Experiences What hooked you into roleplaying?

[BadApple]

What was the moment that made you want to roleplay more?
Or the first time you really found out you enjoyed this "hobby"?

 

[bastion]

Probably when I joined my first rp group back on DeviantArt. It was the first time I really participated in a community and I made some great friends. It helped me discover a way of socializing that I could handle even with my anxiety.

 

[viceroy]

Alright. Funny story. When I was younger my parents had this pretty garbage desktop computer with a fan that sounded like an airplane taking off, so I couldn't play very intensive games. We were also kind of poor for most of my childhood, so we couldn't really buy any, either. This basically ended up with me finding a bunch of free games on my own, one of these including Animal Jam. If you don't know what that is, it's just one of those online virtual worlds for "kids" that popped up in the 2000s and 2010s (in Animal Jam's case I believe it was released in 2010 or 2011) that was moderately successful. All things considered it was pretty terrible, but it was where I first discovered roleplaying and the fun in it. Of course, I was about 7 or 8 years old so I was absolutely awful at writing, but everyone else was also a child so it worked out lol.

The only issue was the restrictive chat filter, but ironically enough, it actually helped me learn how to spell. The game would highlight words that weren't in the dictionary in red and suggest similar words, which meant that if I spelt a word wrong, I could tell what the correct spelling was. I think that single-handedly took me out of the "extra help" group(?? Not sure what it was called, I was in first grade) they had going on where they'd take kids who struggled in a subject outside the class to practice (it was not helpful at all). Roleplaying continued to improve my vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills throughout my life, which is what I appreciate about it besides it being a fun hobby.

 

[Onmyoji]

I started with fandom rp. I liked certain characters so much that I wanted more stories about them and roleplay gave me that to the point I could not just read about characters but 'be' those characters lol It was definitely a lot of fun. Kind of like cosplay but without spending money on costume XD
I started rp with friends and we were all enjoying it, creating stories together.

 

[FrostyDragon]

What an awesome question. I could write an essay about this. I'll try not to go quite that far though.

I think for me, there was a specific moment when I realized that RPing was more than just one of many hobbies for me. It was my favorite hobby, the one that I would pick without hesitation if someone said to me "You're stuck on a desert island and can only pick one hobby. Which one will it be?"

I love solo writing, but there are only so many plots, scenarios and characters that my own mind can come up with. With RPing, I have an infinite variety available to me because there are so many more potential partners out there that I can write with. This is one of the big reasons that I love this hobby. I love being surprised. I love the anticipation of writing a scene with a partner and not knowing exactly how it's going to turn out. For me, I RP like I write - minimal planning and a lot of "writing on the edge of the seat".

There was a particular scene with a partner I was RPing with that left such an impact on me that I realised I had fallen in love with the hobby at that moment. I am drawn towards dark plots. I love putting characters through hell, breaking them down, testing their limits, making them choose between whether to save a spouse or a child, putting them through ordeals that will change who they are forever.

In the scene I was RPing, my character (the villain) had captured my partners character (the hero). My partner and I had discussed how things were roughly going to go, and had agreed that the hero should make some kind of escape attempt. We agreed the escape attempt would fail, but the important thing was how the villain would react to the attempt.

We RPed the scene as discussed. My partner's character made his attempt at freedom, and is confronted by the villain himself after barely making it out of the "dungeon". Because I had a partner I trusted, I was confident enough to be able to fall completely into my villains mindset and do something pretty brutal.

It was an extremely emotional scene, and my partner and I were both totally shook at the end of it. It was heartbreaking and terrible and shocking, and we both loved every moment of it. For me, I love RPing because of the strength of emotions I can feel in reaction to a scene compared to those I experience from my own writing.

This is the main reason why I love this hobby, but another thing that draws me to RPing is forming friendships with people online. I've made online friends before, but I find that when we have a shared experience like with RPing, my friendships are so much more meaningful and I often get to know that person much more than I would if we didn't have that shared connection.

 

[BadApple]

What an awesome question. I could write an essay about this. I'll try not to go quite that far though.

