Player Motivations - why do you play?

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Gnarh
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Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Gnarh » Tue Nov 07, 2017 9:22 pm

Over the last couple of years we've seen an influx of players - and I'd guess quite a lot are from MMO's, and surprisingly for a game 2002 a lot of younger players. Furthermore it seems like what the expectation about what Role Play is has changed (as expectations and understanding of things do) - especially over the last decade. Soooo....

Sometimes, it's worth doing a little digging and thinking a little about how you as a player fit into the wider scheme of things: To this end there is heaps of information on TV Tropes!

Main page:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... Archetypes

There's a whole heap of archetypes on here. But just for fun:

A few specific ones:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheRealMan
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... Roleplayer
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheLoonie
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Munchkin

And let us not forget:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... keSyndrome

Personally - I'm a Johnny with a touch of Melvin spade roleplayer with a tiny touch of anti-munchkin

So - what are you?

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Iceborn
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Iceborn » Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:37 pm

To answer both the first and the last question -
I'm a sojourner.

A few years back, there wasn't a single sort of game, or any activity that could hold my interest for more than a passing moment, at best a couple of months. There wasn't anything that I deemed... ah... up to my taste, even when I had a bunch of my friends always pushing to do new stuff and keep trying other things.

Roleplaying changed that. To my eyes, roleplaying is the ultimate gaming experience. The one kind of game that evolves continually, that adapts, that is different every time, that you can take any stance and play it with any level of complexity and time. I've written essays on human behavior based solely on my OOC and IC observations of Arelith, and it's an incredible source of material (not to mention, entertainment).

My first characters, I've made for myself. For the same selfish need that most people may start playing: Evasion. I made an avatar-like character and escaped reality. It's been a good while since then, and even if the nature of the game is still one of evasion, it's taught me an incredible amount of things, and even now I'm not remotely as good at it as my time investment should display.

We could battle with TvTropes articles to the dawn and I don't think I'd get one that properly explains all the facets that I've gone through playing this game.


In part, Arelith is also my own little lab abomination project festering in the corner of my metaphoric virtual lab. It's something that I've been a part so long that its direction, the people in it matter to me. I take pride in updating the wiki and adding to it, because it's the only way I have to give something back in return for all that I've stolen from the game.
Last edited by Iceborn on Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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hoshi
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by hoshi » Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:43 pm

I enjoy the "Yes, and" method of RP. Overall I just see a PC as a tool for moving a story along as opposed to a discreet entity. At the very least I like them to be dynamic so over time the PC's views and opinions might change due to what others have added to the story as opposed to staying constant. I enjoy when change happens, whether it is through people coming together to do something or from conflict. People describing/talking without anything coming of it or conflict that never moves the story forward are not really exciting to me.

That's not to say I hate the mechanics of the game, I find it enjoyable to explore new dungeons (to me) and try different builds too. My mood can change and after a rough day sometimes I just want to watch things die in game. Generally I like playing characters with more utility and try to go with the flow when grouping up.

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Tarkus the dog
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Tarkus the dog » Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:16 pm

roses are red
my life is blue
so i play elves
and wizards too

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gilescorey
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by gilescorey » Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:18 pm

cold placebo for actual writing and social interaction

Cerk Evermoore
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Cerk Evermoore » Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:05 am

Always thought it was BS that every next level you play in warcraft 2 you didn't get to keep your weapon upgrades.

rookie
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by rookie » Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:11 am

gilescorey wrote:cold placebo for actual writing and social interaction
Given the memes thread I would have bet $100 on a different answer than you gave. :)

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BegoneThoth
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by BegoneThoth » Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:24 am

two main drives

1. Loot

2. Scoot
\

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Dovesong
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Dovesong » Wed Nov 08, 2017 3:18 am

Tarkus the dog wrote:roses are red
my life is blue
so i play elves
and wizards too
+1
I mean an elf wizard counts.
In'iira - Woman of Many Talents.

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Tyrantos
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Tyrantos » Wed Nov 08, 2017 3:22 am

I've an addiction that can only be satisfied by strength rogues.

JediMindTrix
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by JediMindTrix » Wed Nov 08, 2017 4:10 am

BegoneThoth wrote:two main drives

1. Loot

2. Scoot
3. Shoot

TimeAdept
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by TimeAdept » Wed Nov 08, 2017 4:26 am

I play because I greatly enjoy political and adversarial intrigue RP, especially against people that threaten to be able to unravel everything I do just as I try to do it to them. It's no fun to constantly "Beat" people's plans, and every character I play, I'm always on the lookout for The Nemesis - the character against whom mine is the perfect foil for short term and long term RP, even if we never actually meet in person at all.

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Rockstar1984
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Rockstar1984 » Wed Nov 08, 2017 5:26 am

TimeAdept wrote:every character I play, I'm always on the lookout for The Nemesis - the character against whom mine is the perfect foil for short term and long term RP, even if we never actually meet in person at all.
That. All of that. Yes. Whether your a good guy, bad guy, or something inbetween, finding that other character that just so perfectly opposes and rivals yours is extremely satisfying.

Oh the year was 1778...


JediZero
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by JediZero » Wed Nov 08, 2017 5:57 am

Being able to help others with their stories. Being able to be the background character who helped launch another character into a whole new way of telling their own stories.

Being able to share lore and theories with other people who enjoy discussing such, both IC and OOC.

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PlunderBunny
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by PlunderBunny » Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:17 am

Some of my favorite games when I'm not playing NWN are simulators, or something in that vein. I love SimCity, Cities: Skylines, Dwarf Fortress, Kerbal Space Program... hell, I played SimAnt for AGES back in the day. I've logged an embarrassing amount of time in Viscera Cleanup Simulator. While it's not my primary motivation for RPing, there's something that I absolutely love about meticulous minutia, and the acting out/vicarious experience of them.

