For me, at least personally, one of the major issues I have with a lot of RP is that so much of it is just casual socializing. I don't, speaking bluntly, find that interesting. What I find interesting is when things happen, when character development occurs, when characters' views are explored or challenged, when they witness or achieve things they might never have considered. Simply hanging out and chatting doesn't really do much for me - I don't even like doing that much OOCly, and if I ever have the urge I can just prod a few of my mates and get some video games and beer into the equation!
What encourages me to RP is meaningful, limited-scale interactions that explore the thoughts, views, relationships, and abilities of a character. Now, naturally you can't do this every session, nor should you expect to - otherwise you're priming your character for some PTSD due to EPIC overload (a situation that actually started to happen to some characters in my XI linkshell as a number of us began to OOCly realize that all the EPIK stuff happening would have our chars riding the ragged edge of sanity!). This means that the RP I most enjoy is not, by nature, all-inclusive. Not because EW THOSE OTHER RPERS ARE <insert random reason not to like them here> but because when you get a lot of random characters around just doing whatever, it's not fun for me. It's like going to a party and sitting around, which some people enjoy - and hey, if you do, great! I think MOST people probably do. But I don't, and though I can't speak for how many have similar views to my own I'm confident that, at the least, I'm not the only one.
Now, naturally there must be a means for your character to MEET other people from which to spin off into above-mentioned RPs so I do wholeheartedly and without irony endorse social meetup events. I just seem to see (and this may be simply my own misconception) a public view that encourages this sort of RP but never really acknowledges the other sort. Me, I'm most engaged when I'm involved in a mini plotline or developing situation that intricately entangles a select handful of characters. One of my favorite aspects of RP is seeing characters grow and change in response to the people they've known and the things they've done. I enjoy thinking up and plotting out story arcs. I'd probably be doing a lot more of this if I ever had the time to log in, which sadly I don't!
Anyhow, this isn't really an argument for or against anything. Simply an opinionated ramble trying to show the other side of the coin. Large-scale social interactions are well and good, but they're not even half of the picture for this RPer.
What encourages me to RP is meaningful, limited-scale interactions that explore the thoughts, views, relationships, and abilities of a character. Now, naturally you can't do this every session, nor should you expect to - otherwise you're priming your character for some PTSD due to EPIC overload (a situation that actually started to happen to some characters in my XI linkshell as a number of us began to OOCly realize that all the EPIK stuff happening would have our chars riding the ragged edge of sanity!). This means that the RP I most enjoy is not, by nature, all-inclusive. Not because EW THOSE OTHER RPERS ARE <insert random reason not to like them here> but because when you get a lot of random characters around just doing whatever, it's not fun for me. It's like going to a party and sitting around, which some people enjoy - and hey, if you do, great! I think MOST people probably do. But I don't, and though I can't speak for how many have similar views to my own I'm confident that, at the least, I'm not the only one.
Now, naturally there must be a means for your character to MEET other people from which to spin off into above-mentioned RPs so I do wholeheartedly and without irony endorse social meetup events. I just seem to see (and this may be simply my own misconception) a public view that encourages this sort of RP but never really acknowledges the other sort. Me, I'm most engaged when I'm involved in a mini plotline or developing situation that intricately entangles a select handful of characters. One of my favorite aspects of RP is seeing characters grow and change in response to the people they've known and the things they've done. I enjoy thinking up and plotting out story arcs. I'd probably be doing a lot more of this if I ever had the time to log in, which sadly I don't!
Anyhow, this isn't really an argument for or against anything. Simply an opinionated ramble trying to show the other side of the coin. Large-scale social interactions are well and good, but they're not even half of the picture for this RPer.