I think for me, there was a specific moment when I realized that RPing was more than just one of many hobbies for me. It was my favorite hobby, the one that I would pick without hesitation if someone said to me "You're stuck on a desert island and can only pick one hobby. Which one will it be?"

I love solo writing, but there are only so many plots, scenarios and characters that my own mind can come up with. With RPing, I have an infinite variety available to me because there are so many more potential partners out there that I can write with. This is one of the big reasons that I love this hobby. I love being surprised. I love the anticipation of writing a scene with a partner and not knowing exactly how it's going to turn out. For me, I RP like I write - minimal planning and a lot of "writing on the edge of the seat".

There was a particular scene with a partner I was RPing with that left such an impact on me that I realised I had fallen in love with the hobby at that moment. I am drawn towards dark plots. I love putting characters through hell, breaking them down, testing their limits, making them choose between whether to save a spouse or a child, putting them through ordeals that will change who they are forever.

In the scene I was RPing, my character (the villain) had captured my partners character (the hero). My partner and I had discussed how things were roughly going to go, and had agreed that the hero should make some kind of escape attempt. We agreed the escape attempt would fail, but the important thing was how the villain would react to the attempt.

We RPed the scene as discussed. My partner's character made his attempt at freedom, and is confronted by the villain himself after barely making it out of the "dungeon". Because I had a partner I trusted, I was confident enough to be able to fall completely into my villains mindset and do something pretty brutal.

It was an extremely emotional scene, and my partner and I were both totally shook at the end of it. It was heartbreaking and terrible and shocking, and we both loved every moment of it. For me, I love RPing because of the strength of emotions I can feel in reaction to a scene compared to those I experience from my own writing.

This is the main reason why I love this hobby, but another thing that draws me to RPing is forming friendships with people online. I've made online friends before, but I find that when we have a shared experience like with RPing, my friendships are so much more meaningful and I often get to know that person much more than I would if we didn't have that shared connection.

I really feel this one,

 

[Idea]

I don't think I had a "moment" when I found "oh I'm in love with RP" while already involved in it or that really showed that to such a particular extent as to be notable. I had a moment when I realized it was something I was gonna love, and that was the first time I tried roleplaying. It was such a fresh thing, but also such an exciting thing, roleplaying with someone - I took the role of a character, and got to share my ideas and whenever my partner would send a reply I'd get all giddy. It wasn't something I often got and over time roleplay just came to be such a big part of my life with the relationships I've formed with people, with the sort of "identity" if you will that is Idea, with all the things I've created and all the ideas I've worked on but which have yet to be properly realized or tried....

I still get that exciting feeling with many posts I receive from my partners or fellow players in group RPs, and I've learned more about myself such that I can have a feeling of satisfaction at the end of most of my posts. I suppose in the end it's a good thing I don't have such a one-of-a-kind moment to show for my love of the RP though. Because it's not like I'm lacking in happy moments I get from it, but I get many wonderful ones and it'd be hard to say "this one stands out above the rest".


PS: As a sidenote I am still unsure whether maybe I misunderstood the question and I was actually supposed to write about how I started roleplaying... hopefully I'm not mistaken, yeah...

 

[BadApple]

I don't think I had a "moment" when I found "oh I'm in love with RP" while already involved in it or that really showed that to such a particular extent as to be notable. I had a moment when I realized it was something I was gonna love, and that was the first time I tried roleplaying. It was such a fresh thing, but also such an exciting thing, roleplaying with someone - I took the role of a character, and got to share my ideas and whenever my partner would send a reply I'd get all giddy. It wasn't something I often got and over time roleplay just came to be such a big part of my life with the relationships I've formed with people, with the sort of "identity" if you will that is Idea, with all the things I've created and all the ideas I've worked on but which have yet to be properly realized or tried....

I still get that exciting feeling with many posts I receive from my partners or fellow players in group RPs, and I've learned more about myself such that I can have a feeling of satisfaction at the end of most of my posts. I suppose in the end it's a good thing I don't have such a one-of-a-kind moment to show for my love of the RP though. Because it's not like I'm lacking in happy moments I get from it, but I get many wonderful ones and it'd be hard to say "this one stands out above the rest".


