Opinion Are you embarrassed to tell people you roleplay?

[RunawayGirl]

I am so happy to finally fucking see this being announced. Here's the irony. I thought of posting a forum as yours and got embarrassed. Because it is a weird, controversial topic to be a roleplayer, a fangirl, nerd, etc. You are often automatically associated with the idea you live in your mother's basement, watch a shit ton of hentai and are kinky for some character out of a movie, show, magna, etc or can't handle reality.

I know nothing is wrong with roleplaying and now society is more accepting of the fangirl, nerds, and geeks what's not announced or spoken of is roleplay and fanfiction. It's associated with some really dirty things that make a stripper even think you're a creep.

So in short, yes. Yes I have been also it's quite embarrassing to say you romance roleplay with a fictional character to release stress and get away from reality a bit when you're a perfectly functioning adult.

 

[agentcarr16]

I am quite open about the RPGs that I play. It's honestly one of the first things that come up in conversation with new people, because I kind of spend a lot of my free time doing it. But I talk about it from the perspective of playing D&D, so most people just nod politely and continue on their way.

 

[Lifelines]

I'm somewhere between embarrassed and not really giving a heck. It really just depends on the person. I know people in real life who also RP so obviously I'm not embarrassed to tell them.

 

[BasiliskVeranda]

I let the flag fly high. My partner knows and loves reading my posts and stories, also reading my novel. I don't really care. If I'm judged for it, they can kick rocks. It's a fun pastime, and helps me work on my writing skills, and it's a social activity.

 

[Kraken24]

I used to get embarrassed, just because folk usually jump to the conclusion that it's all about sex, but these days I'm beyond caring. I learned to just explain it better :3 At the end of the day, it's just another hobby.

 

[Jello]

I definitely hide it. I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of, and I'm not hiding it for the reason you might think. I actually hide it because I am embarrassed by my own roleplays. Not because they're bad, but because they're fandoms. I'm afraid of being picked on for liking something so much that I write about it constantly.

My family and my fiancé are all into me writing and such. Which is why I hide it - I know they'll want to read it. I mentioned it to my fiancé before, but as far as he knows I no longer do it. I actually go as far to not log on the days he has off work. I hate hiding it from him because it's nothing bad, I'm just embarrassed.

 

[Lorsh]

i only tell someone if i find out they're into things that are even lamer than what i do

 

[TPBx]

Yeah like its something I'll never tell people unless we're like on best friend level status just because its something that I think a lot of people have bad association with. Like when people think roleplay they think either crappy 1-liner RPs or really over the top erotica. And its just like LMAO no I don't do that kind of stuff, and I don't want you to change your opinion of me just because of my hobbies.

 

[Yunalescaa]

When I first started roleplaying I was pretty proud of it. I told everyone because I thought it was cool and fun. Not to mention I really wanted my friends to thing it was cool and want to roleplay too. Some of them thought it was cool, some of them thought it was strange. I never really got bullied for it, but as I got older I realized that roleplay can also have a very dirty context to it.
I wouldn't say I'm embarrassed, but I have to really know a person before I tell them about my hobby. Most of my circle are D&D players, so I don't really mind telling them. But new friends? Nah.
I do agree with the above. It is about how you word things. But sometimes I feel like no matter how I word it someone will find it weird. I'm comfortable with people not knowing lol

 

[Caiotic]

I dated a guy for three years. We lived together, did everything together. My RP partners knew about him, but he had no idea about them. He, to this day, has no idea I roleplay. So, yes, I suppose you can say that I’m embarrassed to tell people.

 

[Slinkyvboredom]

I get embarassed when people find out I roleplay, but I've also never had anyone react poorly to it. My fiance announced to a group of her friends the other night that I was off in "roleplay land." Although I was kind of flustered over being outed, they were mostly curious about it and ended up thinking it was pretty cool.

I told my fiance about it way back when we first started dating and now we actually roleplay together. It's a great bonding experience.

