#9 - What Attracts you to Role-playing

I recently attended a meeting of fellow role-players. We had met to organize and share ideas for new role-playing games. A fair amount of old ideas were also given; our favorite games. At the meeting I interrupted business as usual, with an important question? What attracts us to role-playing?

This may sound similar to my earlier comments, but it is important enough a question to repeat. There are numerous adventure games out there that allow you to become a powerful hero. Acting as someone else isn't unique to role-playing, nor is taking command of life and death decisions.

I mentioned before, how powerful players are when they make decisions. But this isn't so unique. We could play monopoly and have just as many important decisions. We don't need to change our mannerisms and adopt a character to become real-estate tycoons. Buying and selling is party of Monopoly, but we don't need to be other people. Why would it be so different to act otherwise?

Lets talk about acting for a minute, actors know empathy and emoting is essential to portraying a character. Successful actors are those that make us, the audience, feel what they want us to feel. Some actors are world famous for doing this job. Famous for making us believe they are someone they are not. They are pretending, adopting roles for a performance. I don't pretend to be a good actor on stage, but I always try to role-play in even the most basic of games I play. Whether I pretend to be a businessman or an action hero, I enjoy creating a character. I enjoy this acting, convincing others the story isn't "my" story, but of the character. It adds to the game, and makes it something that Monopoly can never be. A role-playing game isn't just a game because it is also shared fiction.

So I asked around. I went to this meeting and posed the question. What attracts you to role-playing. Why do more than just play a game, and convince others you are in the story.

The people had decided to come out on a Tuesday to spread their ideas. Clearly, they want more than a simple handshake deal over boardwalk and Marvin Gardens. They could have played a game without out acting, and they could have tried acting on stage without a game.

So I asked them. Some people admired the social aspects of role-playing. They feel connected to their friends when they are making decisions together. Role-playing has an unfinished script, and working through problems together is a big draw. Bigger still if you work through the issues from another perspective! An actor in a movie will present the best form of a character whose decisions were already made. Role-playing goes beyond this, because we are not merely displaying the decisions of another; we are also creating those decisions. Creating them as we discover who it is we are being. The woman I spoke to said she felt much more connected to her friends when they had to both decide who they were, and how best to proceed. This kind of debate was her favorite way of socializing.

Another latched onto the idea of creativity. Some of those present enjoyed making conventional fiction and wanted to test their ideas. Share them not only on page but in a role-playing group. They felt particularly creative when exploring the rules of a game. Unlike a Monopoly, Role-playing games have no clear goal. Whatever Goals there are, are created by the characters in the game. These characters are interpreted and portrayed by the players. This experimentation pushes the limits of what could be imagined. Adds endless variety to fiction, when the ending is always over the horizon.

These were Interesting and important answers all around. Now, I want to put that back on you. I have already explained why I think Role-playing is important for everyone to do at least some of. It is an exercise in empathy, creativity, and decisiveness. An exercise in considering the best course of action, and realizing what your purposes are. These are essentials skills for everyone, whether they enjoy playing games or not. To build up our skills, to create interest in your own desire to go the distance I ask you to consider, “What attracts you to this? Why should you role-play?”

Sadly, there isn't much advice I can give. I cannot / would not answer this for you. Rather, this article ends with homework. Feel free to respond back, let us all know!