PS: As a sidenote I am still unsure whether maybe I misunderstood the question and I was actually supposed to write about how I started roleplaying... hopefully I'm not mistaken,

Either answer would have been a fine addition. Its just nice to look back on where it all started or how it makes you feel.

 

[Emeraude]

I was working on a collaborative writing project with a friend. We entered a slump early on, so I suggested we roleplay our two main characters to see if we could get into them more. It worked! We definitely ended up roleplaying them more than writing the story, however.

 

[Dreamtique]

It was so nice to read other people's experiences. For me it all started here. I was instantly hooked when I actively discovered this place and found out rping was actually a thing, I stayed up all night waiting for a reply from the first long-running RP I joined, still remember how the sky slowly turned bright outside the window. I was lucky enough to meet a very kind person very early on that I wish to stay friends with as long as they are still on this site. I am still a little shy but if that someone happens to be reading I just want to say thank you.

Discovering this new horizon changed my life in very subtle ways, or let's just say it very quickly become my 'core memory' as someone who watches Pixar will say.

The only reason I don't actually RP as much back then or even now is my inability of writing comfortably, I am a very slow and inefficient writer. But having an RP or an idea alone to think about and have the creative outlet gives me immense satisfaction.

Still can't believe how, I dunno...6 years passed since I first discovered this thing? Now I can't really participate in RPs as much as things get increasingly busy. Hopefully after all the grinding, I can find some good opportunities to try something again.

 

[myosotis]

does anyone remember dragonadopters? gee, must've been all the way back in 2009/2010, back when emailing friends was a thing. my friend in elementary school who introduced me to that site once sent me an email as one of her dragons, and i remember my little mind being blown. i think this actually sparked my love of screenwriting as well as roleplaying!

 

[Lia]

Definitely Harry Potter. When I was 11, I had just finished reading all of the books and I was obsessed, so I wanted to talk about it. I searched for Harry Potter chatrooms online and I chose one I liked. People used to roleplay a lot in there, and I thought it was so weird at first. But as the days went by and I made some friends, I started joining some of those RPs and soon it became my favorite hobby.

I think I was 15 when I finally realized that not all roleplays had to be related to Harry Potter. And it just made me love the hobby even more.

 

[VanoLenz]

In my pre teen years I was already an avid writer, and lover of all mediums of fiction. One of the first two RP's I joined were a naruto spinoff roleplay & an X Men roleplay. The third one I joined & first original concept one was about a law enforcement agency that patrolled the timeline & pursued temporal criminals who sought to misuse/abuse time travel technology for their own ill begotten gains, and it produced so many wacky situations as well as some riveting storylines. Those three games back to back got me hooked, and I've been a fan of the activity ever since.

 

[navia]

i actually started roleplaying on roblox, animal jam, and moshi monsters (if you guys remember that lmfao). it was script roleplay, and i actually didn't get into paragraph roleplay until i started reading fanfiction and struggled to make my own. turns out i prefer collaborative writing a lot more so when i found sites like quotev and rpn in 2018 it was a whole new world.

 

[Chimeric]

Ok don't laugh but when I started reading it was warrior cats, Percy Jackson, and other series and books most people didn't read. For awhile I was just reading, but I definitely have to credit this for the first steps of me getting into writing and roleplaying. I didn't get to use the computers besides for schoolwork for some time after, but when I did I found out there was a pet sim, "Foopets" and soon after something WCRPG, and I had started here making my first warrior cat and while I mostly used Foopets for having my own virtual pet, there were forums on there as well. I don't know, it was just fun to create my own stories and characters, and to participate in others stories, interact with their characters and collaborate together.

And I had eventually found some really neat folks on FeralFront (now gone) and some cool people here.

 

[Next Door Hustler]

Mutual instant gratification it gives compared to solo writing.

