Experiences RP and aging

[Jannah]

I guess this is more a question directed at the older folks of RPN, like mid-20's and above. Have you found your RP tastes changing as you've gotten older? I certainly have. As a child upwards into my teens I was all about the high fantasy epic adventure type stuff, you know the type of stuff you'd want to write as a form of escapism. Nowadays I like the realistic stories, particularly those that really allow me to drive into my characters' heads. As a general reader and writer I have definitely come to favour the character driven stories over the plot driven stories of my youth as well.

 

[Onmyoji]

Hello from the ancient dinosaur.
One big shift I noticed is that I stopped doing group rp entirely. I don't have time for them anymore. It's fine for 1x1 when you have just one partner to follow but following a group of people with different schedules seems downright impossible.

I haven't noticed much shift in fantasy towards realistic though because I still write for escapism lol I never did realistic rp in the past and I still don't do them now.
But I also noticed they became more character driven than plot driven. It became more fun to focus on the inner thoughts and motivations of the characters rather than Epic Plot.

 

[Jannah]

Hello from the ancient dinosaur.
One big shift I noticed is that I stopped doing group rp entirely. I don't have time for them anymore. It's fine for 1x1 when you have just one partner to follow but following a group of people with different schedules seems downright impossible.

I haven't noticed much shift in fantasy towards realistic though because I still write for escapism lol I never did realistic rp in the past and I still don't do them now.
But I also noticed they became more character driven than plot driven. It became more fun to focus on the inner thoughts and motivations of the characters rather than Epic Plot.

Yea, groups are tough. Most of them die pretty quickly anyway, usually precisely for the reason you pointed out. It's downright impossible to get all those people together and then somehow expect them to all be available to post at the same time.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

I've been roleplaying since I was 12, and I can safely say I've definitely noticed a change or two.

For starters, I stopped doing fandom RPs. Completely. I dont have any hate or disrespect towards fandom RP peeps, but over time I've phased it out of my life completely. A mix of terrible fandoms, bad RP experiences, and just a different palette since then definitely contributed to that.

Second - I am much more OK with letting my character suffer... yikes that's morbid. I'll try again: I am less attached to my characters such that I will go out of my way to ensure no harm comes to them. Great success!

And lastly - this one's my favorite - I stopped writing heroes. My characters are not invincible. They aren't heroes or urban legends or even of higher standing. They're just... people. One of my older characters - a bounty hunter - worked day and night on his jobs, rarely taking a break. He wasnt a legend, he wasnt even that good of a person, but that was what he was: a person, trying to get by. I've become more and more drawn to the sort of "working man" subset in characters to Roleplay. The idea of being a powerful entity or magical creature just sort of lost its charm for me. I prefer more personal developments now.

 

[Damafaud]

I used to be huge for one liners, but now I barely touch that style. Mostly because it's such a time sink busy adult life can't afford haha

My taste doesn't change much, I think. Still loves group RP and still gives 1x1 the side eye. I still like fantasy and superpower and stuff. I'm still not a fan of despair and horror or mundane life situation. Just same ol' light-heart loving guy.

Agreeing with most peep above, I'm definitely leaning more toward character-driven plots over arching plots. I became more hesitant to join RPs with set roles because of it. On the other hand I no longer see Fandom as a sacrilege and actually starts enjoying roleplaying in canon settings.

 

[DisneyGirl]

My taste when it comes to how I like to write has, lol. I used to do one liners and then I got older and started trying my hand at longer form writing and could post up to 4k words every other day depending on how much I got into the story, lol. Nowadays, I’m starting to prefer a blend of both styles. Descriptive, but not too much...however, I still tend to over do it sometimes

 

[nerdy tangents]

I started pretty late (about seventeen-eighteen) and I’m in my early thirties now.

I still roleplay the same genre (mostly because that is what I like to read tbh). I mostly do Harry Potter, urban fantasy, or the occasional superhero story. I will branch out from that every once in a while if someone has a nice plot but that’s it.

