What do you get out of gaming?

[Kzach]

Without a current face-to-face group and never having a group that's lasted longer than a year, I've been delving into the depths of the RPGA Living Forgotten Realms. The experience has been... different. It forced me to ask myself exactly what it is I get out of gaming and if I wanted to continue either running LFR sessions or playing in them.

So I narrowed it down to three specific things I get out of gaming, listed in order of importance to me personally:

1) Camaraderie with and time spent with friends.

2) Accomplishment of in-game goals, whether they are story-based, roleplaying-based, or system-based.

3) The game itself, ie. roleplaying, strategic/tactical combat, fun powers and items, etc.


With LFR, I've found I have to eliminate number 1. It was this that forced me to ask myself what I get out of gaming. Number 2 also gets a beating on the head in LFR games because DM's tend to go very easy on players and the modules are mostly very easy to begin with.

So with only 1 out of 3 things, I found myself wondering whether or not I should even continue. We'll see how things pan out over the coming months as I sanction events and run public WPN events

The point is, I had determined what it is I get out of gaming which is a question I haven't really asked myself in over twenty years of being involved in this hobby. So I was curious to see what it is other people get out of gaming and if it was a question they've asked themselves.

 

[Crothian]

A sense of superiority

 

[Elbeghast]

1) Camaraderie with and time spent with friends.

2) Accomplishment of in-game goals, whether they are story-based, roleplaying-based, or system-based.

3) The game itself, ie. roleplaying, strategic/tactical combat, fun powers and items, etc.

That's a pretty nice list you got there.

I would add:

4) It triggers my creativity, and pushes me to learn, read, research a lot more than I would otherwise.
5) A sense of creative accomplishment. Building and running characters, adventures, campaigns satisfying me and the other players of the game. Creating something that lasts in time.
6) The satisfaction of being a good host, of getting all these people together, and feel they have a good time (this is similar, but I feel, apart from #1).

Off the top of my head.

 

[Dice4Hire]

For me gaming gives me:

A creative outlet: Making adventures, and situations, plus seeign how players react.

Intellectual exercise: Thinking about the gmaes and situations, as well as being part of a comminity of people who like to tlak aboutthe gmaes both on in-game and meta-game levels.

Escapism: Cannot cast magic in RL no matter how much I try, nor slay a dragon.

Iti s a fun activity that is a lot cheaper than many activities I could be involved in. And healthier for me, to boot.

 

[El Mahdi]

For me, pretty much all of the above, plus:

When DM'ing, the satisfaction of successful on-the-fly creativity. That feeling of having a Tiger by the tail and wondering if it's going to get away from you or not. Kind of like falling down the stairs with the goal of landing on your feet. When I do land on my feet (which thankfully happens more than it doesn't) it's such a feeling of accomplishment and relief.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I like the interaction and how the players can surprise me making the 'story' something new and exciting even if it's just something out of an adventure or a home brew where they take it someplace I'd never have thought to go.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Heh - as a GM I could say 'the satisfaction of watching my puppets dancing on their strings!' and be telling a partial truth, but I can also say 'the satisfaction of watching my puppets cut their strings and burn the puppet theater to the ground' and be just as honest. Of the two I think that I prefer being surprised.

As a player and as a GM, both, I like pulling the threads of plot together and either figuring out what is going on or watching the PCs do so - I love the feeling when they solve a mystery.

My recent Spycraft 2.0/Steampunk game went for seventeen levels with only three combats.... Watching the PCs duck every opportunity for battle was both baffling and satisfying - my favorite involved ballroom dancing, two partner swaps, and a minor illusion spell.

The Auld Grump

 

[Herremann the Wise]

For me, while I gain immense enjoyment from Gameday (about once a month at this stage), but realistically, the majority of my enjoyment is derived from activities away from the table. Posting here and occasionally at Paizo, reading all manner of RPG stuff and purchasing all manner of RPG stuff gives me a lot of enjoyment too. Planning adventures, creating aids such as spell cards, hugely elaborate character sheets as well as a myriad of thought exercises is perhaps where I derive the largest amount of enjoyment in terms of time per activity.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[ArghMark]

"TO CRUSH YOUR ENEMIES..

oh, sorry.

Really, that list of 3 is why I game too, but when we are gaming the story is also important. We are there to play, and that is important; its a shared activity. Number 3 would be very last on my list personally.

As for the OP:

If you want good stories, I recommend electronic RPing. The story can be quite impressive, and does things face to face time wise can't be done.

You can get great stories and camaraderie and the rest with a group - but its best to be good friends first, and of the right sort of personality. If that camaraderie is missing, the whole point is lost as you said. You can listen to your friend a whole lot more than others.

Story is an interesting part and depends on the type of players. Story I feel comes from roleplaying rather than just throwing plot hooks around; people who are willing to enter a story rather than play a game.

So again, comes to the people you game with.

I guess my confusing message is 'Try to find a group of good gamers'.

I guess that would solve everyone's issues everywhere though.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

An outlet for my creativity - in building characters, playing them, and keeping in character journals.

The sense of adventure and interest in getting to know long term characters - I've had characters that have lasted decades.

Enjoying time with friends. Or the wife.

Thrashing out problems - I mostly play Hero, and like to really tinker with mechanics; the game designer in me.