Self-discovery through roleplaying??
vulcan_idic
Explorer
Dogbrain said:
So have we all... RolePlaying Games are a part of actually living. In fact, I've never met a person able to completely stop actually living and come back to it later... at least by conscious effort in and of themselves. Medical science is capable of amazing things these days, though.
DragonLancer
Adventurer
Usually when I play, I play a strong varient of me personality-wise. Not because I don't want to try and be someone else, but because its easier, and because I still haven't explored me yet (oh, that sounds a bit rude 
).
I usually play female characters (I'm a bloke), and on a couple occasions playing online I have had people tell me that they thought that I was a female gamer because I played like that. Not sure if that says something.
But what have I learnt about me from gaming?
I'm not clever. I see what I see, but come problem solving and I'm useless.
I need a sense of worth. When others can do what I can't, I feel poor.
That I'm generally a good person, though self interest is more important to me.
That I have friends. Regardless of tricks, disagreements and occasional fallings out, I have friends that I can always turn to.
).I usually play female characters (I'm a bloke), and on a couple occasions playing online I have had people tell me that they thought that I was a female gamer because I played like that. Not sure if that says something.
But what have I learnt about me from gaming?
I'm not clever. I see what I see, but come problem solving and I'm useless.
I need a sense of worth. When others can do what I can't, I feel poor.
That I'm generally a good person, though self interest is more important to me.
That I have friends. Regardless of tricks, disagreements and occasional fallings out, I have friends that I can always turn to.
AFGNCAAP
First Post
Well, in the spirit of the thread:
I've learned that I like playing the good guy. Sometimes a heroic version of myself (thinly veiled, thickly veiled, or otherwise). But all in all, a good guy. Maybe a Neutral-aligned PC at times, but in the vein of the "person who means well but sometimes does otherwise" category.
I've learned that I try to depict evil as I see it, & that I try to remove any glamour, awe, or any other sort of positive view/aspect to the villains. I try to keep from having anyone say "I wanna be like that villain."; rather, I'd rather them say "I'm going to stop that guy; he can't be allowed to get away with that."
I've learned that more often than not, it's the players that make (or break) the game, rather than the game that makes (or breaks) the players.
And, I've seen how other people deal with the issue of gaming in their life (and what role it takes in their life), or how they deal with their life through gaming.
And, on a related note:
A couple of years ago I encountered a male player in a game who preferred to play female PCs: nothing new to me at all. Only gamed with this guy once, though other people that I know who gamed with him said the same thing--pretty much mainly female characters. Well, my g/f bumped into this person later on at work; the gamer in question is in the process of switching genders. (True event--not an urban myth whatsoever.)
For me, this really drove home the point that gaming is a unique outlet for some people--a unique media, if you will, through which different people can express different views & attitudes that they have. Whether it's a means of escaping reality, a method to channel stress and frustration out in a positive way, a way to express creativity, or whatnot, it seems to have a particular value/meaning to a fair number of people who play.
I've learned that I like playing the good guy. Sometimes a heroic version of myself (thinly veiled, thickly veiled, or otherwise). But all in all, a good guy. Maybe a Neutral-aligned PC at times, but in the vein of the "person who means well but sometimes does otherwise" category.
I've learned that I try to depict evil as I see it, & that I try to remove any glamour, awe, or any other sort of positive view/aspect to the villains. I try to keep from having anyone say "I wanna be like that villain."; rather, I'd rather them say "I'm going to stop that guy; he can't be allowed to get away with that."
I've learned that more often than not, it's the players that make (or break) the game, rather than the game that makes (or breaks) the players.
And, I've seen how other people deal with the issue of gaming in their life (and what role it takes in their life), or how they deal with their life through gaming.
And, on a related note:
A couple of years ago I encountered a male player in a game who preferred to play female PCs: nothing new to me at all. Only gamed with this guy once, though other people that I know who gamed with him said the same thing--pretty much mainly female characters. Well, my g/f bumped into this person later on at work; the gamer in question is in the process of switching genders. (True event--not an urban myth whatsoever.)
For me, this really drove home the point that gaming is a unique outlet for some people--a unique media, if you will, through which different people can express different views & attitudes that they have. Whether it's a means of escaping reality, a method to channel stress and frustration out in a positive way, a way to express creativity, or whatnot, it seems to have a particular value/meaning to a fair number of people who play.
mhacdebhandia
Explorer
Without passing judgement, I think most gamers can think of at least one or two people they've known who clearly played idealised versions of themselves, or used their PCs to act out their fantasies.
It doesn't necessarily make for bad roleplaying, either; one of the best immersive "actor" roleplayers I know tends to play variations upon a constant theme, which is a loose version of how he sees himself. His PCs tend to be people struggling with problems often engendered by their circumstances of birth or other elements of their lives beyond their control, and trying to rise above those problems in one way or another. He definitely has a "type", but he's great to play with.
I've seen people miss an opportunity to learn something about themselves by examining how they roleplay; they unconsciously exhibit many of their insecurities about themselves and their abilities not only in their characters but also in their attitude towards the game.
When you have characters who express their players' insecurities about social interaction by being Charisma-monkeys always trying to dominate social situations, coupled with the player's attitude towards their character showing extreme defensiveness - an inability to distinguish between the reactions of PCs towards their own character and the reactions of players to the character (or to the player!) - it's possible that self-examination can be a positive force for change.
