"Roleplaying tends to vanish in worlds with an intense endgame, because there's just too may other ways to fill the time."
What nonsense. If you RP, you RP fully or not at all. Part-time RP'ing or semi-RP'ing is just.. Ughh.. If you feel the game is too important for you to "waste" time RP'ing, or if you feel the game hinders RP that much, you better not RP at all, as you might not really be grasping what it is about, or appreciating it enough.
"What draws a lot of people to roleplaying is the opportunity to be unique in a strange land, but no matter how many options you get at the outset, at the end of the day we all look the same."
Yes, which is why you shouldn't RP in MMOG's based solely on wanting to be different or achieving things. It just won't happen in most/all MMOG's. Being different and unique is a kinda' foolish notion though, RP'ing characters entails RP'ing realistic characters, and in the real world, many people are alike or share similarities. Being completely different is just artificial and usually makes other people who have to RP with you frustrated. The trick is to be interesting to others and to yourself. To have a few well-placed twists. But not to be completely unique or different. That's a bit.. hrm, childish imo.
Oh, and thinking that looks equals being different is not a very RP'ish view at all, though it's a player view of course. Not that it wouldn't be nice with distinct chars in regards to clothing, but what makes people different is their personalities, not their clothing.
As for the conclusion of this article, I understand why she feels so. I'd say RP'ing in MMO's is of course alive if there are RP'ers actively RP'ing, creating stories and engaging people. What she means if she had been more nuanced is that the spirit of RP'ing, or the things that make RP'ing possible/fun/immersive are sorely wounded in MMOG's, possibly dying or dead. I can agree with that to a large extent. MMOG's are not made for RP'ing, and so many things push in the opposite direction to satisfy mainstream gamers and to be able to make a big game. To do that, you have to automatize and can't focus on each individual player as a GM. When you lose that ability, you also lose most RP potential. However, tenacious players can have great RP under the most difficult circumstances, I've seen and also enjoyed that.
Still, the MMOG as a medium/tool for RP is not at all on par with tabletop or MUD's. Not at all. And that's sad/wrong/annoying. But very understandable when you think about the realities of players and money. Also note this doesn't mean you can't have deeper RP experiences in a MMOG than in a tabletop game. You certainly can, it's just that it is, all things equal, harder because the environment is less inviting with it.
Last edited by Darkhawk (2007-09-12 23:42:16)
