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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 8963781" data-attributes="member: 16760">What I'm taking Umbran's point to be is that there are lots of ways to scratch the "simulation" itch. I don't think anyone can deny that J. R. R. Tolkien worked harder than just about anyone else to make his world as intensely realized, as living and breathing, as possible. It was a lifelong obsession. But he didn't play roleplaying games in Middle Earth that I know of, he wrote stories and essays about it. So, to the extent you've chosen to realize the worlds of your imagination in the context of a game with other people, there must be something about that particular realization that appeals to you apart from the simulation. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that there's something about the game that engages your delight in simulation better than other ways.What is that? I'm not at all trying to tell you your preferences are wrong! I'm just trying to understand what they are. Why a game instead of another mode of expression? The question can very easily be turned back on me, so I'll try to answer it. Why do I like stories produced in games better than those I write myself? I think there are several reasons besides the obvious one of socializing with friends. First - I don't know what's going to happen next! Yes, there are solo RPGs that can supply that, but they are still limited by my own imagination. The collision between multiple people's imaginations and agendas produces fascinating debris! Second - playing the role provides much the same fun of acting, but without the pressure of a large audience or the need to memorize lines. There is a pleasure in seeing what this other person I inhabit wants to do and strive to do it. Third - the vicissitudes of my character provide much the same catharsis as reading great fiction, but because in a sense I've "lived" it myself, the experience is more intense.Fourth - for much the same reason, the experience of play can let me "try out" being a different kind of person. When I was younger, I was very shy and awkward, but RPGs gave me a safe space to learn to be more assertive and personable. Likewise, I'm unmarried but the game can in a sense let me experience being a loving but flawed father.</blockquote>

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