While I greatly enjoy the things that are beyond this scope, I also love that at the end of the day, Ronnie spends a ton of time just being a bartender, or practicing her glassblowing and bottle making, or trying not to be absolutely terrible at alchemy (still no success there), or even just friggin' -reading up on things-.

Hand in hand with this, of course, is average, everyday character interaction. As in, not intrigue, or convoluted plots and schemes and DM events and what have you, but just going about her day-to-day business and enjoying life and getting stressed about bills and relationships and trying to live up to her own little personal dreams. Adventuring and intrigue and all is also all great! But some of the stuff that I love the most about all of that is seeing how it fits into her regular life as a fairly normal person.

So I guess my motivation for playing is mostly as... a weirdly esoteric, detailed, and sword-and-sorcery oriented life simulator? Yup, guess I gotta accept that that's what particular perverse brand of nerd I am.

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One Two Three Five
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by One Two Three Five » Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:48 am

fiance wont play wow with me
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Black Wendigo
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Black Wendigo » Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:24 am

I play for fun. Every other reasons why I play Arelith lead back to that.

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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Stath » Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:42 am

Undiagnosed autism, an inability to socialize normally and desire to be alone, escaping into a fantasy world where I can watch the story of my character and others.

And also Elf sexy elven fun times. Me->sexy elven fun times->Elves
Ork wrote: *who filters sexy elven fun times, really?

Black Wendigo
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Black Wendigo » Wed Nov 08, 2017 10:14 am

IF you want sexy elven fun times you want one of those porn servers not Arwlith.

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Dovesong
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Dovesong » Wed Nov 08, 2017 10:29 am

LOL Little do you know. Cj has awakened the beast.
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Lily-Rose - Daughter of the storm

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Lorkas
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Lorkas » Wed Nov 08, 2017 10:41 am

In the real world it's hard to quantify the effect that practice has on skills. Progress is simple and concrete in an RPG.

As to why Arelith instead of something else, I like the characterization aspect. While I can do it in other games, it's more fun when (almost) everyone else is also thinking of their characters as characters rather than just avatars of themselves.

(Also, because there hasn't been a new Monster Hunter that I can play online with others released on a console that I own in a long time)

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Dreschor
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Dreschor » Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:43 pm

I won't go thru all that vids, and as iceborn mentioned there's too much as it could be put in a few archetypes.

My intention:
to bring a smile upon my fellow players, maybe make them laugh if thinks are running good =)
Last edited by Dreschor on Wed Nov 08, 2017 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Marsi
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Marsi » Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:44 pm

I find roleplaying creatively fulfilling. Actual writing is pretty lonely, and very much long-term gratification. Roleplaying, I get to see the immediate effects of my writing on others. I get to experience the writing of others too. For whatever reason NWN has come to house some of the most mature and literary platforms for roleplay out there.

And Arelith, in particular? The player history and legacy that has emerged is truly unique. I still find it breathtaking.
gilescorey wrote:cold placebo for actual writing and social interaction
I don't agree! I think by roleplaying, so long as you are self-aware and motivated, you are actively honing very real writing skills (and improvisation, too?). Scaling back on Arelith to allow for more actual writing in my day has been nice though.

Why should the great bell of Beaulieu toll when the shadows were neither short nor long?


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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Barradoor » Wed Nov 08, 2017 1:03 pm

Stath wrote:Undiagnosed autism, an inability to socialize normally and desire to be alone, escaping into a fantasy world where I can watch the story of my character and others.

And also Elf sexy elven fun times. Me->sexy elven fun times->Elves
Same.
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Opustus
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Re: Player Motivations - why do you play?

Post by Opustus » Wed Nov 08, 2017 1:40 pm

Iceborn wrote:To answer both the first and the last question -
I'm a sojourner.

A few years back, there wasn't a single sort of game, or any activity that could hold my interest for more than a passing moment, at best a couple of months. There wasn't anything that I deemed... ah... up to my taste, even when I had a bunch of my friends always pushing to do new stuff and keep trying other things.

Roleplaying changed that. To my eyes, roleplaying is the ultimate gaming experience. The one kind of game that evolves continually, that adapts, that is different every time, that you can take any stance and play it with any level of complexity and time. I've written essays on human behavior based solely on my OOC and IC observations of Arelith, and it's an incredible source of material (not to mention, entertainment).

My first characters, I've made for myself. For the same selfish need that most people may start playing: Evasion. I made an avatar-like character and escaped reality. It's been a good while since then, and even if the nature of the game is still one of evasion, it's taught me an incredible amount of things, and even now I'm not remotely as good at it as my time investment should display.

We could battle with TvTropes articles to the dawn and I don't think I'd get one that properly explains all the facets that I've gone through playing this game.


In part, Arelith is also my own little lab abomination project festering in the corner of my metaphoric virtual lab. It's something that I've been a part so long that its direction, the people in it matter to me. I take pride in updating the wiki and adding to it, because it's the only way I have to give something back in return for all that I've stolen from the game.
the sexy elven fun times wrote:cold placebo for actual writing and social interaction
QFE, me too! Though I want to add to this: just to hang out with peeps, yo. That's what life's and little girls and boys are made of. Also to write in a way that I enjoy. In my work and school environment I have to use distilled language, which I loathe, it sucks the fun out of anything textual. Oh, also to grind my brains out when I'm stressed out.

Interesting question, OP <3
Characters: all poor babies suffering from neglect

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