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Is RPing actually Fun?
ArchivedUser
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In almost every mmo community i have had the pleasure to be part of, there was always a group of Rpers. Rpers who only played the game to partake in the story rather than actually playing the game. Now i dont have anything against rping or RPers for that matter. However, in my eyes, Rping in MMOs does't really look fun. Most MMOs have worlds that are so generic that RPing in them is truly insulting. The story of the world isnt interesting, so why would RPing to be part of it be fun. Again, i am not hating on the rp community, but i happen to think these games are designed for playing and rping in them would mean you don't get to experience the game the way it was intended to be experienced. It is like reading the prologue to a 1000 page story. Speaking of stories, if rpers find it fun to roleplay in some sort of a setting, then why not rp to an actual story. There are hundreds of people who RP to, say, GoT or LoTR. Find a story you like and it Is almost guaranteed that will find folks interested in roleplaying to that story. Please enlighten me by answering the title question. Is RPing actually fun? And if so! Why do you think that? Let's chat.
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Opened up a huge can of dragons.
Depends on what style of RP you mean....
RPing is just playing the game from the perspective of the character's persona rather than the perspective of the player's persona.
I'm somewhere in between. I don't do much in the way of planned/scripted RP events, but I try to always speak in character in /say chat which has led to some enjoyable situational RP that develops. I just feel like I enjoy the game more if I try to experience it from my character's perspective.
Roleplaying is "how" you play the game.... Its not ignoring the game at all, in fact, it's buying into it in an even deeper layer of immersion.
When I'm playing my character in the game, I'm spending the majority of my time "playing that character in the game world." If I want to sit there and just be "real world me pointing and clicking around to waste some time," I might as well play solitaire.
But when I'm in the game world, I'm all in! I'm the dwarven defender helping those npcs save the village from a fire, or helping out a band of adventurers with their dungeon quest... because its what makes it fun for me, and seems like a waste of a elaborate fantasy world if I didn't.
That is not to say Im my character 100% of the time in the game.... why, I'll fill guild chat with as much nonsensical OCC (out of character) banter as you could want (and probably more than you want.). But if I'm out adventuring, I'm my character.
There is no "either or," its one and the same.
But you should play the game however you want, because there is no right way or wrong way to have fun with your game.
That being said, if Im honest, I find yall RPers a little wierd. Im never in character in voice chat or general/world chat. I am my real world self playing a character in a game. I could never be an actor because I cant put myself into situations and 'pretend' for lack of a better word. However I dont find anything wrong with RPing so I do at least try to respect the RPers I come across. We each have our styles of gameplay and we are all in this game/server together. Respect/live with each other. Unless they are from a rival node, then rip their heart out.
What Possum referred to as "planned/scripted RP".
I can't say how often I have roamed the land in my own world helping others or Npc's. Questing solo is a personal mission. Or meeting a lost young elf(player) and leading them to safety. It's all in how you see the world you are in.
Becoming attached to your home town and feeling your heart race when you are defending it. That is immersion and rp. Many don 't realize or want to admit that they actually do partake in some form of role play at times. That is their loss.
Sorry, little rant there. I'll get off my soapbox now and let y'all return to the original intent of the post.
I was checking out player housing in Qeynos. You could visit various rooms to check them out, to see if you wanted to purchase or not.
I was in one of these housing instances and looking around when suddenly 2 people entered as well.
I instantly started playing the role of "realtor agent" and to my surprise and amusement, they played along without missing a beat. I had never met them before, nor do I think I ever ran into them again.
Here is that exchange:
The whole spontaneity of it all, is what made it fun for me. Just people playing their characters, while doing something as mundane as looking at player housing options, made the experience fun and memorable. Enough so that I still remember it a decade later, at any rate.
Memorable moments are why I play these games.
I'm more a RP light and situational. I, too, have experienced little episodes like @Rumbleforge and enjoy them greatly. We also have a Guide who come periodically and does group storytelling which has always been a pleasure. I can find myself talking in general chat while also having a RP conversation in /say and have no problem with others doing the same.
What I find as a turn-off is someone telling me there are "rules" to Role Play. That only works if you have some sort of guild or set group...you can't make whole servers obey your will.
I'm not an avid RPer. I played D&D with my bunch of friends, and believe me when I say I am the worst RPer among the lot. That being said, I think RPing is quite fun. I think the problem I had in the past is that I did not create a character with enough depth that I would enjoy RPing.
It is like you said, you either focus on the game or you focus on the story. But I believe that with the right character, you can focus on both.
It's a bit odd. Because you clearly know why some people enjoy RPing in MMOs and others do not. I disagree with the idea that there is only one way to enjoy an MMO. The interactive nature of an MMO with a flavorful storied background is exactly why RPers are drawn to MMOs. Naturally, there are others who enjoy games as games, and discount the lore and story bits of the MMO universe, and that is totally alright too.
