(02-25-2017, 06:30 AM)Kang Wrote: People that go out of their way to be different, just for the sake of being different, and criticize other people for liking something that's popular, are every bit as bad as people that go out of their way to jump on bandwagons and criticize other people for being different. In fact, they might just be a little worse IMO because they honestly should know better.
I'll give an example. I play Star Wars: The Old Republic. My main is a Jedi Knight. Heroic, soft-spoken, good with a lightsaber, has an evil Sith twin brother. My friend plays a Smuggler, born on Corellia (for those who aren't familiar with Star Wars, the famous Smuggler from the movies, Han Solo, was also born on Corellia), is a hotshot pilot and a major flirt. Both of our characters share several common tropes with our classes and archetypes.
We've met a few people in our time with the game who would constantly shrug off certain ideas for stories or characters because "blah blah someone's done it before." These people would go out of their way with characters and even styles of dress, just for the sake of being "original" in their minds.
As much as my friend and I will try to add unique flairs to our characters when we can, we will not apologize for how "unoriginal" or overplayed our characters are. For two reasons:
A) Part of SW's charm from the beginning was its tribute to familiar archetypes.Â
And more importantly:
B) These are the characters that speak to us the most. They're the ones we are the most passionate about playing and writing about, and we like them just the way they are. Whether other people play similar characters doesn't change that fact.
And this is a problem I hardly see in final fantasy (maybe because I too try to be original but not that hard)
If people want to play archetypes or be unoriginal then to me that's more dedication. As a writer, there are many ways you can write the 'heroic, soft spoken' Jedi knight in universe. Maybe his origin is nothing special but an approachable slate is better to rp with than someone who has carved in it.
If people have an issue with you playing the archetypes then they need to relearn what makes a character. Boring characters even have fun moments. Even if a story seems rehashed or done before, the contents are what make it. Anyone can write Mario saving the princess but look how many times its happened, and one time, Bowser joins you in your quest with peach!
I've joked before about this but if I ever see someone playing a character named Average Joe and he was just that in RP, i would love that person forever.
