Why do you game?

[Teflon Billy]

It's something my friends and I can reliably do once a week to socialize, without having to "clear it" with anyone.

Ritual baby!...RPG'ing is my "church experience" basically.

 

[mkletch]

I game because Indianapolis is the most boring place on Earth, and I've had the dishonor of living here for about 8 years. Heck, even being alone on a raft in the middle of the ocean would be a lateral move...

Gaming = sanity for I and the poor sould I game with in the AH of the US.

-Fletch!

 

[Deadguy]

Because it's either this or I go nuts.

I read this, Nightfall, just as I was formulating my list of "why's". And I must say that for myself this is almost a real reason!

I find that if I go a long period without gaming then my dreams become very vivid and emotionally-charged, and often spill over into nightmares. I've never properly been able to explain why this is, but I always say it's because gaming is my only real creative outlet. If I can't siphon off these creative impulses in gaming then they pop up in my dreams instead!

I do know that my other reason for gaming is escapism. I grew up in a small village, so role-playing let me go to places I never could and do things that I never would in real life. But lately it's been important too. I suffer chronic nerve-pain, so being able to game gets me away from the pain for awhiles. That's a good feeling.

Still, least I ain't mad like Nightfall is!

 

[D'karr]

So, why exactly do YOU game? Discuss.

Because I can...

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Why do I game?

1) I get to roll dice like Vega$, but I don't lose money.

2) I dig empowerment fantasy

3) I get to say things like "Great Scott, you mean your world doesn't take into consdieration the economic impact of teleport circles" and nobody stares at me ... much.

4) I enjoy pondering why a 3 foot tall hafling warrior with a 14 constitution has the same capacity for injury as a 7 foot tall half-orc of the same profession and constitution.

5) If I didn't roleplay then what would I do with my battlemat and all these minis?

6) Because I can't understand how anyone can appriciate "Lord of the Rings" without wondering if Legloas has some nifty prestige class or just a couple of cool feats.

7) Gamers have the best bumper stickers.

8) Grandma always told me if I studied hard, ate all my vegtables, and memorized the stat blocks for the core rules monsters, then I could grow up to be like Morrus.

9) The d4s spread out on my floor act as caltrops that ward off unsuspecting burglars.

10) Gaming helps me understand all the posts on ENWorld. I mean, some people must reall get lost when they read this stuff.

 

[Rel]

For me, gaming is sort of like Christmas.

You see those presents over there? Those are for me. But I don't know what is in the box. Maybe it will be a new computer game or maybe it will be socks. The anticipation and excitement of wanting to open the box is a reward all by itself and if the gift is good too, that's just gravy.

The only thing I like better than getting presents is giving them. That is why I like to GM. I love to see the anticipation on the players faces as they uncover a plotline or spring into a room full of monsters.

When I GM, I am saying, "This world and this story is my gift to you, the players. I made it myself and I hope you enjoy it."

"Now make a Reflex Save."

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

This, also, I've been asking myself and haven't been able to answer. It's a time to hang out with some of my friends and have some fun. And kill!

 

[Wicht]

It's all about fitness. I burn calories when I use my brain.

That and its fun.

 

[hong]

It's all about fitness. I burn calories when I use my brain.

Fencing is probably better for that too.

 

[Brisk-sg]

The object of the game is to create a rich detailed story that centers around the lives of a group of characters played by the players. It is improvisational, co-operative story writting. The GM is the main writter, the players are also writters by contributing how their characters respond to the GMs scenarios and situations and finally the dice are also writters by determining if and how well attempts at actions are completed.

Hope that helps.

A bit wordy, but otherwise I good explanation. I would just say the following:

It is like Acting without a predetermined outcome. It has a structured method for action resolution. It is fun because I get to develop a story with friends.... and roll dice. It has the emotional satisfaction of both gambling and story telling, can provide hours of entertainment, and is relatively inexpensive.