 

[Kerishea]

My role play adventure started on Neopets way back in 2004 or 2005.
I have always loved writing but being able to write with someone was a game changer. Of course my early characters were incredibly cringy (I saved their intros on a FLOPPY DISK!) but now I’ve improved and have even self-published some books!
I need to find some new role play partners though- I’ve been out of the game for so long now though!

 

[Pilgrim59]

What was the moment that made you want to roleplay more?
Or the first time you really found out you enjoyed this "hobby"?

One day, I figured typing words was better and more engaging with others than drawing silent comics by myself, so I gave it a try. Couldn't stop since then, I'm still an addict.

 

[Walliver]

The first time I organized a large group rp on the playground with my friends. It was then I began my internet hunt for a site where I could do the same thing.

 

[Korillian]

It really started for me after finishing Ocarina of Time as a kid. I didn't want the story to end, so I began LARPing with friends for an extension to the story. An online friend, who I knew from Habbo Hotel, learned of this and invited me to an Inuyasha RP Club on the website. I'd never watched the anime at the time so I decided to play as Zelda in a cross-universe since I was most comfortable with that series instead. From there, I learned how to actually RP through text and met someone else who also enjoyed a multiverse setting. We then started making our own characters, to which spawned my love for writing as a whole.

 

[Viper]

I used to play pretend with my younger cousin. She was a good few years younger than me, but I didn't care cause I liked the stories we played out and the world we built even if it was only surface level deep. The main one was an elemental powers academy with 12 elements instead of the normal 4 or 5 plus necromancy/blood magic as its own separate thing. However, as she grew up, she stopped wanting to play pretend. It was totally understandable but disappointing since I still enjoyed it even at my age. I simply had to find a new outlet for my creative side, and RPing was one of the ways! This was the first site I found, and I'm still using it to this day!

 

[Kai.]

The very star for me was hanging out on a fan-site in the early 2000s and finding a good friend in the chatroom there and we often spent time talking about what the characters might do in situation XY ect. and eventually ended up doing 'reactions' we thought of and it slowly started to turn into RPs we used to do over yahoo messenger and ICQ - but I don't think we even knew what it was called what we're doing back then. (The innocence...)

I think the true start came a few years later when I discovered the online Potterfandom and people making their own characters and playing quidditch in the chatroom with the dice system and from there I discovered RP in formus or more specifically forums dedicated to RPing and down I went into the rabbit hole.

 

[Silvertongue]

When I was far far younger and likely too young to actually be on the internet I discovered IMVU and accidentally joined a role-playing server on there, in hindsight I tended to stray towards Mary Sue's or antagonists with little understanding of how roleplay worked but I loved it and really enjoyed writing. I'd imagine plotlines and characters in my spare time and then I'd play around with them with some friends I'd made on there who I've lost touch with but vividly remember to this day. Was all very fun and wholesome and think it was quite the nice introduction to this world. I remember a really elaborate plotline about a magic zombie king trying to take over a school but because assets and animations cost game-money it was always us having our avatars awkwardly standing around next to a crow (all we could afford as a placeholder for the baddie,) as we typed big dramatic paragraphs lamenting his evil ways.

 

[Koraki]

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved writing stories. I was always writing short drabbles or daydreaming about plots. One day, I discovered FeralFront (though back when I was a member, it was known as warriocatsrpg, or WCRPG). It was before I even read the Warriors series (and in fact, the reason I got into the books) but the concept of cooperative storytelling? Of two or more people creating characters and playing out a plot? I lived for it. I think I was 11 at the time, so my writing skills (and my netiquette skills) were not the best. But I learned. I've been an avid roleplayer ever since then. From WCRPG, to Xanje for a time, to Chickensmoothie, to Advanced-Scribes. And now here, ten years later.

 

[L0velyGray]

I first discovered roleplaying on a game called Wolfquest. I was looking through some online servers and discovered a large part of the community was built on roleplay. It started with many terribly written one-liners and lots of learning curves, but my story writing grew so much from that game. I never realized how fun this hobby could be. I still get excited over creating characters and finding roleplay partners that help to create amazing plots, eight years or so later. I was very sad to find that they closed their online servers, and I've been on the hunt for something to replicate that experience ever since then.