Viewpoint How old is too old or too young to RP? Does it really matter?
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Onmyoji
HanGuang-Jun
I don't know that meme, could you please explain? XD
Lone Star II
Elder Member
Oml
baggysack
owner of the bag
Honestly, I don't expect to be doing this shit past... mid-twenties, maybe? That's based on my personal view of rp as supplement: by then, I should be writing my own stuff, not spending my time creating ideas on a public site. At the point you're making full fantasy worlds, you gotta start copyrighting shit.
I don't technically mind what another rper's age is because I don't care to get to know them like that. I like talking to people, just... I don't think a forum makes for a great social atmosphere. It's almost paradoxical: this involves far more social work than writing, but I've had so much trouble keeping a basic exchange going! Part of it's me, obviously: I'm not comfortable with connecting with people online. Speaking for myself and only for myself, I've been rp-ing since middle school, and I'm no therapist, but I think it would've done wonders for my anxiety to have made friends off of Skype/Discord, learned to connect with kids my age -- my Internet friends were up to a decade older than I was. To tie back to the "right age" of rping: if I could go back, I would've started later.
I don't technically mind what another rper's age is because I don't care to get to know them like that. I like talking to people, just... I don't think a forum makes for a great social atmosphere. It's almost paradoxical: this involves far more social work than writing, but I've had so much trouble keeping a basic exchange going! Part of it's me, obviously: I'm not comfortable with connecting with people online. Speaking for myself and only for myself, I've been rp-ing since middle school, and I'm no therapist, but I think it would've done wonders for my anxiety to have made friends off of Skype/Discord, learned to connect with kids my age -- my Internet friends were up to a decade older than I was. To tie back to the "right age" of rping: if I could go back, I would've started later.
IIShadyAnubisII
this one wants a cookie
I believe the youngest you should be to understand and participate in a text-based Roleplay, is the age of 13 because you are now in your teenage years and hopefully you are mature enough to be literate and understanding of the topic of said RP, and the oldest is...well I don't even know. I don't judge anyone who's older than me and still text roleplaying because honestly the entire thing is preference in a sense. For example, if somebody were 32 and still participating in text roleplays (As long as they're not taking part in pedophilia or anything), I wouldn't judge them because it's something that they're interested in.
Simon_Hawk
Ranger
natsukashii
𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯
As someone who has been roleplaying for twelve years now (20 if we count LARPing), there isn't an age limit of when one can start roleplaying. As long as you have a basic understanding of the language you're roleplaying in (whichever that may be), you can roleplay. And likewise, I have seen, and, to some extent, RP'd with people who are nearly twice my age (I'm 29). As long as you enjoy the hobby and can see yourself keep doing it, I don't see why there should be an age limit.
I do agree with the point about if you want to be a professional writer, regardless of whatever capacity that is, you should definitely consider writing your own stuff and taking the necessary steps in making sure only you can stake a claim in it. I have been, for about 5 years now, building my own universe of characters and families that spawned from those characters and have only just recently developed them to the point where I believe they will make for a solid cast for a novel.
I do agree with the point about if you want to be a professional writer, regardless of whatever capacity that is, you should definitely consider writing your own stuff and taking the necessary steps in making sure only you can stake a claim in it. I have been, for about 5 years now, building my own universe of characters and families that spawned from those characters and have only just recently developed them to the point where I believe they will make for a solid cast for a novel.
TinyMochi
Junior Member
I don't really have an age preference if someone is too old or too young. I started rping when I was like 11-13 but, I did rp with people who were at least around my age. I just manage to get lucky finding the right people who are the same age as me. I do admit a bunch of people on amino had messaged me before asking to rp, and mostly amino would have people younger than me like 16. I'm around 20s and being in the 20s is just kind of a weird range. You don't really feel too old or too young ^^;. I guess it also just depends on what you're roleplaying,
Rin okumura
pacifist by nature demon by birth
In my honest opinion age kind of depends on the person me personally I started rping when I was 15 and haven't stopped since. I originally roleplayed on feralfront when it was once called warriorcatsRPG in 2013 and switched to xanje in 2014 and been active on xanje since and I'm now 22 years of age going through college and still enjoy roleplaying I'm not sure if it'll be like this forever though as I am going to be graduating in December and I'm sure once I do get a job in my profession I'll be on call 24/7, but it probably won't stop me from enjoying the things I enjoy doing in my free time.
