https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-leYc4oC83E
In all seriousness, as children we all RP'd. Every time we played house, tied a sheet around our necks and pretended to be a caped superhero, played cops and robbers/cowboys and indians, or set off to slay the monsters that lived in the woods behind the house with a sword made from the cardboard tube from a wrapping paper roll and a kitchen pot for a helmet. At some point, though, we drifted away from these games of pretend... either by naturally 'outgrowing' them or we were told that it was time to grow up.
Mainstreaming RP beyond childhood, though... it would be cool, but I personally think that the negative press D&D and other fantasy-based modules would've eventually happened no matter what. Coming from a highly religious family (who, admittedly, are a bit of a paradox with how accepting they've been of my life choices), I can see how some of the stuff I just read could be utterly terrifying. Are the highly religious wrong for thinking that way? No, because that's just how they are. Are they wrong for trying to get other people to believe the same? No, but that's because that's just how they are AND they do it with the best intentions from the point of view that they've been raised in.
... Hopefully that wasn't too controversial... I don't wanna see a huge religion debate being sparked... Oh Great and Powerful Mods, feel free to strike that out if I crossed a line...
Also, when some things become mainstream, I tend to find that they run the risk of losing their luster/appeal. Maybe I have an inner hipster (ohgodsIhopenot...), but part of the fun I have/had with my niche interests is the hunt for X-item or stumbling on another person/group that does Y-thing... and that fun and interest has died for some things when they became "popular". I actually liked Naruto during it's first run in Shonen Jump; I don't read Japanese, I had a classmate who did and he read them to the afterschool Animation Club (I'm 30 years old, do the math to find out how long ago that was >_>; ), but when the anime made it here... I dunno, the sudden appearance of it EVERYWHERE just totally and utterly turned me off to it.
In all seriousness, as children we all RP'd. Every time we played house, tied a sheet around our necks and pretended to be a caped superhero, played cops and robbers/cowboys and indians, or set off to slay the monsters that lived in the woods behind the house with a sword made from the cardboard tube from a wrapping paper roll and a kitchen pot for a helmet. At some point, though, we drifted away from these games of pretend... either by naturally 'outgrowing' them or we were told that it was time to grow up.
Mainstreaming RP beyond childhood, though... it would be cool, but I personally think that the negative press D&D and other fantasy-based modules would've eventually happened no matter what. Coming from a highly religious family (who, admittedly, are a bit of a paradox with how accepting they've been of my life choices), I can see how some of the stuff I just read could be utterly terrifying. Are the highly religious wrong for thinking that way? No, because that's just how they are. Are they wrong for trying to get other people to believe the same? No, but that's because that's just how they are AND they do it with the best intentions from the point of view that they've been raised in.
... Hopefully that wasn't too controversial... I don't wanna see a huge religion debate being sparked... Oh Great and Powerful Mods, feel free to strike that out if I crossed a line...
Also, when some things become mainstream, I tend to find that they run the risk of losing their luster/appeal. Maybe I have an inner hipster (ohgodsIhopenot...), but part of the fun I have/had with my niche interests is the hunt for X-item or stumbling on another person/group that does Y-thing... and that fun and interest has died for some things when they became "popular". I actually liked Naruto during it's first run in Shonen Jump; I don't read Japanese, I had a classmate who did and he read them to the afterschool Animation Club (I'm 30 years old, do the math to find out how long ago that was >_>; ), but when the anime made it here... I dunno, the sudden appearance of it EVERYWHERE just totally and utterly turned me off to it.
Quote:But I must admit it would be nice to not be considered odd/weird/nerdy for staying in on a friday night because of an RP event, and actually be able to say that such is why you're staying in and you're not just some lonely hermit - and just be able to openly speak about these awesome things we do.Â... I wish for one month, we could switch places with the crazy sports fans. Trading card game tournaments, conventions, LARP events, marathon RP competitions, documentaries on the Great Fantasy Writers, wonderfully-horrible and cheesy superhero movies/TV series/cartoons, anime, and sci-fi classics all getting the Prime Time TV slots and news coverage, while all the sports fans have to hide in their basements to watch their games, endure weird looks for wearing their sports-related clothes/fandom trinkets, and feel judged whenever they go to a game/go tailgating.