You do realize that the roots of modern day MMORPG games, sprung from the table top variety, such as Dungeons and Dragons, right. Yes, the same DnD, typically ascribed to cellar dwelling, girl shy, virgin for life, asthmatic, neck bearded nerds. Thus, the RPG (Role Playing Game), in MMO"RPG".
When this type of gaming was brought over to computers, once the games became more visually attractive, the game began to draw appeal from a larger crowd, outside of your classic RP'ers. People who just wanted to "play the game", as you say, without all the character/world/story immersion.
And, that's fine. Like previous posters have stated, it's really all about how YOU enjoy the game. No one person, or people, should impugn upon another how they should, are shouldn't enjoy their personal experience. Because it's just that. Personal. If you can find other people of like mind to add to your personal enjoyment, then kudos to you.
Having said that, it's kind of presumptuous to assume that just because one doesn't enjoy a certain aspect of gaming, than it's considered an "insult", or "not experiencing the game, the way it was meant to be experienced". Someone could say the same thing, about the way you play. But, that too, would be bad form.
Hope this helps, and the posts herein have given you a little perspective. Take care!
RP'ing IS actually really fun...for me!
Years ago I used to play hoity-toity High Elf wizards, because that's what I thought I'd enjoy. And while I liked playing them within the game, it took me awhile to realize that roleplaying them just didn't come naturally or fluidly to me. I didn't have a blast, so to speak... therefore, I didn't think I was into roleplaying characters at all, significantly.
Then one day, I started playing a Dwarven Paladin in NWN, playing through a multiplayer campaign with some of my college friends. And suddenly with him, I found myself slipping into character - a personality - without even thinking about it. It wasn't work at all, it was just merely a social expression of the fun we were having playing the game.
Then I brought that character with me to EQ2, and other games since... he grew and evolved over time as we played in games together. And even though I never initially thought, "Oh, I want to roleplay a dwarf!" his character became very fun for me to play, easy to "slip into," and an amalgamation of traits and qualities I wish I was in real life.
(You see, here's a little secret to enjoying the role playing experience... play a character that isn't totally like you in real life... but a combination of aspects of your personality and the sort of someone you wished you could be.)
More specifically, until we have more lore and background, I am guessing that my orc will communicate with all of you in what D&D called common tongue, right?
I am hoping that I will not have to resort to grunting and intentionally poor grammar to reflect when I am RPing my orc character. Nothing against Umji (sp?), but their posts are full immersion RP as much as they are almost incomprehensible at times. If people start to react that my using poly-syllabic words and speaking in full sentences as un-Orc-ish, I will probably not bother RPing...
A small example of probably hair-splitting semantics:
I /tell someone who needs help that I am omw.
He /tells back: Why are you so formal?
I reply: omw = on my way, what do you mean by formal?
He replies: I thot omw = on my word
Not trying to start an argument or more...
jmho
And I doubt that the Dünir will all have a Scottish accent.
Why are you playing the game?
Answer that one question honestly and you'll have answered your thread question about ANY aspect of the game: RPing, PvEing, PvPing, Completionism, etc.
Here's why that works:
If you spend your time playing a game based on what other people think, or what other people enjoy, you're going to have a very hard time enjoying yourself. Maybe you NORMALLY like PvPing... but if you let the whiners bring you down, your enjoyment will drop. The same holds true for RPing.
I enjoy creating a character personality and then playing it. Obviously, the other thousands of people in the game world aren't going to be on board with that. Even other RPers may not like the way I conduct myself. But since I'm playing the game for my own enjoyment, and not the thousands of other faceless strangers in the game, I have an absolute fucking blast RPing.
Your Orc Rogue for example.... I wouldn't dream to assume you are like an ord rogue in real life.... but I could certainly see why someone might want to play one! The sheer brute strength and intimidation that an Orc presence might have - not just on others, but on yourself as you play one! The confidence it would instill, and the feeling of strong Independence. And the Rogue aspect... cunning and sneaky qualities, an outsider looking in on a situation, above it - which gives a mental feeling of advantage in a social situation.... who wouldn't want to play a character like that sometimes? (Especially if, say in real life.... you feel powerless to change things that matter to you and must suffer fools on a regular basis.)
I wouldn't judge anyone for any type of character they want to play. I merely suggest that if you get into the "psychology" of a character and your relation to it, you could find the key to really enjoying the experience.
Which comes full circle to... it's ultimately what you make of it and the people you encounter. It can be exceptionally enjoyable with the right group of people... but like any social environment, you've gotta really fine tune who is involved for it to be a continuously enjoyable environment.