but to me I say your never to old or to young to enjoy roleplaying for me its an escape from the real world a way for me to be someone I'm not and just let my creative mind loose and be someone I like (as I tend to more or less roleplay anime and movie characters I like I'll make OC's but I prefer rping characters from shows and movies the most)
but to me I say your never to old or to young to enjoy roleplaying for me its an escape from the real world a way for me to be someone I'm not and just let my creative mind loose and be someone I like (as I tend to more or less roleplay anime and movie characters I like I'll make OC's but I prefer rping characters from shows and movies the most)
ManiCrackers
Poggus Champius
I started roleplaying when I was fairly young and introduced to fandoms through tumblr. Back then, a lot of the roleplays I'd gotten involved in were pretty tame and far from explicitly dirty, but as time went on I began to notice a little bit more of that around me. I was definitely below the legal age when I did my first few smut RPs, and I wish now that I had waited, simply due to the complexity of the legal matter surrounding it all.
Too young? Yes, absolutely. Sometimes people don't understand important concepts of life at an early age, which tend to affect their writing. Not only this, but generally, they need some safe spaces to do something like that without being exploited. I circled around this simply by writing in journals or google docs, and writing things on my own that I felt I could tackle appropriately.
Too old, on the other hand? Don't worry about it. A hobby is a hobby is a hobby, and if you're passionate about writing, you're allowed to write however you want. Sure, it might be strange to roleplay with someone immensely older than I, but wisdom does come with age, and some of the best writers are those who haven't started careers in writing well into their 40s or 50s. Some of my favorite filmmakers are the exact same way.
Too young? Yes, absolutely. Sometimes people don't understand important concepts of life at an early age, which tend to affect their writing. Not only this, but generally, they need some safe spaces to do something like that without being exploited. I circled around this simply by writing in journals or google docs, and writing things on my own that I felt I could tackle appropriately.
Too old, on the other hand? Don't worry about it. A hobby is a hobby is a hobby, and if you're passionate about writing, you're allowed to write however you want. Sure, it might be strange to roleplay with someone immensely older than I, but wisdom does come with age, and some of the best writers are those who haven't started careers in writing well into their 40s or 50s. Some of my favorite filmmakers are the exact same way.
Sailormars34
Junior Member
I'm 34 I started when I was 14. I stopped for a while and only gotten back into it because I wanted to escape reality with the way the world is going now
Jesuisbanan
Unrefined Acquired Taste
When someone under 20 claims to feel old.
Well... this is awkward. (Currently 27- really close to 28)
Honestly, I have role-played for quite a while and I really don't mind role-playing with younger people, like when I was young I role-played with my elders in the writing communities I joined and learned quite a lot. Though it does become a little strange at times for some who have no interest in growing out of a role (The forever 15 year old kind of person) depending on the story topic, there are lines that shouldn't be cross when role-playing with younger or older.
If you're my age role-playing with a 10 year old in a high school romance theme it gets a bit iffy. I personally play roles within my age range and will only write younger (teen) characters with my co-writers who I have become close friends with.
I will likely always seek new role-players to spice things up, and I will always be writing worlds with other people, that will never end.
Well... this is awkward. (Currently 27- really close to 28)
Honestly, I have role-played for quite a while and I really don't mind role-playing with younger people, like when I was young I role-played with my elders in the writing communities I joined and learned quite a lot. Though it does become a little strange at times for some who have no interest in growing out of a role (The forever 15 year old kind of person) depending on the story topic, there are lines that shouldn't be cross when role-playing with younger or older.
If you're my age role-playing with a 10 year old in a high school romance theme it gets a bit iffy. I personally play roles within my age range and will only write younger (teen) characters with my co-writers who I have become close friends with.
I will likely always seek new role-players to spice things up, and I will always be writing worlds with other people, that will never end.
AnnJam
👁👄👁 *heavy breathing* 👁👄👁
Honestly whenever you get into it is when you get into it. I was 12 when my friend introduced me to roleplay, and then I learned my other friend did it with a girl in my homeroom; and she let me join their rp. So I mostly learned through real life friends and initially only roleplayed with IRL friends. Eventually I got comfortable in chatrooms, and yes I had some dicey experience for a kid. And for about 4 years I only did pen and paper roleplay with my then girlfriend.
