Age Thread!

[Adelpha]

Almost 30.

 

I'm actually really surprised to see so many 30+ people here. I wasn't expecting that, especially with seemingly so many ICly-teenaged characters running around. Maybe that's just all I've noticed, though

[Asyria]

THAC0 being complicated is an old gamer joke because THAC0 can be negative or positive and that made things a bit complicated for no good reason at all.

 

I gotta agree the amount of 30's is surprising though. I used to feel old in mmo communities!

[Martiallais]

Quickly approaching 30 here (about a month and a half to go!).

 

I started writing in high school with friends and in college got into actual d&d tabletop AND MMO RP through some friends. I haven't looked back sense. 8-) I've been alternately a DM and player since then and have been writing stories for my characters since I got started with it back in CoH (I'm even currently running a superhero game for some RL friends this summer on the weekends). I'm told I'm not too bad at it, but definitely looking forward to seeing what sorts of crazy stories I can help put together with this group.

[Stormlight]

Looks like an age and writing history thread.

 

I'm 33, and have gone out of my way to avoid writing my entire life!  I've more recently made attempts for good character backgrounds in RPGs, but embellishment has always been difficult for me, and when I try, I tend to get bogged down in details.  I absolutely love reading good fiction, but would never consider writing even semi-professionally.  A decent wiki page on this site is the loftiest goal I've ever had for writing -- unless you consider programming as writing.

[Arlon]

I'm 31. I started chatroom RPing when I was 15 and have had expensive experience in forum RP.

[Orlog]

I'm 23 and I've been doing chatroom/forum RPs since I was around 12. I didn't get into it more seriously until I hit Final Fantasy XI when I was around 15, where I dabbled in it here and there, but things really took off when I joined Warhammer Online. Since then I've been constantly hopping from one MMO to the next trying to find a community that I felt comfortable in, along with an MMO that kept my interest longer than just a couple of months.

 

But, along side MMO RP, I've also done a few pen and paper games (namely Dark Heresy and at some point World of Darkness when we can work out a way to get rid of all the stupid). I'm honestly not a big writer, though. When I'm feeling daring, I like to push out a short story surrounding my RP character at the time, but I know well enough that it's not typically worth the read. That's fine, though! I'll stick to my art.

[Chris]

I'm 18 and a recent high school graduate. I've been RPing for about five years now and it has honestly been the 'maker or breaker' for any MMO I touch now. A MMO can be mechanically perfect but if the RP community isn't there, nor am I. I hope to get a good amount of RP in with everyone; I'm new to Final Fantasy so my lore knowledge is a bit....Iffy.

[ArmachiA]

I'm 31, I have no background in writing per say, but I tested genius in Writing and Reading when I was young (Which I felt was useless because it only works for the English language, any other language and it all falls apart ) and wrote a LOT in my teen years. I'm picking it up again and want to be a published author someday.

 

My RP Background is... let's see..

 

I started roleplaying when I was 16 when my boyfriend at the time introduced me to Vampire: The Masquerade and I got really into it because I had always liked acting and was in Drama club and such. I felt like roleplaying was better than standard acting because I was acting out my own words and really got into the acting part of it. I did some LARPing but... well, LARPing is pretty ridiculous and I always ended up back to dice rolls and tables. The problem with that though is that dice rolling can consume an RP session so I generally avoided games where there were a lot of rules for that sort of thing (Sup D&D)

 

When I was 22, FFXI came out and was my first time really playing an MMO. I thought everyone RPed in MMOs so I was pretty surprised to find out that, NOPE, they did not. I was by myself, didn't know a soul, but made one of the only RP Linkshells on the Quetz server, the Crimson Pirates. I'm not even sure how I found so many people who RPed (Or how people in the LS found them, which was mostly the case lol), but I did and the LS was successful - it lasted longer than me in that game anyway (I last 3 and a half years, it lasted 6 or 7). The CP holds a very special place in my heart and I even have a Tattoo that says クリムソンパイレーツ　on my foot ("Crimson Pirates" though it does have an extra ト [To] at the end that I really need to get fixed *sigh* I ignore it because it's pronounced "Toe" and it's on my big toe )

[Yoshi]

I'm turning 19 in a couple of weeks and I got into 1.0 when I turned 16 or something. I super-admired this role-play community at the time (and still talk about it fondly!) due to it being close-knit, yet big-ish, and so helpful and friendly! A really fun community to be a part of. I'm shy though... even though your anonymous on the internet. So even when I play MMOs I'm generally a silent-player. Hope to be more talkative this time around!

