Experiences Why Do You Roleplay?

[M.J. Saulnier]

This thread and discussion is two tiered. The poll is to get a sense of what people roleplay for, and I have an additional question I want to know.


What do you get out of and enjoy about RP? What are you trying to get out of it - and please be specific. I want to really hammer out what is making the present day RPN user tick, and I want that data to be there for the whole community to observe and study as well.


You can select 3 options for the poll, and if you have suggestions to improve the options, please share.

 

[Malphaestus]

I am on the eternal quest for satisfaction; that is why I roleplay, and have roleplayed through depression and down-trodden life, across the peaks of my career, until where I am now, and to where I will eventually be. I will always roleplay. Why? I just do.

 

[readfoxes]

I have been roleplaying since I was 10 years old. I am now 30. I think at this point I do it because it's a part of who I am, but I started because I loved writing as a kid. I'd carry notebooks everywhere I went and write stories. When I found out I could share this hobby with other people, especially at a time when I was noticing "playing pretend" was losing its appeal, I was h y p e.

 

[DarkBabyThing-]

It's ingrained into me to need to do it. It's how I escape.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

It's ingrained into me to need to do it.

Same. I'm a coydog when it comes to RP.

 

[Minako]

I love stretching out my creative muscles!

Not only do I get to collaborate with friends writing a story, but when I wanna write on my own I also have a better handle on my characters since I’ve used them before!

It’s super fun and inspiring to me AND when you get that rare sweet combo of great partners, great story, AND great characters?

Man, that’s like eating the most delicious dessert after a healthy but yummy meal and then being told it was low carb and sugar free: All the good stuff with minimal junk!

There’s a bit of escapism as well, but only when I run into that one rare RP!

 

[Grey]

One of my selections was Other; part of why I roleplay online is a transparent effort at building an audience and catering to my fanbase. Call it a professional pursuit, I suppose.

What do you get out of and enjoy about RP?

It's a fun way to pass quiet stretches of the day, helps keep my writing muscles sharp, provides a sense of community (sometimes, and especially while I'm temporarily trapped in the countryside), and helps me refine my material or develop new ideas. I feel less guilty about spending a little time on an RP instead of writing than I do about playing videogames instead of writiing.
The pace is also easier to manage around work and location than IRL games - at my age getting everyone to meet once a week on the regular is nearly impossible.

What are you trying to get out of it?

Good times, mainly. Also feedback, playtesting data, and new readers

 

[Crayons]

I'm voting "Other" because my answer is "all of the above".

 

[Idea]

When I first started roleplaying, I had one big goal: to share my ideas, the things my imagination came up with, with others. That is a sentiment that is still with me to this day, as a big part of why I roleplay to begin with is to be able to share my worlds with other people, as well as characters, plots and so on... To get to write with other writers and see how they experience these things I created is a truly delightful thing. Sometimes they won't like it, sometimes they are just ok, sometimes it will really be enjoyed. The latter can brighten my day in a way little can, and the other two are a step in reaching it. This is part of the reason for my love of comedy and fantasy, they are genres that really let me express myself creatively without straining on the point of those genres.

Writing with other people also has one more thing to it compared to typical writing, that is the experience of creating a story together. Making friends along the way is pretty wonderful as well, albeit less specific to RPing itself, and so not a reason for why I rp, but definitely something I look for in it. Another thing which I look for in roleplay, though not one that leads me to roleplay specifically, is the search for a certain degree of 'quality' in the writing, and things being created. Specifically, I don't want to ever feel like I'm just wasting my time when I work on roleplay, I want everything I make to be good enough as to have value even if the roleplay turns out to be a trainwreck or just ends too early. I want to be able to look back proudly at what I made, and I want to be able to go back and read through the roleplays I had fun making with my partners.

Speaking of fun, I would say that's the last but nonetheless not least, important reason, the entertainment aspect of it. Again, this isn't something specific to roleplaying, but it is something that I look for and find roleplay delivers in a way that other entertainment does not for me, it provides that outlet for creativity and community while being fun and entertaining. It requires effort, but that effort makes success more rewarding in my eyes. Furthermore, it encourages people to come to one another with their shared interests, and make something new from there.

