doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
I just now realized what a big part of the tension and disconnect in this thread is, which is embarrassing because it’s obvious and I figure at least one person probably pointed it out already.
Different people are defining “roleplaying” differently.
I assume that the OP and anyone else who agrees that non humans can be roleplayed at all are using a definition of roleplaying that does not require some impossible standard.
Because here’s the thing, roleplaying literally anyone or anything, under the other definition being used to dismiss the idea of non-humans ever seeing genuine roleplay, is just you in a funny hat.
And yet, we all roleplay.
So clearly, the activity does not require that we be able to accurately imagine an inhuman perspective. It simply requires (at most) that we imagine the character’s perspective as best we can, and try to play the character accordingly.
Different people are defining “roleplaying” differently.
I assume that the OP and anyone else who agrees that non humans can be roleplayed at all are using a definition of roleplaying that does not require some impossible standard.
Because here’s the thing, roleplaying literally anyone or anything, under the other definition being used to dismiss the idea of non-humans ever seeing genuine roleplay, is just you in a funny hat.
And yet, we all roleplay.
So clearly, the activity does not require that we be able to accurately imagine an inhuman perspective. It simply requires (at most) that we imagine the character’s perspective as best we can, and try to play the character accordingly.