(10-02-2014, 05:29 PM)Verad Wrote: I'm never sure what the purpose of worrying about the possibility of non-RPers stigmatizing roleplayers for engaging in ERP is meant to do. Helping to minimize trolling and harassment - yes, certainly, but somebody who is willing to troll and harass based on that is willing to do it whether ERP is the reason or not.
So what's the point? Outreach? Are we trying to expand our numbers? Do people who worry about this simply not like feeling embarrassed about their hobby?
Outreach has always seemed the point to me, though I'm not personally invested in such. I can see how a negative stigma arising from association with ERP might deter potential roleplayers and scare them off.
It's the difference between viewing RP as a medium for creative writing and viewing it as a cybering tool a la Second Life.