The Challenge of Pretending
The Challenge of Pretending
A weird thing happens around age 12 or 13 to most kids. They stop pretending. In fact, it's like a switch has been flipped. One day, nothing could be easier than to say, "I'm Luke Skywalker!" and then run around like you've got a lightsaber or are flying an X-Wing. The next day, nothing could be more terrifying than to have to pretend to be someone else.
As someone who's taught a lot of people to play roleplaying games, I've seen that look of terror over and over again when you tell people that the point of the game is to take on the role of someone other than their own. It's sometimes mitigated by saying, "Look, you probably did this kind of thing as a kid all the time," but it's sometimes not.
It's honestly one of the biggest barriers to more people playing the game, but it's something we seem to talk about only occasionally. We talk about making the rules simpler, the game more fun, or the books more accessible, but we probably don't spend a lot of time talking about how most people (again, over the age of about 12) don't know how to pretend.
Once that switch flips, the idea of roleplaying is akin to public speaking in terms of desirability. The spotlight, it seems, is on you and that's a bad thing. It's as though at that point, we have a moment of self-realization, and we realize that it's difficult and complicated to imagine being someone else. That, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing. I'd argue it's a good thing. It's good to realize that others are different and have different perspectives, assumptions, and backgrounds. But we allow that realization to put space between us. It creates a barrier to taking on the challenge of understanding others enough to pretend to be someone else. Which of course is a shame, because that kind of understanding can lead to a truly mature and well-rounded outlook. The ability to "walk in another's shoes" and all that.
Arguably, roleplaying itself is probably not even the biggest draw for most people to play roleplaying games. For many, it's probably little more than a necessary evil. Others hold it at arm's length, not really "getting into character" unless it's to do something funny, get to the next encounter, or to just make the game work. For these people, the draw is usually one of three things:
1. A mild diversion with a fantasy (or other genre) veneer. For these people, playing a tabletop rpg is about the same as reading a good fantasy novel or playing a computer game. That they get to do it with their friends and eat junk food is simply a plus.
2. A bit of cooperative fun with their friends. The key word is cooperative. It's a way to play a game without having to worry about who's winning. For these people, a tabletop rpg is just another sort of game with its own variations on problem solving and challenges to overcome. Different but not too different than Magic: The Gathering, or Talisman.
3. A way to tinker with something. These people enjoy playing with the rules rather than the result of the rules. By that, I mean they care about how much damage they can do, not that they're doing it with a sword forged in the heart of a volcano on the moon by undead raven-people. (Arguably, many of these people don't see the game as cooperative, either, but that's a point for another essay.)
But for those not in those three groups, it's the immersion. It's the ability to--for a few hours a week--become someone else. For these people, it's not just a diversion, it's an escape into another world, where the worries of work and family and daily life subside and give way to epic quests and titanic struggles. Struggles without real consequences. Decisions without real risks. The very thing which others find so intimidating, they find safe. Should I trust the regent, and give him the magic amulet, or should I run off with it, fighting my way through ranks and ranks of the Royal Guard? Either way, the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. That's the kind of thing that makes for a great roleplaying experience, but ultimately, whatever you choose, it's not going to really affect you or the real world in any way. It's a way to be bold in a very safe space.
The immersion isn't just safe, it's broadening. In your life as a dentist you very likely won't ever have to choose which spell to prepare when you have to take on a coven of hags, nor will your mettle ever be tested as you stare a chimera in one of its six eyes. During the week you might be a grocery checker but on Friday nights you're a warlord with a hundred soldiers who obey your every word. Roleplaying grants us access to experiences that we'll otherwise never have. Even if they are fictional. Which of course is what separates it from watching movies or even reading. Because while we're pretending to be someone else, it's still happening--on some level--to us. At least in our imaginations.
Pretending on this level isn't for everyone, clearly, but I have seen people who never thought they would like it get swept up in all the imaginative wonder. It's an interesting transformation to watch. That switch that flipped when they were young flips back, if only for an evening. Or perhaps more accurately, the person discovers that the switch actually has more than two settings. If you ever get a chance to watch the episode of the sadly unrated television series Freaks and Geeks where they play D&D, you get to see that transformation happen in one of the characters in a fairly realistic way. And of course, it's the character that you'd least expect--he's of average intelligence, an underachiever, and more concerned with being cool than much else. But once the idea of roleplaying sinks in, once he overcomes the barrier of how "difficult" it is to pretend to be someone else, and once he can look past the fact that it's unfamiliar (because pretending or putting one's self into the head of another is just something we're never asked to do), he finds it exciting and liberating. I've seen it happen many, many times, and not just on a television program.
Maybe there's a fearsome dwarf barbarian or crafty elven mage lurking within more of us than one might think.
