Your Real Self? Or Not?

[RFisher]

That's an interesting observation RF from my point of view for the opposite aspect.

I think it’s probably too late for me to be posting anymore, but here goes... ^_^

Perhaps it is that we can’t (easily) play characters who are completely unlike ourselves, but we can play characters who are like who we have the capacity to be? We use the game to explore these possible selves. In doing so, perhaps we make it easier to—in “real life”—become a little more who we would like to be.

Hmm...I should go to sleep now.

 

[haakon1]

It's not exactly deliberate, but looking back over my past few characters, my trend has definitely been to pick one aspect of my personality and twist it hard in a PC, then take it out for a spin.

Yup. My characters resemble me in some ways, and are very different in other ways. I don't think much about a PC's personality when I start playing -- it tends to arrive naturally through play.

 

[Jack7]

Perhaps it is that we can’t (easily) play characters who are completely unlike ourselves, but we can play characters who are like who we have the capacity to be?

I like the way you put that.

 

[Timeboxer]

In Role Play Games do you play a character who is truly like yourself, or very different in nature from the way you are in real life?

I have played both a very lawful good, not-very-smart, and forthright swordswoman, and also a scatterbrained, duplicitous, and rather battily brilliant wizard.

Both times I have been accused of playing them too much like myself.

 

[Scott_Rouse]

My characters are just like me in real life, I'm a total bad-ass

 

[Chainsaw]

My characters are just like me in real life, I'm a total bad-ass

I want to play character just like myself, but can't. When I tell people I'm a Securities Analyst, their eyes widen, they grab their wallets and then they flee in sheer, unbridled terror... where's that option in 4E????

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

My trend has definitely been to pick one aspect of my personality and twist it hard in a PC, then take it out for a spin.

Interesting. That's what I do, too.

 

[JDJblatherings]

Well considering in real life I'm not really into ale and whores and haven't slung my weapons over my shoulder to go fight the forces of evil in the remote areas of the world; I'd say I usually don't play characters anything like myself.

 

[Gilladian]

I find that there are certain characteristics my PCs all share in common, and I cannot get away from them; my characters are just about always lawful in some way or other; they act as if a strong, centralized authority acting for the good of the populace is the best alternative to whatever currently exists. My PCs may lead a revolt to overthrow a tyranny, but never want to replace it with anarchy.

My characters are always gonna try to help the weak/downtrodden. I've tried to modify this, but it doesn't work; give me an orphanage to defend, and there I am, whether I'm a spoiled rotten halfling mafia-princess, or a half-elf wandering bard who likes to dance topless...

And I'm almost always the face for any party I'm in. I guess because I'm most interested in the "story", I can't stand hours of "shall we/shan't we" behavior. I dive in and give advice, make decisions and talk to people. Even my dwarf fighter who never really "talks" to people is inclined to move things along (he grabs his axe and starts smashing something, live, dead or breakable).

So my characters are all ME; they just have different "clothing". I wish this were less true than it is...

 

[el-remmen]

There is no "real self" and I think no matter how different from how you perceive your self a character you play might seem, I would say playing it says as much about the self you are perpetually becoming/changing from (i.e. the self is perpetuall liminal) as any other aspect of the fragmented semi-selves we use to construct our "nature".