Why do DM's like Dark, gritty worlds and players the opposite?

[Emirikol]

Why do DM's tend like Dark, gritty worlds and players like colorful worlds where they can do/play anything?

Since I gave up DMing after 30 years to join the ranks of the no-prep-required masses, I've had a chance to study DM techniques a little more. It seems like players (myself now included) want worlds where you can play any race/any class and they all get along in some kind of colorful, happy world where we can just "push the win button."

DM's on the other hand (in general) lean towards wanting worlds that are more challenging, darker, and grittier. Places that are rife with disease, evil, and things that go "kill, kill, kill" in the night.

Why is that? Is it just the job of the DM or are we like the "Prison Guards" in that old psychological experiment where the actors took on the traits of the expected roles they were playing?

jh

 

[Morrus]

I don't know that that's true. It doesn't match my experiences, at any rate.

 

[billd91]

It's harder to vicariously experience your power trip fantasies as a player if power is hard to get or life is short and cheap. Everyone wants to do cool stuff and the less risk you face or the more options you have to build upon, the easier it is to do the cool stuff.

You see this a lot in RPGs, even in grittier ones. How many players make up a character whose background is as a rat-catcher or gong farmer if they have a choice? No. We all want to play displaced nobles, tragic heroes, people with great and fascinating backgrounds with lots of pathos slathered on. It's because we all want to be special snowflakes and an imaginary game is perfect for it.

 

[Rykion]

I like dark gritty worlds as a GM and as a player. Most of my players tend to like them too.

What I don't like is very lethal combat systems. It might be realistic, but I don't have as much fun. I like combat, and I like longterm investment in characters.

 

[Oryan77]

I have a hard time getting my players characters to get along with each other. There isn't much sunshine and rainbows with them. They have an extremely hard time making friendly contacts. They aren't evil, I don't allow evil PCs. They are just....self centered PCs I guess.

The darker I make an adventure, the more they enjoy it. But then they'll say, "I'm tired of going to places where everyone is untrustworthy or evil. We need to get somewhere where people are actually nice." Then when they do meet the nice people, they treat them like dirt, intimidate them, and are rude to them. Half the time they'll say, "I don't trust this guy...he's too nice". They are so used to being mercenary jerks that they think everyone is out to get them. It's pretty funny.

 

[Umbran]

What you describe does not match my experiences.

I don't know many players who just want to, "push the win button". The folks I know recognize that this gets boring pretty quickly, and so prefer to have to work pretty hard, and have some chance of failure, to get their wins. They get more interesting drama and overall satisfaction that way.

I also think that darker, grittier worlds are the general trend in fantasy and sci-fi genre fiction. The books, movies, and TV are all trending that way. And I expect many DMs want to emulate their favorites in those areas.

 

[The Ghost]

Why do DM's tend like Dark, gritty worlds and players like colorful worlds where they can do/play anything?

This is only half-true for me. As both a player and DM I prefer games that are dark and gritty. I am not much of a fan of the "colorful world" as you described it. I like the idea of playing a basic human pig farmer, who was conscripted to serve in the war, and now is trying to make the world a little better place for his family. I am not sure why I prefer it this way - I just do.

 

[Derren]

It's harder to vicariously experience your power trip fantasies as a player if power is hard to get or life is short and cheap. Everyone wants to do cool stuff and the less risk you face or the more options you have to build upon, the easier it is to do the cool stuff.

You see this a lot in RPGs, even in grittier ones. How many players make up a character whose background is as a rat-catcher or gong farmer if they have a choice? No. We all want to play displaced nobles, tragic heroes, people with great and fascinating backgrounds with lots of pathos slathered on. It's because we all want to be special snowflakes and an imaginary game is perfect for it.

That pretty much nails it.
Although I should mention that rat catcher is a official starting career in Warhammer.

 

[The Shaman]

I don't know that that's true. It doesn't match my experiences, at any rate.

Nor mine.

We all want to play displaced nobles, tragic heroes, people with great and fascinating backgrounds with lots of pathos slathered on. It's because we all want to be special snowflakes and an imaginary game is perfect for it.

No, "we all" don't necessarily want to play characters like those.

 

[fanboy2000]

They are so used to being mercenary jerks that they think everyone is out to get them. It's pretty funny.

You wouldn't happen to know a legally blind guy who likes to go hunting would you?