Longwinded way of saying I don't think there is a point where you are too young, but I think if you're under 13 (the age required to register for forums anyway) you should roleplay with your real life friends, learn to play table top games. Because like you can play table tops as a child, my friend has played D&D with his kids since they were 6 years old; but I would never want a child on a forum.
As for max whenever you decide it isn't for you. There will always be an appropriate peer group for you to roleplay with. I know 40 - 50+ year old people who still do play-by-post roleplaying on forums. I know a whole boatload of people my own age too, and because this is a pretty popular hobby I think people will always get into it and a lot will stick with it.
Longwinded way of saying I don't think there is a point where you are too young, but I think if you're under 13 (the age required to register for forums anyway) you should roleplay with your real life friends, learn to play table top games. Because like you can play table tops as a child, my friend has played D&D with his kids since they were 6 years old; but I would never want a child on a forum.
As for max whenever you decide it isn't for you. There will always be an appropriate peer group for you to roleplay with. I know 40 - 50+ year old people who still do play-by-post roleplaying on forums. I know a whole boatload of people my own age too, and because this is a pretty popular hobby I think people will always get into it and a lot will stick with it.
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Shivana
The Boop
I was like in 4th or 5th grade when I started and still do to this day so no idea honestly.
BlossomsOfRainbows
*Insert clever comment here*
In my honest opinion, I wouldn't say there is a maximum age. As for minimum age, I wouldn't put a number on that either. I think it's mostly about mental maturity. I was 11 or 12 when I first got into online RP, and for me, that was a few years too early. That's not the case for everyone though. If you're mature enough to know what you're getting into, how to resolve conflict that may occur, etc etc, I don't think the number for age matters.
hadal
Member
As long as you can write and create a story, you can roleplay. So there's no strict age minimum. There's no age limit either. If you're a kid or teen, roleplay with other kids or teens. If you're an adult, roleplay with other adults.
DaydreamLover
Romance Addict
I don't one I ever too old to RP, I mean I know people who are doing it in their 30s and they use it as a way to creatively write with someone else which makes it a lot more fun. Some people use it as a hobby and others as a way to escape or relax. One of my friends and I have multiple AUs set up that are all intertwined and we plan to RP for years to come and I'm 24 right now. She's 26 and she has two kids and is married, I don't believe one is ever too old to stop.
As for young, I don't know, I started at 18 and I cringe at my writing back then so I can only imagine what my skills would have been like at 14
As for young, I don't know, I started at 18 and I cringe at my writing back then so I can only imagine what my skills would have been like at 14
Murdergurl
will turn your insides into your outsides
While I don't think there is really age limits (besides being too young to understand the concept and write intelligibly), there is most definitely a factor of age groups. As you get older, the amount of roleplayers in your respective pool starts to shrink. From what I've seen, the bulk of online roleplayers are in their very late teens up until mid twenties. (This is of course not including adult RP sites)
As I've gotten older it has gotten increasingly more difficult to relate to not only the subject matter that people are interested in, but also harder to relate to the people. I'm 37 myself, and have been doing the RP thing for a little over 20 years. So I've literally been doing this longer than some of the younger members of the community have even been alive. I say this not to brag, but more to impress how much of a generational gap exists in the community. I constantly see fandoms and conversations I have little interest or knowledge in. And I'm sure it goes the same when I bring up my own. So the people that you can relate to become more and more scarce. And just because you happen to find others with the same nostalgic interests, does not necessarilly mean that you will be compatible in your RP styles and expectations. If you're younger, and part of the generational majority, you have a lot more options in front of you.
I can tell you that I think of giving up the roleplay hobby more and more frequently as the years wear on. I mean, how much longer can I possibly hope to keep this up and be relevant to the rest of the community? I'm struggling now at a couple years shy of 40. How will this work in another 5 years? In another 10?
As I've gotten older it has gotten increasingly more difficult to relate to not only the subject matter that people are interested in, but also harder to relate to the people. I'm 37 myself, and have been doing the RP thing for a little over 20 years. So I've literally been doing this longer than some of the younger members of the community have even been alive. I say this not to brag, but more to impress how much of a generational gap exists in the community. I constantly see fandoms and conversations I have little interest or knowledge in. And I'm sure it goes the same when I bring up my own. So the people that you can relate to become more and more scarce. And just because you happen to find others with the same nostalgic interests, does not necessarilly mean that you will be compatible in your RP styles and expectations. If you're younger, and part of the generational majority, you have a lot more options in front of you.