Had these players realised how much they revealed about themselves through their PCs, they could have learned something about themselves and possibly made an effort to banish their insecurities. Instead, in nearly all cases, the negative reaction of other players to these players' passive-aggressive defensiveness and lashing out meant that they elected to quit playing - blaming their own supposed stupidity, inability to create "good" characters, or lack of roleplaying skill for their perceived "failure" - rather than confront the root causes of their experiences.
I'm sure this sounds heavier than I intend it - in truth, the people I play with aren't self-analytical Freudian gamers, I'm just that damn perceptive.
Still, even the conscious decision to play someone different entirely from yourself implies and requires the ability to take honest stock of your own personality and deliberately try to avoid replicating your own habits and traits in your character - and this is a skill that can be developed through reflection on what elements of your past characters might have been unconscious expressions of your own personality.
The alienist I mentioned upthread was characterised by his (to me, mildly) disturbing thought patterns and behaviours. However, a great deal of his personality was based unconsciously upon my own habit of trying to provoke reactions in others through "shock" humour. In the context of the character, this element of my personality was transformed into a visceral strangeness, but part of the enjoyment I derived from the game was in playing on his "alien" nature to provoke some of the same reactions in other PCs and other players that I do in real life with over-the-top comments.
The cavalryman I'm playing in a d20 Wheel of Time campaign is brash and overconfident, and I'm grateful that my mechanical character optimisation skills are good enough that he's often effective enough to justify his arrogance. While I don't have a great deal of overconfidence in real life, it's possible to recognise in his behaviour some of the thoughtlessness that characterises my own actions from time to time - the main difference is that he's reckless in combat, where it's a lot easier to emerge the clear victor, whereas my own similar behaviour tends to take place in more ambiguous social contexts where it's not only harder to succeed but also to recognise success clearly; accordingly, he's a dick about his abilities, and I rarely am.
That's not to say, however, that I consider either of these characters to be an idealised projection of myself. On the contrary, I doubt I'd like either of them if I knew them - and would I ever run away from the alienst, if only because of the people he knows! Nor do I make exaggerations or alterations of my own personality traits the focus either when creating characters or playing them. Whatever insight I can derive about myself from my roleplaying is something that occurs during infrequent reflection on why my characters act and think the way they do. It almost never comes to mind before or during a game - only after.
It doesn't necessarily make for bad roleplaying, either; one of the best immersive "actor" roleplayers I know tends to play variations upon a constant theme, which is a loose version of how he sees himself. His PCs tend to be people struggling with problems often engendered by their circumstances of birth or other elements of their lives beyond their control, and trying to rise above those problems in one way or another. He definitely has a "type", but he's great to play with.
I've seen people miss an opportunity to learn something about themselves by examining how they roleplay; they unconsciously exhibit many of their insecurities about themselves and their abilities not only in their characters but also in their attitude towards the game.
When you have characters who express their players' insecurities about social interaction by being Charisma-monkeys always trying to dominate social situations, coupled with the player's attitude towards their character showing extreme defensiveness - an inability to distinguish between the reactions of PCs towards their own character and the reactions of players to the character (or to the player!) - it's possible that self-examination can be a positive force for change.
Had these players realised how much they revealed about themselves through their PCs, they could have learned something about themselves and possibly made an effort to banish their insecurities. Instead, in nearly all cases, the negative reaction of other players to these players' passive-aggressive defensiveness and lashing out meant that they elected to quit playing - blaming their own supposed stupidity, inability to create "good" characters, or lack of roleplaying skill for their perceived "failure" - rather than confront the root causes of their experiences.
I'm sure this sounds heavier than I intend it - in truth, the people I play with aren't self-analytical Freudian gamers, I'm just that damn perceptive.
Still, even the conscious decision to play someone different entirely from yourself implies and requires the ability to take honest stock of your own personality and deliberately try to avoid replicating your own habits and traits in your character - and this is a skill that can be developed through reflection on what elements of your past characters might have been unconscious expressions of your own personality.
The alienist I mentioned upthread was characterised by his (to me, mildly) disturbing thought patterns and behaviours. However, a great deal of his personality was based unconsciously upon my own habit of trying to provoke reactions in others through "shock" humour. In the context of the character, this element of my personality was transformed into a visceral strangeness, but part of the enjoyment I derived from the game was in playing on his "alien" nature to provoke some of the same reactions in other PCs and other players that I do in real life with over-the-top comments.
The cavalryman I'm playing in a d20 Wheel of Time campaign is brash and overconfident, and I'm grateful that my mechanical character optimisation skills are good enough that he's often effective enough to justify his arrogance. While I don't have a great deal of overconfidence in real life, it's possible to recognise in his behaviour some of the thoughtlessness that characterises my own actions from time to time - the main difference is that he's reckless in combat, where it's a lot easier to emerge the clear victor, whereas my own similar behaviour tends to take place in more ambiguous social contexts where it's not only harder to succeed but also to recognise success clearly; accordingly, he's a dick about his abilities, and I rarely am.
That's not to say, however, that I consider either of these characters to be an idealised projection of myself. On the contrary, I doubt I'd like either of them if I knew them - and would I ever run away from the alienst, if only because of the people he knows!
Nor do I make exaggerations or alterations of my own personality traits the focus either when creating characters or playing them. Whatever insight I can derive about myself from my roleplaying is something that occurs during infrequent reflection on why my characters act and think the way they do. It almost never comes to mind before or during a game - only after. 
mhacdebhandia
Explorer
Oh, I prefer sex to involve the coupling of genders as much, as long, and as often as possible.
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