 

[Lioness075]

To best explain it without any wrong ideas, I open up with saying how much I enjoy creative writing and that I love to write roleplays on a forum with friends. It starts of a bit geeky and so by the time I mention roleplaying, the last thing they think of is the potential dirty side to it. Plus, it’s hard for most people to imagine someone like me doing any dirty roleplaying, so I’ve yet to have anyone misunderstand me.

 

[Waraeru]

yeah, i am embarrassed and that's probably why i haven't done it. i'm not really sure where the embarrassment stems from, maybe just because there might be connotations to roleplay in the sexual context. usually i just say im a creative writer as one of my hobbies. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[comic store]

Tbh I used to be ashamed of roleplaying and I always hid it, but I've started becoming more open about my interest in roleplaying to my friends and they're totally supportive because it's all just fun!

 

[wildflowermoon]

Very few people know I roleplay.

As a wife and mother, you mention roleplay in casual conversation and it is automatically assumed that it's in the bedroom-- and I don't like people asking me bedroom questions. "No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm a writer! I write stories! With the help of other people!"

 

[Dmaster]

I can't say I'm too embarrassed, considering at the end of the day it's really just collaborative story writing. Between how I craft stories for my 40K army and how open I am with telling people I play D&D and similar games, I've never really had reason to be embarrassed about the hobby.

 

[ctm]

I’d day I’m embarrassed. I haven’t told anyone and will go out of my way to hide it although I’m extremely active. Hopefully my partner doesn’t start to wonder if I’m cheating

 

[Turtle Queen1010]

Maybe this is just me, but I do not like telling people that I role play. Most people assume that it is associated with dirty things, so they think it is weird that I do it. I typically try to hide what I am doing when I am typing a reply or even just refreshing the website (because of the giant RPNation banner). I feel so self conscious telling people about it, even my family. I just recently had to tell my boyfriend about it because he was worried I was cheating on him, and I have never felt more nervous. I'm just afraid of being judged for something I enjoy doing.

My question is, do you feel this way too? Why? Who do you feel comfortable telling?

It depends on what I am roleplaying. I will freely tell people that I roleplay but if i am doing dirty stuff then i try to hide it in public.

 

[CatGirl]

Most people around me don't understand what is roleplay. I start talking about it, they just return a blank stare, so I've said a lot less about it recently.

 

[Tony Montana]

I just don't describe it as "Roleplaying". I tell people I write collective collaboration stories with other writers/authors online. Pretty much what my style of roleplay is. Once tey understand that, I then tell them that's what "forum roleplaying" is.

 

[vanilla scented]

i generally don't tell people i roleplay. when i'm asked about what i'm up to if someone sees me typing away on my laptop, or if i'm asked about my hobbies, i'll usually go with "creative writing" or "collaborative writing". i feel like it's something that requires a little less explanation than the word "roleplay", which -- as many people in this thread pointed out -- generally has misconceptions surrounding it. plus, it is a little embarrassing for me to admit. took me forever to figure out how to word it when i told my girlfriend, and i prefaced my explanation with "please don't think i'm weird, but --". turns out, she had a ton of friends that roleplay too, and so she was familiar with it and even thought it was cool. who knew?

i do have one irl friend who is very open about her writing and the fact that she roleplays, but i haven't even told her that i do as well, and we've known each other forever. i kinda wish i had her courage!

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

I care very little of what people think of me so I flat out say, "I'm role playing."

 

[Saibraeus]

Absolutely! Even though I don't think I should be; so sometimes I just confess to it anyway. I have an easier time of it among fellow nerds, but I think it's been ingrained in me that roleplay is usually associated with some kind of kink or fetish.

When I have to word it nicely, I just say I write collaborative fiction with other writers. :' )

 

[Faulty-Writes]

I'm not embarrassed to tell anyone I role play. Usually because most of the time they don't even know what it is. I find no shame in admitting to people something you love doing. Maybe it's just me.

 

[Kylesar1]

I don't care. It's what I like to do, so no shame. I don't go out of my way to tell people though. Then again, RPing doesn't get that special treatment