I genderbend a lot (my most usual group tag reads "Gender Hacker"), I play avatars of just about every gender there is. So I'm gonna answer them all.
Why do you think that people want to play as their opposite gender on an online game?
Tons of reasons:
The clothes are better
They like to experiment
They like to look at an avatar they're attracted to.
They don't want to be flirted with
They don't want to be thought of as inferior
They want to attract a romantic partner of a specific gender & orientation
Deceit
Roleplaying a character for a particular story/setting
They would like to be the opposite sex in RL
They are transsexual and SL is a place they can be themselves
How do you think people respond to players who are not the gender they play as? How would you respond?
Depends on the person. Often the negative reactions come from those people who use SL as a RL dating site. I'm always curious when I meet someone else who plays a different gender but I treat them according to the gender they're presenting (if it's apparent - it sometimes isn't).
Do you think people who gender bend are forth coming or do they wait to be asked?
It varies. A few (including myself) are very forthcoming. Some will wait to be asked. A few will vehemently deny they're not that gender in RL.
What is your reason for gender bending?
A few reasons for me too, mainly I think I wanted to try out being what I can't be in RL. Personal attraction comes into it a great deal; I'm very attracted to androgynous people.
What is the reaction that you get when you tell people your real gender is the opposite of your virtual gender?
I have included it in my profile and I tend to hang out in SL with people like myself most of the time, so in general I don't need to tell. Most people are either interested and curious about it, or else they don't care at all. A small minority really get their knickers in a twist about it, but thats a sure sign that they are someone I am better off having nothing to do with. One time a guy called me a freak and muted me over it.
When you play a new game do you automatically do it without thinking?
I don't play computer games so this question doesn't apply to me. And no, SL is not a game.
How do you think the playing experiences differ between playing as a male or female avatar?
As a woman I get a lot more unwanted sexual attention than I do as a man. In fact in five years of having male avies in SL I have never had unwanted sexual attention from anybody. When in a sexual situation it's often assumed that if I'm female I must also be submissive, which is far from the truth.
On the up-side, I've found that people in general are more likely to talk to a woman than to a man. Not just sexual come-ons, but any kind of casual friendly conversation.