Why do you love RPGs?

photoneater
photoneater
edited February 2008 in General Discussion

Comments

  • photoneater
    photoneater
    Posts: 182
    Question in topic- now go! Answer, lest She-ra use her smiting powers on you!
  • Charsen
    Charsen
    Posts: 85
    Because...

    1. It's fairly inexpensive.
    2. Allows me to socialize with even my busiest friends on a pretty regular basis.
    3. Completely acceptable to Geek Out!
    4. Much more interesting than typical chat with colleagues and "non-geeky friends"... Weather? Movies? Blah. How about freaking Zombies, Dragons and Immortal undead politics!?
    5. Freedom of storyline. Many Single-players are ok, but truly not as limitless as a RPG.

    But #2 is most important, especially since all my friends have crazy schedules... I think without a regular game, we'd probably only manage to see each other once a month.
  • photoneater
    photoneater
    Posts: 182
    For me, it is a lot of reasons. One, I love the marriage of storytelling and gameplay- it combines the best parts of fiction with the best parts of friendly gaming. However- and this may sound a little pretentious- I really love it because it helps to establish a personal folklore of sorts. It is one of the only activities in which many people can come together and combine their creative talents to create a tale that is engaging and meaningful while fulfilling other needs- be it a need for socialization, intellectual stimulation, creative outlet, or escapism. It combines strong elements of cooperation, problem solving, and writing, all while enabling teamwork, critical thinking, imagination, and plain old stress relief.

    That's why the idea of OP gels so well with me, I think. It also provides a tool for preserving the result of those games, allowing the elements that go into it to be recorded, long after the dice are put away and everyone goes home.
  • FemmeLegion
    FemmeLegion
    Posts: 521
    I am all about the creative collaboration. I got it in high school and college by being involved in the music program (especially the jazz side of things - I used to play bass), and since I moved to Texas I get it through RPGs.

    I've also likened it to emotional BDSM - I will allow my characters to get into situations that I would never place myself in, and suffer the physical and emotional results, because inside the game is "safe" because it's "not real".
  • geekevolved
    geekevolved
    Posts: 75
    TBH there isn't a why for me.

    I grew up with RPG games, my dad bought a NES the year I was born and it was almost like I was born with an NES controller in my hand. We played the Zeldas, Final Fantasy, Dungeon Quest etc.

    There wasn't one part of my childhood where I wasn't not playing some sort of RPG game, either on a computer entertainment system, or make-believe on the playground. DnD was the next obvious step.

    Now what I love about it is the freedom to act and behave differently from your self or exactly as you see yourself on the inside. I see myself as a different person inside my brain, but I act and I look differently than how I feel. I guess its for it's sense of escapism.
  • RobJustice
    RobJustice
    Posts: 178
    Because I'm a failed writer who attempts to live vicariously by running games. Because I love the social interaction between people in setting outside of the norm. Because it gives me something to think about when I don't have anything else to do. Because I love seeing my creations come to life and be enjoyed. Because it gives me a chance to escape from the mundane world from time to time in a more open environment then any other medium. But most importantly, because at the end of the day, its the hobby that keeps me sane.
  • Jennifer
    Jennifer
    Posts: 78
    Rob, you haven't failed as a writer until after you're dead. You may have failed of a particular writing project or at getting paid for anything you've produced *thus far*, but as long as you're still putting words on a page, you're a successful writer.

    I game because my intelligent mind and creative spirit are my two most beloved possessions and I *have* to have an outlet for them even when I find myself unable to do serious creative work. Your mind needs relaxation and rejuvenation just like your body does. Simpler games simply can't keep me occupied for that long: I enjoy them, but after a while I need some variety. RPG's supply the kind of endless variety that keeps my mind sharp even while I'm relaxing.
  • RobJustice
    RobJustice
    Posts: 178
    Oh, when I say failed, I don't mean by any societal standards or whatnot but by my own personal definition of what is a writer. I, in my own opinion, am a failed writer. It really has nothing to do with failed projects or lack of financial compensation, but by being unable to live up to my own internal ideals of success would mean to me. I also don't mean it in a negative light, I've just never managed to produce anything I would declare successful writing.
  • Jennifer
    Jennifer
    Posts: 78
    Well, out of curiosity, what would you consider successful writing?
  • RobJustice
    RobJustice
    Posts: 178
    Successful writing, and this is for me and I don't apply this same standard on the works of anybody but myself, is when I can write something coherent, that expresses the desires I want it to express, while leaving vagueness for the imagination to fill in, that I can read again later and still enjoy as much the second or third time as I did the first. Personally, I feel my work is either to vague or to defined, misses my original point, is incoherent, or is just plain boring.

    /Shrug

    Of course, all this doesn't mean I haven't stopped trying. :D
  • Jason
    Jason
    Posts: 21
    Instant mythology! Just add dice!
  • mcoorlim
    Posts: 39
    For me it's a form of collaborative creativity, the drawing of meaning from synthesis.

    Also, rolling dice is fun.
  • IceBob
    IceBob
    Posts: 98
    I enjoy role-playing games because it is the common activity that joins my "band":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_society together. The chance to tell a story and have one told to you in return within a common framework (the rules) is very satisfying.
  • wyrmul
    wyrmul
    Posts: 36
    It keeps my mind and improv agile. Gaming gives me a chance to interact with people I would rarely see otherwise. Inspires me to research the world I am living in to make my fantasy world more immersing.
  • DarthKrzysztof
    DarthKrzysztof
    Posts: 132
    I've been wanting to add to this topic when I had time to write out a passionate and eloquent dissertation on the subject, but I may never get the opportunity, so I'll just be brief:

    RPGs satisfy all of my creative and social needs, and they speak to my Inner Nerd. Which is just like my Outer Nerd, only he'll be ten years old forever. ;)
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