I think what you are talking about is less a genre question and more the fact that youngsters like to write aspirational stories. It makes sense when your young you are told that your life is just beginning and you are the stage where external validation is the most important to you.

So writing stories where you are special and get to go on an epic adventure has appeal.

I never really did epic high fantasy stories (it’s just not a genre that interests me) but I certainly wrote my characters as aspirational. In my case it was more that they were in worlds where they could be happy and not worlds where they were some chosen one. Because I am an introvert at heart and had social anxiety at the time, the idea of being a hero would have been a nightmare to me.

As an adult I notice I write more aspirational worlds because the one we are living in is a dumpster fire for a variety of reasons. So I get to imagine a world where the issues facing our own don’t exist. Or if they exist they get called out in favor of a better way of doing things.

So yeah genre wise I still write Harry Potter, superhero, or urban fantasy. I might get kicks where I do specific sub genres (I am on a historical craze at the moment). But those three are the main genres.

 

[Natasha4E]

Another dinosaur here!
I am also not into epic world saving stories anymore. I still like fantasy and sci fi, but I prefer to keep the plots smaller.
I find that I am not so focused on romance anymore. I feel now that when it happens it is fun, only when the characters have the right chemistry. And when I was really young I loved very dramatic characters and thankfully I grew out of that, as well. And I don't really want to play against overly dramatic characters, either.
I prefer character driven plots, where there is space for the characters to screw up, and be brave, and be funny, and be serous... I love getting to know the characters and see their dynamics. Just seeing how they react to situations and to each other is the most fun for me.
Also, when I was younger I played mostly men. Females just didn't seem very interesting, because most females in the media were not interesting, either. Now, things have changed and I love playing women.

 

[Onmyoji]

I also remembered that I used to play villains and/or edgelords. Now I evolved into playing paladins and just overall kind-hearted characters lol
I suppose I've seen things, evil no longer seems appealing. FOR GREAT JUSTICE!

 

[Lorsh]

I have re-read some of my stuff from ten years ago and I've barely changed at all genre-wise, aside from shifting from high to low fantasy.

 

[Jannah]

I have re-read some of my stuff from ten years ago and I've barely changed at all genre-wise, aside from shifting from high to low fantasy.

Interesting; when I do dabble in fantasy now it does tend to be low fantasy.

 

[Lorsh]

Interesting; when I do dabble in fantasy now it does tend to be low fantasy.

High fantasy by itself isn't necessarily bad, but definitely not dime a dozen DnD-style stories, which is basically all I see now. Not really a fan of urban fantasy either.

 

[Jannah]

High fantasy by itself isn't necessarily bad, but definitely not dime a dozen DnD-style stories, which is basically all I see now. Not really a fan of urban fantasy either.

I just got bored of high fantasy RP's I guess since there's so many of them. Most of them also feel very similar. I'd like to see more high fantasy settings inspired by Eastern cultures. Eastern Europe, Middle East, Asia, etc.

 

[GojiBean]

I guess this is more a question directed at the older folks of RPN, like mid-20's and above. Have you found your RP tastes changing as you've gotten older? I certainly have. As a child upwards into my teens I was all about the high fantasy epic adventure type stuff, you know the type of stuff you'd want to write as a form of escapism. Nowadays I like the realistic stories, particularly those that really allow me to drive into my characters' heads. As a general reader and writer I have definitely come to favour the character driven stories over the plot driven stories of my youth as well.

Hoyo.

As a 30+ RPer, yes, my tastes have changed. I used to enjoy a lot more variety in the RP's I play, and today I'm a much more focused role-player with medieval fantasy as a centerpiece of my preference. Every now and then I'll do a fandom I like, such as Pokemon, but other than that not a lot.

Everyone's different, so if you find your own interests changing then don't worry about it. It's normal.

