Why Do You Rp?

[Thaurdaer]

I roleplay to escape reality; all the things I've a dislike for. I use to be someone else, better than myself, or to set myself a target. To become more like my character; Stronger, more social, or perhaps to remove some traits about me. I've found that I can end up becoming a bit more like my character, in terms of how I live my life, granted that probably means that I'm doing this too much, but there are numerous good things about this also.
On top of the previous statements, I appear to be able to form bonds with other players, with much greater ease than if I were trying to do so in reality.
To me, roleplay is almost like a second life; a better one.
In this 'life', I write the story, I have greater control than that of reality.

 

[Kammyboo]

To me it appears as if some people are associating escapism with roleplay as if it's some entirely negative and unnatural form of self-indulgence. The reason one becomes enraptured in a book is because they're able to find enjoyment and/or knowledge within the world said literature represents. Regardless of one's personal life, be it negative or positive, when we participate in an activity we enjoy there is always a form of stress relief. Not only that, but regardless of one's age, life is never (nor will it ever be) in someone's full control. This is hence the reason why many free-form video games are so appealing. Being able to construct an entire identity, from age to gender to beliefs and so forth provides a level of not only escape, but comfort and security that we so lack in our everyday lives. Whether that is formed by creating a reflection of ourselves, or a completely new person entirely is neither here nor there.There's also the social aspect of course, in which we're able to directly interact with each other through an indirect means of communication. Roleplay provides a common interest, leaving even the most unsociable of individuals able to form relationships and conversations with much greater ease than one would in real life.

I could go on for ages stating the multilayered nature that I believe RP brings about, despite the fact I myself have only been doing so for no less than 4 months. Regardless, to those of you saying you roleplay because it's simply enjoyable: Ask yourself why. Why is it you find logging on to this medieval server so appealing in the first place? Delve deeper than simply "Oh, the lore is so extensive!" or "I enjoy the medieval setting!" Think about it as it pertains to your own personality, interests, and etc. Perhaps this will give you a better grasp as to the actual definition of escapism, as well as how it pertains to you.

 

[Ereze]

There is nothing better than escaping the real world and living in someone else's shoes.

 

[spartanx2x2]

Because not rping is too mainstream.

 

[BlueWasp]

I sometimes think that I RP to make people rage quit, or so that I can cause trouble for the massivecraft community of the lawful (somebody's got to do it). Either way I think RP is fun, so that's why I do it.

 

[bteichg]

RolePlaying J's pretty stupid.You act out by typing because you have no life's.Think about THAT.Thus is why I dint RP Kor play muchz

 

[BulbousDevourer]

For me it's because pretty much every game that has ever existed is all just planned out for you. You can't REALLY control who you want the character to be, or what the character does. But in Massive you are able to do that. I can basically make my own game, in a way.

 

[Party_Penguin27]

It is interesting and I like creating Characters

Also the community is so friendly

 

[ChairThief]

It's hardly a form of escapism so much as it is enjoying the utter freedom and joy that comes with realizing that you can literally do /anything/. Your imagination has no limits, and you've been given it for a reason. Use it, enjoy it. But don't allow anyone to tell you that you're just doing it to get away from the world. Imagination /is/ part of your world, everyone's world, and part of everyday life.

Roleplay is the manifestation of such imagination in a tangible form- just like visual art, or music, or poetry, or prose.. And so on and so forth. It's interactive and helps you exercise important skills such as writing, storybuilding, worldbuilding, cooperation, communiation, social skills, and can even help you understand yourself, sometimes.
It's not an escape it's a release of imagination, it's sharing your ideas and thoughts with others in a very real way that in no way constitutes 'escaping' from anything. It can even be a way to face problems, fears, and other such things head on, and to bolster yourself in preparation for coming against them.

To escape is to run away. This is not running away- this is taking your inner life by the reigns and deciding you want something more, and that you want to be fulfilled by it. It's discovering things you never knew, by pushing the boundaries of the furthest surface in the scope of your inner realm to broaden it even further. It's sucking things into your personal orbit, whether they be trash or treasure, and deciding what you like and how to utilize it. It's development, it's learning to work with someone to create something new and great, /together/! It's teamwork and most of all, it's fun. So damn fun.
I could go on and on about this all day because it makes me feel so emotional, but in the end, roleplay is just an amazing cooperative form of expression, and you're only doing it right if you're having fun.

 

[Magivore]

RolePlaying J's pretty stupid.You act out by typing because you have no life's.Think about THAT.Thus is why I dint RP Kor play muchz

Click to shrink...

๖ۣۜI have plenty a life. I write poetry, aim for getting a job from such, I play in a Marching band, I am a fencer, I have dreams, I have orientations, heck, I even am close to having a girl, I have friends, etc. If you truly dislike RP to such the amount, may I request what you came to an RP-PvP server for when RP is in the name? Let alone, why did you come to a roleplay-question thread if you hate RP's so much? It's like me logging onto Facebook and complaining about how people complain all the time on facebook. If you have a problem with me saying such, then do not come to us and say such a thing. Your actions were contradictory, almost to the point of being devastatingly ironic.

 

[Party_Penguin27]

๖ۣۜI have plenty a life. I write poetry, aim for getting a job from such, I play in a Marching band, I am a fencer, I have dreams, I have orientations, heck, I even am close to having a girl, I have friends, etc. If you truly dislike RP to such the amount, may I request what you came to an RP-PvP server for when RP is in the name? Let alone, why did you come to a roleplay-question thread if you hate RP's so much? It's like me logging onto Facebook and complaining about how people complain all the time on facebook. If you have a problem with me saying such, then do not come to us and say such a thing. Your actions were contradictory, almost to the point of being devastatingly ironic.

Click to shrink...

*whispers* What instrument?