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Is RPGing a *literary* endeavour?
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7609402" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>I think, here, that you are pointing out that RPGing involves authorship. That's undoubtedly true.</p><p></p><p>But <em>authorship</em> doesn't take us to <em>literary endeavour</em> in the sense intended in the OP, ie quality of wordcraft. Authorship is needed to bring fictions into being (for whatever sense of "being" is apposite for fictions). But bringing fictions into being doesn't depend upon literary quality.</p><p></p><p>When I make the comparison to <em>conversation</em>, I'm pointing not just to the back-and-forth but to <em>spontaneity</em>, <em>responsiveness</em> and not just any sort of responsiveness but a type of <em>mutuality/reciprocity</em> in responsiveness, and the free flow of emotion. In RPGing this activity is oriented - within the structures established by the game system, of which (for mainstream RPGs) the GM/player allocation of functions is probably the most fundamental - towards collectively authoring <em>and inhabiting</em> a fiction.</p><p></p><p>The way children do when the play make believe or with their dolls/figurines/Lego.</p><p></p><p>You imagine it, imaginatively project yourself into it, generate emotions in yourself that are not triggered by the real world but by the imagined circumstances.</p><p></p><p>Whether that's a worthwhile thing to do is of course up for grabs!, but that's what I play RPGs for.</p><p></p><p>As I said, I think this is the fundamental point of disagreement. This isn't how I see RPGing.</p><p></p><p>The interest results from the emotional power of the imagined circumstance: <em>I'm dangling by my fingernails over an abyss!</em> <em>My ATV is about to be blown up by the orbital bombardment unless I can find some sort of cover in the rocks!</em> <em>It turns out my brother probably wasn't the nice guy I thought he was - which means that in trying to redeem him I've just wasted half my life!</em> <em>Darth Vader is my father!</em></p><p></p><p>As I read your posts, you see the power of these situations as coming from their portrayal. To me that seems like an "external" source of power. I see their power as arising <em>internally</em>, because the player is imaginatively projecting him-/herself into the situation as protagonist. I'm largely indifferent to first person vs third person narration at the table, but I think a type of first-person orientation is pretty fundamental to RPGing. <em>My character is me!</em> If the player is just an external observer, I think that generating that motivation to act becomes much harder.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7609402, member: 42582"] I think, here, that you are pointing out that RPGing involves authorship. That's undoubtedly true. But [I]authorship[/I] doesn't take us to [I]literary endeavour[/I] in the sense intended in the OP, ie quality of wordcraft. Authorship is needed to bring fictions into being (for whatever sense of "being" is apposite for fictions). But bringing fictions into being doesn't depend upon literary quality. When I make the comparison to [I]conversation[/I], I'm pointing not just to the back-and-forth but to [I]spontaneity[/I], [I]responsiveness[/I] and not just any sort of responsiveness but a type of [I]mutuality/reciprocity[/I] in responsiveness, and the free flow of emotion. In RPGing this activity is oriented - within the structures established by the game system, of which (for mainstream RPGs) the GM/player allocation of functions is probably the most fundamental - towards collectively authoring [I]and inhabiting[/I] a fiction. The way children do when the play make believe or with their dolls/figurines/Lego. You imagine it, imaginatively project yourself into it, generate emotions in yourself that are not triggered by the real world but by the imagined circumstances. Whether that's a worthwhile thing to do is of course up for grabs!, but that's what I play RPGs for. As I said, I think this is the fundamental point of disagreement. This isn't how I see RPGing. The interest results from the emotional power of the imagined circumstance: [I]I'm dangling by my fingernails over an abyss![/I] [I]My ATV is about to be blown up by the orbital bombardment unless I can find some sort of cover in the rocks![/I] [I]It turns out my brother probably wasn't the nice guy I thought he was - which means that in trying to redeem him I've just wasted half my life![/I] [I]Darth Vader is my father![/I] As I read your posts, you see the power of these situations as coming from their portrayal. To me that seems like an "external" source of power. I see their power as arising [I]internally[/I], because the player is imaginatively projecting him-/herself into the situation as protagonist. I'm largely indifferent to first person vs third person narration at the table, but I think a type of first-person orientation is pretty fundamental to RPGing. [I]My character is me![/I] If the player is just an external observer, I think that generating that motivation to act becomes much harder. [/QUOTE]
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