Cheers!

 

[nerdy tangents]

Hoyo.

As a 30+ RPer, yes, my tastes have changed. I used to enjoy a lot more variety in the RP's I play, and today I'm a much more focused role-player with medieval fantasy as a centerpiece of my preference. Every now and then I'll do a fandom I like, such as Pokemon, but other than that not a lot.

Everyone's different, so if you find your own interests changing then don't worry about it. It's normal.

Cheers!

I wish I knew pokemon well enough to do roleplays in that universe. Everything I have heard about it (outside of the battle mechanics) seems like it would be well suited to a kind of fun world building / slice of life style story. But sadly I am really only vaguely familiar with the setting and wouldn't be confident enough to try to do a roleplay by myself. And all the more knowledgeable fans seem to like the battle mechanics more then the world.

 

[MG Maggio]

When I was younger, I explored careers (art historian, military, psychologist) more. I also occasionally did some wild premises and a very select few Fandom roleplays (largely Doctor Who, haha).

Now, I tend to explore grief, healing, community, family dynamics, and perseverance. I also have older perspectives- fathers, mothers, older community members.

 

[Luscinioide]

I'm 20 now and have been RPing since about 9 or 10, where I got my beginnings on the likes of Roblox, Toontown, and Warcraft. Clearly, everything I used to do back then was fandom-related or high fantasy lmao. My characters used to all be either super goodie two shoes or supreme edgelord villains. I think I wrote about 300-400 words a post. But the really funny part is all my RPs used to be strictly heteronormative with characters that did not deviate from gender norms at all. There was a weird point where queer RPs were just NOT a thing. Especially in actual games where you RPed.

I got bored of doing fantasy, even though I am very good at it. Turns out there's only so many different fantasy plots you can do...eventually you just end up repeating the exact same tropes, settings, and other details, even if you try to make them different. :\ I can look at any given fantasy gig and immediately guess where the story's going to go. There's nothing wrong with most people's settings, of course, there's just a lot of repeating elements.

I like dystopian/apocalyptic because it's realistic, gritty, and dramatic while still allowing for plenty of room for comedic relief. I also like that its infinitely customizable because the only limit is being able to come up with a technological explanation for how something works. Not even the sky is the limit. I write primarily morally gray characters with self-conflicting motives, though I DO still like villains. I write a good villain, I believe. It's sort of my ace. Aside from that, my cast has become quite diverse in terms of ethnicity and queerness, I write 2000 word posts that are stupid and ridiculous, and I've developed an obsession with atmosphere, introspection, and character connections. My writing focuses way more on characters and their motives than it does the story, though I do fall into GM tendencies even to today.

tl;dr i matured out of writing mlp self-insert fanfics with princess luna and started writing lame dystopian gay dramas instead

 

[Kumii]

Me, being 25: Idk if I should be offended that anyone above mid-20s is considered old or not.

*grabs my old man cane and pushes up my old man glasses*

Let's see, to be honest, my tastes have always been the same, although I have been dabbling in new genres but mostly I stick to Fantasy since its what I'm most familiar with. I'm a bit picky when it comes down to it.

 

[Jannah]

Me, being 25: Idk if I should be offended that anyone above mid-20s is considered old or not.

*grabs my old man cane and pushes up my old man glasses*

Let's see, to be honest, my tastes have always been the same, although I have been dabbling in new genres but mostly I stick to Fantasy since its what I'm most familiar with. I'm a bit picky when it comes down to it.

In the RP world 25+ is generally considered "old". Lol.

 

[Kumii]

In the RP world 25+ is generally considered "old". Lol.

*old man voice* Look here you, whippersnapper!

 

[Lucyfer]

In my 30s, so I think I can answer this.

Like some other people have said, I don’t do group RPs anymore. I prefer to work things out and create a world with one other person. I think this began around the 22-23 year period.

