why role play ?

[hirch duckfinder]

why do you/we like role playing ?
did we never grow up? (+ is that good or bad ?) , is it escapism or something more than that ? does it reflect our real lives , shape them , or is it just a game ? do you really learn about other people and the world from playing traveller or is it just entertainment ?
any thoughts ?

 

[lord irial]

For myself, many years ago, it was a way to imagine myself in stories similar to those I was reading in books or seeing on t.v. It also helped me work out a lot of adolescent awkwardness and helped me develop real-life social skills as I interacted with players and worked out scenarios in character. Of course, that was 24+ years ago, now.

These days, at age 37, I do occasionally wonder why I still role-play. It's still social (though with a very different group of people these days, as I've moved around a bit as an adult), and I rarely get to be in the story rather than coming up with the story for other people to play in. I think a large part is the creative outlet, a venue to put out ideas and challenge the imaginations of my friends, and myself. Sometimes I think I could better put my efforts to writing fiction, but I like the interaction too much. I don't think it's because I've never grown up (though I do feel that way occasionally, mostly when I play with my Legos

), but rather that my imagination is still strong and resilient, unlike that of most adults in our society.

 

[sandman]

Originally posted by hirch duckfinder:
why do you/we like role playing ?
did we never grow up? (+ is that good or bad ?) , is it escapism or something more than that ? does it reflect our real lives , shape them , or is it just a game ? do you really learn about other people and the world from playing traveller or is it just entertainment ?
any thoughts ?

It keep my mind awake by fiddling with the "What If" of the world and appreciate the following quote:

"Some men see things as they are and say 'why.' I dream things that never were and say 'why not?'"

Robert F. Kennedy

 

[cgriffen]

It's humanity's basic nature to engage in storytelling. It's how wisdom is passed from generation to generation and how one's exploits become immortal.

The Iliad and the Odyssey were epic poems, passed on by the tradition of storytelling. Sitting around the fire telling legendary stories. I think roleplaying is just one more avenue through which our basic desire to tell and listen to stories vents itself.

It's a very social form of entertainment, requiring interaction and usually camaraderie. Not too many pastimes that satisfy so many basic needs with one activity!