Well, I'm rambling at this point. It's hard to put these things into words... still, in conclusion, I think that RP draws me in first and foremost less because of an individual thing, but because it brings a bundle of so many things I love.

Edit: One of the options I voted for was other, because I feel like (A) I fit into almost category there and (B) I feel like they don't fully describe my goals, namely in the lack of a "community" option.
Also, I'd like to point out that the options for 1x1 or group projects seem at odds with the rest, as they are less of a motivation and more of a simple category (one may have a preference for either, but roleplaying because of 1x1s? It's just not the same kind of thing as the rest of the options. Plus, it may take up two options for those who do both, which may hurt your data due to reducing certain people's options when they are just trying to say "I have no preference between 1x1s or groups".

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

It's a fun creative exercise. To put this into more technical terms, I kind of view each different RP as a brief and each character I make as a pitch. It's an enjoyable way to practice creating different sorts of characters with different sorts of personalities and backgrounds catered to different settings and stories of different themes and atmospheres. If you're willing to experiment, it's a great way to learn how to practice things from different angles, since those angles will be determined by other players/your GM. I prefer it to prompts because it's more inflexible, and limitations breed creativity yada yada blah blah.

It can also act as a great way to test the actual depth and solidity of your setting, to check if all the lore you've written actually means anything or if it's just a bunch of fluff. Nothing's gonna test the limits of your settings like a ravenous flock of people wanting to make characters in it. If only GMing didn't make me wanna die, lol.

 

[Virus]

I RP because I am a first time author (pretty young to be one, but it doesn't matter), and role playing helps me with plotting for the books, drawing unique covers, and interacting with other authors

 

[Kimby]

For me it’s great to see how character interactions play out and how everyone contributes to the story. I’ve had some interactions and moments in RP that I’ve seen the other party write that still stick with me today.

 

[Syntra]

For me, it's a combination of reasons.

I love writing, but I am too lazy to actually come up with things on my own, so having a partner plan with me really helps in that regard. It also feels more... involved, for a lack of a better word, when you have someone to gush about your characters and plot twists with. It keeps my interest in the plot alive and that's how I manage to develop it further.

I'm also not really satisfied with the stories I come across in books/various series anymore. They don't tend to cater to my interests, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to write the stories I want to see.

 

[Dirge]

I write stories, and RPing is just a fun thing I do on the side to throw my canon characters into non canon situations and see how they’d react.

 

[BasiliskVeranda]

I'm an extrovert with extremely nerdy hobbies. Hobbies that tend to focus on solo-experiences, like writing.

RPing is a way to make a communal story with people who have similar interests. At the very least, everyone is interested in writing. At the most? We have tons of fun things to talk about, genres we love, and can share music, laughter, experiences, storytelling, and writing together! Some of my favorite people are people I've roleplayed with in the past, and made friends with through writing stories.

The community aspect is really beautiful.

 

[ashwynne]

What do you get out of it and what do you enjoy about RP?

I thoroughly enjoy my life but I'm also greedy for all the experiences I can never stuff into my own. RP provides me with the opportunity to explore many different paths and relationship configurations, ones I'll never go through myself. Beyond that it's a very interesting way to build empathy as you're--quite literally--putting yourself in someone else's shoes.
In addition to that, the community aspect of roleplaying means I've been introduced to some absolutely precious people who I will treasure forever It's very much a communal hobby and you're almost guaranteed to meet like-minded people. Sort of par for the course that eventually you'll click perfectly with someone if you're at this for long enough.

Finally... while it can be fun for me to get to know my characters on my own, there's something really special about doing it collaboratively with other people. You never know what's going to happen or how something will be taken. It's like a 'choose your own adventure' book, but with even less control. You might have a pretty good idea of how the other characters will behave and what will happen, but you never know until you actually get into it. You're adding a whole new mind into the equation and that's bound to make things even more interesting.

What are you trying to get out of it?

Good friends, good storytelling, and an opportunity to pacify the characters in my head so they're not quite so loud

 

[DisneyGirl]

For me, roleplaying has always been my safe haven since I was ten years old.

Some people find this in fan fiction; other people find it in video games. While I also enjoy those things too, roleplaying is where I’ve found my home. It’s where my roleplay partners and I can escape into a world of our own all while growing as writers and developing amazing friendships.