In my really early days, I did a lot of Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Ball Z fandom RPs. I suppose I haven’t “grown out” of doing fandom RPs, my fandoms have just shifted.

I was never really a one-liner person. I think if anything, I’ve learned to condense my writing more as I’ve gotten older, though it’s still multi-para, and still often 500+, but it’s no longer ridiculous like 2000+ for anything beyond starters (and even that’s rare nowadays).

I’ve also, of course, begun to enjoy writing older characters more. Characters with past relationships, who aren’t experiencing the “first and forever” love scenarios. My characters were always a bit morally gray (my first character worked with Maleficent, while trying to assist the “heroes”, after all), so I can’t say I’ve started to favor heroes or villains, but my characters have become, generally, more optimistic. No more of the brooding antiheroes.

I also do more original stuff. Not much of it, my bread and butter is still fandoms, but I do enjoy some modern-fantasy stuff, or medieval fantasy.

 

[Jannah]

In my 30s, so I think I can answer this.

Like some other people have said, I don’t do group RPs anymore. I prefer to work things out and create a world with one other person. I think this began around the 22-23 year period.

In my really early days, I did a lot of Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Ball Z fandom RPs. I suppose I haven’t “grown out” of doing fandom RPs, my fandoms have just shifted.

I was never really a one-liner person. I think if anything, I’ve learned to condense my writing more as I’ve gotten older, though it’s still multi-para, and still often 500+, but it’s no longer ridiculous like 2000+ for anything beyond starters (and even that’s rare nowadays).

I’ve also, of course, begun to enjoy writing older characters more. Characters with past relationships, who aren’t experiencing the “first and forever” love scenarios. My characters were always a bit morally gray (my first character worked with Maleficent, while trying to assist the “heroes”, after all), so I can’t say I’ve started to favor heroes or villains, but my characters have become, generally, more optimistic. No more of the brooding antiheroes.

I also do more original stuff. Not much of it, my bread and butter is still fandoms, but I do enjoy some modern-fantasy stuff, or medieval fantasy.

I think group RP's are harder in adulthood anyway simply because most of us don't have large amounts of time to sit online and just post. Most group RP's seem to be pretty fast moving. Because of this I often get lost in the dust as I can really only manage to post like once or twice a week typically. Most group RPers post far more than that.

Also, I have never been into one-liners either. Even as a baby RPer I still managed at least a couple paragraphs. My writing has also improved a lot over the years too. I like to think I'm pretty flexible as far as characters go too. I play young, middle aged, old, you name it. It really depends on what fits the plot.

 

[Pokeking]

I'm 43 and my tastes haven't changed at all in the twenty years since I've been doing RP. I still enjoy fantasy/scifi based storylines. The only thing that I could say has changed is that I would like to think that I'm more flavorful in my writing. I also have a much larger roster of original characters.

I find myself doing more 1x1 storylines in the past seven years or so.

 

[Jannah]

I'm 43 and my tastes haven't changed at all in the twenty years since I've been doing RP. I still enjoy fantasy/scifi based storylines. The only thing that I could say has changed is that I would like to think that I'm more flavorful in my writing. I also have a much larger roster of original characters.

I find myself doing more 1x1 storylines in the past seven years or so.

Sorry if this is intrusive (you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable), but are you a male? I have noticed a trend that male RPers, especially the older ones, tend to be into the heavy sci-fi and fantasy type storylines. Usually military-centric stuff like Warhammer, things like that.

 

[Pokeking]

Sorry if this is intrusive (you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable), but are you a male? I have noticed a trend that male RPers, especially the older ones, tend to be into the heavy sci-fi and fantasy type storylines. Usually military-centric stuff like Warhammer, things like that.

I don't mind answering. Yes. I am a cisgender guy. Also, all my primary OCs are male also. Was never into Warhammer though. However, I did play Hero Quest when it came out in the early 90s. I've heard the original version was set in a version of the Warhammer universe.