I can tell you that I think of giving up the roleplay hobby more and more frequently as the years wear on. I mean, how much longer can I possibly hope to keep this up and be relevant to the rest of the community? I'm struggling now at a couple years shy of 40. How will this work in another 5 years? In another 10?
Humble1
Archives Rat
I'm in my forties and I've been playing since the Basic D&D Red Box in the mid-80s. I'll stop when I'm dead.
One thing to remember is that there are many different types of roleplaying. I grew up with crunchy, dice-based games. All my old RP friends are playing Pathfinder on Mythweavers now. Then you have the free-form literary RPs, like a lot of the games on RPNation. A lot of the forum and discord games as well. (To an oldster like me, these seem to have evolved out of the MUSH's of the early internet.) Then you've got a who array of in-between: the Old-School renaissance games, the niche PbTA games, a host of experimental storytelling games, on and on.
Basically, there's a type of gaming for every age group and every type of interest. I think kids naturally play pretend, so it's fairly easy start playing free-form games with them. "You be the disney princess, I'll be the woodland creature" worked with my nieces. Once you can trust them not to stuff the dice up their nose, there are tabletop games specifically designed for kids. After that, why stop?
Your tastes do change as you get older or reach different stages of life. I don't have the free time to spend six hours creating character sheets the way I used to. These days high school RP makes me roll my eyes. I can't do erotic RP because my wife will snicker at me. That kind of thing. I think the trick is just to be honest about what you have time and energy to do. Then be clear in your own mind about what interests you and what doesn't. Then search out games or sites that will support that.
One thing to remember is that there are many different types of roleplaying. I grew up with crunchy, dice-based games. All my old RP friends are playing Pathfinder on Mythweavers now. Then you have the free-form literary RPs, like a lot of the games on RPNation. A lot of the forum and discord games as well. (To an oldster like me, these seem to have evolved out of the MUSH's of the early internet.) Then you've got a who array of in-between: the Old-School renaissance games, the niche PbTA games, a host of experimental storytelling games, on and on.
Basically, there's a type of gaming for every age group and every type of interest. I think kids naturally play pretend, so it's fairly easy start playing free-form games with them. "You be the disney princess, I'll be the woodland creature" worked with my nieces. Once you can trust them not to stuff the dice up their nose, there are tabletop games specifically designed for kids. After that, why stop?
Your tastes do change as you get older or reach different stages of life. I don't have the free time to spend six hours creating character sheets the way I used to. These days high school RP makes me roll my eyes. I can't do erotic RP because my wife will snicker at me. That kind of thing. I think the trick is just to be honest about what you have time and energy to do. Then be clear in your own mind about what interests you and what doesn't. Then search out games or sites that will support that.
ratio
7:3
I'm of the mindset that you can't be too old to enjoy RPing. You may not have the energy or time to write as often as someone younger, but you can still have the motivation to try. As far as a minimum age, I think as long as you're able to write coherently and you make it clear how old you are when in search of writing partners, you should be fine.
MarvelDreamer
Future Stark
13-15 years isn't a very big gap between people... Age is a number just enjoy yourself
Walliver
Two Thousand Club
Honestly, age doesn’t matter to me in rps. You could be 500 years old, but as long as you can keep me interested in the rp, it’s alright. I know some people (not anyone on this website) think 12 year olds aren’t great writers, or that people younger than them aren’t as skilled, but that’s not true at all. Everyone can be a great writer, so there’s really no age limit or age minimum for writing something good and entertaining. Just my take on that.
SquishSquash
A Mooshie Moo
I started RPing on Neopets when I was... uh.... 12 I think? Maybe 13? I'm now 28 and I still RP. I don't think there's such thing as too old. I mean, there's people in their 50s who play D&D, so what's the difference?
For how young honestly, I think it depends on the maturity of the kid. I work with kids so I see all kinds. I know some 7-8 year Olds that would benefit so much from using RP as a creative outlet. But I think they would need a special place where they could RP, which is hard. But it also depends on how internet savvy they are. So there are a lot of factors, but I would say that 7 (with some supervision) should be the absolute youngest. But on a site like this, 13-14.
