anime and comic books (for the same reasons of course).
But the "manly man" characters are much less common than they were in the first decade or so of true console gaming.
So which do YOU prefer? Why? What are your thoughts on the idea that this sort of male exploitation isn't sexist while female characters being designed to appeal to males that find them attractive is?