thread: 2012-02-11 : 3 Problems
On 2012-02-12, Chris Chinn wrote:
Why are the oppressive social footprint, counterproductive procedures of play, and opaque content so entrenched in what we do?
Look at the ideal of the "real roleplayer". Everything associated with the "real roleplayer" is one of those issues, twisted around into being considered a virtue*:
Long sessions? Dedication!
Difficult rules? Intelligence!
Complicated Setting? Creativity, Passion!
In fact, push the "real roleplayer" ideal so hard that even people who are generally willing to jump through the filters listed above, can't even honestly communicate about what they want between each other for functional play because part of being a "real roleplayer" is simply trying hard enough until fun magically descends upon the group by the Grace of God, regardless of social or procedural issues.
Those 3 problems came early in the hobby, but it was twisting them around into ideals that entrenched them:
http://bankuei.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/the-roots-of-the-big-problems/
*It's also easy to see why Vincent's PS is "Those aren't real roleplaying games" occupies that particular space, under this lens.