For how young honestly, I think it depends on the maturity of the kid. I work with kids so I see all kinds. I know some 7-8 year Olds that would benefit so much from using RP as a creative outlet. But I think they would need a special place where they could RP, which is hard. But it also depends on how internet savvy they are. So there are a lot of factors, but I would say that 7 (with some supervision) should be the absolute youngest. But on a site like this, 13-14.
pinewoodpine
New Member
I started RPing around 13 or 14 too, and now I'm 33 har har. Granted, I've been away from RPing for quite some time due to life but I agree with lots of people here that it's never too old to RP. Some of my fondest RP memories come from RPing with RPers way older than me.
As for how young, I have no opinion on the matter. If the kid is mature enough, go for it although I would advise caution since some of the subject matters can be... quite mature. Not to mention that it'll help with their reading and writing skills as wellbut not handwriting skills, unfortunately.
As for how young, I have no opinion on the matter. If the kid is mature enough, go for it although I would advise caution since some of the subject matters can be... quite mature. Not to mention that it'll help with their reading and writing skills as well
cuzn
lucid luciel
i don't think there is an age where you become "too old" for a hobby, especially one like writing or roleplaying. of course, i think there are situations where someone could be too young to rp a certain topic (i.e. 18+ content or some more controversial/disturbing themes), but never too old.
as far as rping child characters, as long as it's not handled in a disturbing or illegal way, i don't see much problem with it. platonic found-family rps are fun, and some of my favorite ocs that i have ride off of the idea of exploring child psychology - that is, making a story that plays off of the weird and wacky ways that a child perceives the world around them, or how trauma effects a child so much more differently than it does a teenager or adult. of course, there are lines with writing children that absolutely cannot be crossed, but otherwise i personally find a lot of potential in characters that are kids. it can change the tone of a story so easily, and provides tons of opportunity for character development in the rest of the cast at the same time.
when it comes to rping with another minor, again, there are lines that can't be crossed and a lot of those lines revolve around comfort. some adults aren't comfortable with rping with minors, and some minors aren't comfortable with rping with adults. however, i think that there are also some issues that come with being trapped within your age group, as well. i'm also coming from someone who used to rp on amino, and my biggest issue was that i couldn't find anyone around my age with a writing level that could keep me interested. that might just be the general age or maturity demographic on amino, but i do know that it's definitely possible for a middle schooler to write better than an adult, for example; age doesn't dictate writing skill or maturity. it just dictates what should and shouldn't be done in their company, you know?
tl;dr
don't rp weird stuff with kids, and kids, don't ask adults to rp weird stuff with you. someone who's 13 can be just as good a writer, or oftentimes better than someone who's 23. i've seen it happen tons of times before. as long as nothing illegal is being done, and nobody's uncomfortable, it's all good with me.
also, you're never too old to rp. rping is cool, writing is fun, it's an awesome skill to have especially as an adult.
as far as rping child characters, as long as it's not handled in a disturbing or illegal way, i don't see much problem with it. platonic found-family rps are fun, and some of my favorite ocs that i have ride off of the idea of exploring child psychology - that is, making a story that plays off of the weird and wacky ways that a child perceives the world around them, or how trauma effects a child so much more differently than it does a teenager or adult. of course, there are lines with writing children that absolutely cannot be crossed, but otherwise i personally find a lot of potential in characters that are kids. it can change the tone of a story so easily, and provides tons of opportunity for character development in the rest of the cast at the same time.
when it comes to rping with another minor, again, there are lines that can't be crossed and a lot of those lines revolve around comfort. some adults aren't comfortable with rping with minors, and some minors aren't comfortable with rping with adults. however, i think that there are also some issues that come with being trapped within your age group, as well. i'm also coming from someone who used to rp on amino, and my biggest issue was that i couldn't find anyone around my age with a writing level that could keep me interested. that might just be the general age or maturity demographic on amino, but i do know that it's definitely possible for a middle schooler to write better than an adult, for example; age doesn't dictate writing skill or maturity. it just dictates what should and shouldn't be done in their company, you know?
tl;dr
don't rp weird stuff with kids, and kids, don't ask adults to rp weird stuff with you. someone who's 13 can be just as good a writer, or oftentimes better than someone who's 23. i've seen it happen tons of times before. as long as nothing illegal is being done, and nobody's uncomfortable, it's all good with me.
also, you're never too old to rp. rping is cool, writing is fun, it's an awesome skill to have especially as an adult.