I've been role-playing since I was ten or so, though probably butchered the art. It was in habbo hotel (lawls) and I played with other dorky teens that we were Final Fantasy characters - I was Yuna. Got really fast at typing from our real-time text-battles and tragic conflicts. Then we moved onto a forum on piczo where we created a world, antagonists... It was pretty neat. Nerdy and lame, but that's the neatest. And it's been 9 years and I still have contact with most of them! I guess I used to take acting lessons when I was little: played out stuff from Through the Looking Glass and what-not but my charisma since then has... flopped. Pretended to be an elven princess growing up with horse-bicycles and [wooden] swords/bows? Faeries have, and always will be, a thing.

At 11 I really wanted FFXI among other MMOs but... can't afford much on an 11-year-old's allowance. Then my brother got WoW (which I had a super prejudice against until playing) and that's how I discovered role-playing in these sorts of games! I've played Aion, Tera and Guild Wars 2 since then and love text-based RP. Still gotta get around to the table-top stuff - my friends are trying to get me into DMing to make the fantasy possible.

Fun fact, I lost contact with a role-play companion from World of Warcraft (years ago) and rediscovered him in Guild Wars 2 in October. We're just as chummy as we once were (small world, ain't it?), and I'm bummed he's not going to try out FFXIV!

[LandStander]

I feel like the RP community is just aging with me. We are all getting so old ; ;!!!! Waaaahhh!

[Nako-Chan]

Interesting! I'm 22, never been good at academic writing. However I excelled at creative writing and reading comprehension. I never took a creative writing class before. Though, I love creative writing over academic since "artistic license" lets me get away with flaws in grammer. I prefer to speak Poetically without Penalty.

 

I probably started role-playing around the age of 14, my boyfriend at the time encouraging me to try the World of Dork-craft MMO with him since it was all the rage at the time. WoW was... meh. Though the fantasy play and story telling time we had together was really fun! I didn't even know it was called role-play when I was doing it. Since then I've role-played on IMVU, Second Life, and a few other games... whatever the latest band of friends or current boyfriend dragged me into.

[Trickery]

There're quite a few common backgrounds in this thread. It's fun to see the similarities!

 

Anyway, I'm 27 and just starting college this semester for Computer Science. I'm starting late 'cause I did a brief 4 year stint in the Navy.

 

I actually did take a few creative writing classes in High School, but that was only for the easy credits, really. We had a very lax teacher, so I'd just read novels through the entire class, then BS some poetry when we actually needed to turn in some sort of written work. I did the same thing through any sort of English or Math class, actually. I tested into college level English and Math when I was in the 7th grade, so the classes I took were just for the credits on my transcript. I was sort of a brat at the time, though, now that I think about it. I'd ace every test that they gave me, but I still failed a bunch of classes 'cause I never actually did any homework or classwork. I've been kicking myself for that ever since.

 

Anyway, as far as RPing goes, I remember I got interested in D&D when I was in middle school and checked out about every sourcebook I could from the library, but it was impossible trying to find anyone to play with. It didn't help that most of my friends were jock types at the time (still not sure how that happened). So, that kind of died early. When I started High School I salvaged an old computer from a garage sale and got into MUDs/MUXs/MOOs and all of those derivatives. My biggest RP diving board was a MUX called Nightscape, which was a pseudo World of Darkness style game that I spent entirely too much time RPing in.

 

I didn't start RPing in "legitimate" MMOs until I'd joined the Navy and could actually afford a computer that could run them. I started out RPing in City of Heroes and never really looked back.

 

Most of my RPing is usually done through forum posts, since I've grown more accustomed to that style due to text based RPGs and a long term Play by Post game of World of Darkness that just recently shut down on me, so I'm most comfortable RPing that way. I've been getting better about RPing in game as well, but I tend to flummox about a bit since I don't have as much time to think about my response and I have a habit of typing way too many little details that don't matter as much when you're RPing in game.

[Moonfire]

I am 37 year old mother with two kids and they are currently my full time job  I have a huge variety of jobs that I have had. Overall I find people interesting and enjoy meeting new people. I have two associate degrees so I have some college level writing classes in my background but don't really consider myself to be a skilled writer.

 

I started playing table top pen and paper in 95' and have played GURPs, D&D 2nd and 3rd additions, Palladium: Rifts, and now currently White Wolf: Vampire the Vigil. Had some experience with 2 different LARPs from 95'-2001. Started playing MMOs in 2001 with DAoC (miss that game!) and have tried most of the mainstream ones out there. I tend to be very old school when it comes to RP and like to stay in character as much as possible (blame the LARPer in me.)

[Rinh Hallani]

Can I just say how happy I am to see I'm not the oldest one around for once?!

 

I'm 31, work from home part time as a legal transcriptionist and have a 4 year old son. He enjoys watching me play, even if it's just running round and finding anything vaguely dragon-shaped haha.