This might sound cheesy, but during the hardest times of my life, roleplaying has been there for me. It’s this magical playground of creativity, imagination and dreams where the possibilities are endless. Maybe it’s childish but it’s helped my mental health so much because after a long day of work and worrying about bills and adulting, it’s so comforting to have these stories to dive into where all my stress and problems cease to exist for just a little bit. I love it for the same reasons I love reading—it transports me to different worlds, lives and adventures. It’s like a passport or a time machine, except I get to steer the ship, too. If reading is dreaming with open eyes, then roleplaying is lucid dreaming with open eyes.

And the best part? Hands down, the friends I’ve found along the way. So much of the community has become like a second family to me and that alone is more precious to me than anything.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

I love it for the same reasons I love reading—it transports me to different worlds, lives and adventures. It’s like a passport or a time machine, except I get to steer the ship, too. If reading is dreaming with open eyes, then roleplaying is lucid dreaming with open eyes.

It's funny because I never liked reading until I started to RP. Reading bores me. It's not an issue of imagination because that's been the driving force behind my brain since I was very young. The issue is, if I have to read words off of a page then build and act it all out in my head at the same time, it's not taking me on a journey of any kind. I have to do all of the work, stop to perfect the bigger scenes now and again. Read certain parts twice to make sure I got it all how I think(?¿?) it should have been. I've never read a book that could make me cry. I've never read a book that had a lasting, powerful impact on me.

I've always prefered film. Film can literally transport me. Visually, audibly, and emotionally. Reading that a character is crying is just not the same as seeing that character cry, hearing it.

Stimulation from reading feels so forced by comparison. If I want to take myself on a journey, I'll do the writing for myself.

 

[Agent]

This was cool until I was told I could only cast three votes.
I will have my revenge for this inconvenience.

 

[Ayama]

It's funny because I never liked reading until I started to RP. Reading bores me. It's not an issue of imagination because that's been the driving force behind my brain since I was very young. The issue is, if I have to read words off of a page then build and act it all out in my head at the same time, it's not taking me on a journey of any kind. I have to do all of the work, stop to perfect the bigger scenes now and again. Read certain parts twice to make sure I got it all how I think(?¿?) it should have been. I've never read a book that could make me cry. I've never read a book that had a lasting, powerful impact on me.

I've always prefered film. Film can literally transport me. Visually, audibly, and emotionally. Reading that a character is crying is just not the same as seeing that character cry, hearing it.

Stimulation from reading feels so forced by comparison. If I want to take myself on a journey, I'll do the writing for myself.

That is super interesting ouo I've always felt that movies are really good at communicating immediate emotion, but aren't that good at creating really deep emotion. And of the few movies I've seen that actually managed it, it was difficult to feel that emotion upon rewatching them. But I feel like it's the opposite with written stories- that the depth of emotion they can open up is far more vast and nuanced compared to movies.

​

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

I feel like that same nuance is there in film, you just don't have to say it. It never has to be rambled about or mentioned off to the side.

I'd rather know what a character is thinking because it's obvious, not because the author did a paragraph long rant about it mid-scene.

 

[Onmyoji]

For me roleplaying is a fun and creative hobby and a way to build up friendships with like-minded people. Quite a few of my rp partners became my good friends and I had a couple irl friends rp with me and it added more fun to our relationship.

Also roleplaying helped me to overcome writer's block. There was a time where I couldn't write creatively for a few years. Not sure why, because I used to write stories and poems before. I could write reports and scientific papers but nothing story-like. My mind just went blank if i tried to do creative writing. I even signed up for a course but it didn't help, i was struggling with assignments.
And then I decided to get back to roleplaying that I also hadn't touched for years.
Discussing things with rp partners and knowing there is someone waiting for your replies and willing to co-create with you was very motivating and now I'm able to write again.

 

[XuilansSoul]

For me, roleplaying is all about the storytelling and pushing my limits. I love to write and I write a lot of stories. Roleplaying helps me to write different characters, different personalities, and come up with various situations and reactions. It has made me a better writer over the years and challenged my imagination. On top of that, I make really good friends.