A weird thing happens around age 12 or 13 to most kids. They stop pretending. In fact, it's like a switch has been flipped. One day, nothing could be easier than to say, "I'm Luke Skywalker!" and then run around like you've got a lightsaber or are flying an X-Wing. The next day, nothing could be more terrifying than to have to pretend to be someone else.
As someone who's taught a lot of people to play roleplaying games, I've seen that look of terror over and over again when you tell people that the point of the game is to take on the role of someone other than their own. It's sometimes mitigated by saying, "Look, you probably did this kind of thing as a kid all the time," but it's sometimes not.
It's honestly one of the biggest barriers to more people playing the game, but it's something we seem to talk about only occasionally. We talk about making the rules simpler, the game more fun, or the books more accessible, but we probably don't spend a lot of time talking about how most people (again, over the age of about 12) don't know how to pretend.
Once that switch flips, the idea of roleplaying is akin to public speaking in terms of desirability. The spotlight, it seems, is on you and that's a bad thing. It's as though at that point, we have a moment of self-realization, and we realize that it's difficult and complicated to imagine being someone else. That, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing. I'd argue it's a good thing. It's good to realize that others are different and have different perspectives, assumptions, and backgrounds. But we allow that realization to put space between us. It creates a barrier to taking on the challenge of understanding others enough to pretend to be someone else. Which of course is a shame, because that kind of understanding can lead to a truly mature and well-rounded outlook. The ability to "walk in another's shoes" and all that.
Arguably, roleplaying itself is probably not even the biggest draw for most people to play roleplaying games. For many, it's probably little more than a necessary evil. Others hold it at arm's length, not really "getting into character" unless it's to do something funny, get to the next encounter, or to just make the game work. For these people, the draw is usually one of three things:
1. A mild diversion with a fantasy (or other genre) veneer. For these people, playing a tabletop rpg is about the same as reading a good fantasy novel or playing a computer game. That they get to do it with their friends and eat junk food is simply a plus.
2. A bit of cooperative fun with their friends. The key word is cooperative. It's a way to play a game without having to worry about who's winning. For these people, a tabletop rpg is just another sort of game with its own variations on problem solving and challenges to overcome. Different but not too different than Magic: The Gathering, or Talisman.
3. A way to tinker with something. These people enjoy playing with the rules rather than the result of the rules. By that, I mean they care about how much damage they can do, not that they're doing it with a sword forged in the heart of a volcano on the moon by undead raven-people. (Arguably, many of these people don't see the game as cooperative, either, but that's a point for another essay.)
But for those not in those three groups, it's the immersion. It's the ability to--for a few hours a week--become someone else. For these people, it's not just a diversion, it's an escape into another world, where the worries of work and family and daily life subside and give way to epic quests and titanic struggles. Struggles without real consequences. Decisions without real risks. The very thing which others find so intimidating, they find safe. Should I trust the regent, and give him the magic amulet, or should I run off with it, fighting my way through ranks and ranks of the Royal Guard? Either way, the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. That's the kind of thing that makes for a great roleplaying experience, but ultimately, whatever you choose, it's not going to really affect you or the real world in any way. It's a way to be bold in a very safe space.
The immersion isn't just safe, it's broadening. In your life as a dentist you very likely won't ever have to choose which spell to prepare when you have to take on a coven of hags, nor will your mettle ever be tested as you stare a chimera in one of its six eyes. During the week you might be a grocery checker but on Friday nights you're a warlord with a hundred soldiers who obey your every word. Roleplaying grants us access to experiences that we'll otherwise never have. Even if they are fictional. Which of course is what separates it from watching movies or even reading. Because while we're pretending to be someone else, it's still happening--on some level--to us. At least in our imaginations.
Pretending on this level isn't for everyone, clearly, but I have seen people who never thought they would like it get swept up in all the imaginative wonder. It's an interesting transformation to watch. That switch that flipped when they were young flips back, if only for an evening. Or perhaps more accurately, the person discovers that the switch actually has more than two settings. If you ever get a chance to watch the episode of the sadly unrated television series Freaks and Geeks where they play D&D, you get to see that transformation happen in one of the characters in a fairly realistic way. And of course, it's the character that you'd least expect--he's of average intelligence, an underachiever, and more concerned with being cool than much else. But once the idea of roleplaying sinks in, once he overcomes the barrier of how "difficult" it is to pretend to be someone else, and once he can look past the fact that it's unfamiliar (because pretending or putting one's self into the head of another is just something we're never asked to do), he finds it exciting and liberating. I've seen it happen many, many times, and not just on a television program.
Maybe there's a fearsome dwarf barbarian or crafty elven mage lurking within more of us than one might think.
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