 

I've been playing video games for as long as I remember. One of the first games I ever played was the original Final Fantasy on NES. I spent a whole Christmas holiday holed up in my room trying to beat it. However, it wasn't until I was in my late teens that I started RPing. My then-boyfriend told me to play Baldur's Gate, which I loved, and I burned through games like Icewind Dale and Knights of the Old Republic until I found an RP community on a persistent server in Neverwinter Nights. I stayed there for a few years but got addicted to WoW in 2006 and played on an RP realm there until I moved to Guild Wars 2 last year.

 

I never really got into the other Final Fantasy games, although I did try FFXI and FFXIV 1.0. I personally found them disappointing but I'm so pleased with the changes they've made in ARR. Can't wait for August!

[Lren]

Turned 23 about two months ago along with my identical twin, first RPing on forums then moved onto WC3 then WoW... Branched out from there, though I sometimes find myself returning for old friends and the like. 

Never got into FFXI's RP community too much, always wish I had done more to get involved but oh well ;;

 

I've taken a few creative writing courses in College but my programming has always taken the front seat, though I occasionally like to make my games feature some of things I've encountered through RP!

[Abaigeal]

I turn 29 in November, started with AOL's chatrooms and MSN rp mailing list. Played in icq, then when forums became popular jumped on them. Been a forum rp for the past 15 yearsish. Played with all ages and all kinds. Run 3 of my own boards that aremarvel and DC comic based. Just rescently with in the past year started Skype rp andFFXIV is my first rp mmo...er well my ...wellyes first mmo. ♥

[Tivahlt]

I'm 24, I started RPing when I was around 11 or 12 with a D&D game that was held at a local geek store. I've done most formats of role play since then; table top, forum, IM, LARP, and MMO. FFXIV 1.0 was my first attempt at MMO RP, and it was awesome, which is why I'm back! :moogle:

 

When I was really small people said I had a knack for writing, because of that I've taken a lot of writing classes and even used to be an English major, before I decided I liked drawing pretty pictures for games more.

[Averis]

So many in their 20s... sigh. :dodgy:

[Merri]

Looks like I'm on the younger end of the spectrum here. Turned 22 in March~

 

I've been into roleplay for some time now, and I've played a veritable ton of MMORPGs, but I didn't dive into MMO RP until I played Aion about five or six years back. (Or seven? I don't remember when Aion came out.) I

 

Then it was straight over to XIV once that launched and I haven't looked back~

[Khaze'to Zhwan]

26 here, been role playing since I was 17 so I guess I was a little late to the party.  Like many people I started with DnD, moving to other systems and enjoying every minute of it.  When I could not find a group to play with I joined a few websites for some text based forum rp.  Never really tried MMO rp though till XIV so I decided I would throw my self in the deep end.

[Azthran]

I'm 24 and I don't exactly know when I started the RP thing. What I can say is that I've always loved and been pretty good at acting and stuff like that ever since I was really little.

[Xerek Devereux]

39 years young here.  I still eat cereal, still watch cartoons, still play video games and still ride shopping carts like skateboards in parking lots to the amusement of children and disdain of adults. 8-)

 

I did take a creative writing class as an elective in college, but honestly that's the extent of any formal writing "training".  The rest has developed over the years, starting with the detailed descriptions of areas and such while Dungeon Mastering.

 

As for how I started, it was all with the legendary "Red Box" D&D Basic set from way, way, way back.  I remember asking my father for it.  He told me he'd get it if I got a hit in Little League (knowing him, he would have gotten it anyway).  I got not one, but two hits that night.  They would be my only two hits of the season.

 

I almost exclusively Dungeon/Game Master.  I love writing stories, something I think carries over to my journals and stories here.  I've run D&D and Torg campaigns, and would love to run Pathfinder and Gamma World.  I got the books, just need the time and players.

 

So...long winded.  TL: DNR?  I'm old, and have been DMing since I was a kid.

[Vee]

I'm 22 but I'll be roleplaying Ila as being 23. On that note, does anyone have any inclination to how Lalafel age?

[Therese Villefort]

I am 23 and i started with my very first browsergame, which was some kind of fantasygame with Forum RP, at age 13/14.

 

What i find so great, over the internet age doesnt really matter, their appereance doesnt matter! You get to interact only with the "personality", how that person reacts etc.

I can play with "old" people of age 40+ and have as much fun as playing with people my age or Teens. ^^

 

There can be smart and decent Teens, who are more mature than some age 35 idiot pricks...

[Dromwald]

Hmmm, time to put age into perspective. I'm 48 and just about to become a grandfather for the first time. I really don't care about growing up - should have done it years ago but it's much too late now. Even my wife has accepted that is never going to happen. Besides, in this day and age it's a positive asset to have a young outlook. After nearly 20 years in IT I've recently had to change career completely - keeping a young outlook helps with that too^^

 

In terms of creative writing I've had no formal training but have done some forum RP in the past and have just finished writing my first fantasy novel. Fingers crossed I can now find a publisher.