We all love a good story, right? We love to be taken away to far away places and be a part of incredible events. After all, human imagination is truly wondrous. Our desire for these stories could even be an argument that we ultimately desire to change ourselves.
Stories are not only for the sake of fun. Through stories we learn important moral lessons, learn how to interact with one another, remember important lessons from history, and even resolve personal issues. Stories can be very powerful because they are fueled by the most powerful thing on our planet: the human mind.
I’ve had a few people in my life question why I play tabletop role playing games and even view it as “weird” or “nerdy.” While the stigma is nowhere near as bad as it was decades ago, it still seems that some people are confused and hesitant about it. I have a friend who literally thinks that you have to get dressed up in costume and speak in some sort of accent. That’s typically not the case, although there are plenty of people who enjoy doing that. There’s nothing wrong with it of course, it just depends on what the group wants to play.
Tabletop role play is not just Dungeons and Dragons and other medieval settings. Nowadays there are more games that you can count, with an astonishing variety of setting, characters, premise, and game play systems. If you think there isn’t anything that you would be curious about, I’m here to tell you that I seriously doubt that.
So what am I trying to say?
Well, I suppose I’m trying to help your understanding of what it is. I want you to understand why people play these games together. More importantly, I want to tell you what these kinds of games mean to me.
They are not just games. They are a way to live vicariously through scenarios that I otherwise would never experience. They are a way to remember what’s important to me and a way to see what it would be like to make choices that I normally don’t make. When I’m playing a game, it’s a way to try new things and explore different sides of myself. When I’m running the game, it’s a way to simulate a world in my head and bring others along for the ride. If you think that sounds scary, it can be. =)
It’s also a way to give others the opportunity to be in my shoes as a player. I very much enjoy giving people those “wow” moments, surprising them with something they never saw coming. It’s also a great way to tackle difficult and ugly situations in a safe environment. Take the topic of child death for example. It’s absolutely horrible for a child to lose their life, but in a fictional setting it can be explored and better understood. I say this because, like it or not, it’s a part of our world.
There are countless good and bad things in our world that, in my opinion, way too many people shy away from. We’re here to understand and appreciate this life in all of its colors. Sometimes those colors are heartwarming and beautiful. Other times they are cold and dreadful. Tabletop gaming is a creative way to experience all these colors with understanding and maturity. Tabletop role playing games are not just a childlike fantasy (and in fact some games are very much for adults). Instead, they are an open-ended way to explore the human condition in all its facets.
Video games are far more acceptable nowadays (probably thanks to The Internet). While I myself am a gamer since childhood, video games lack the ability to change on the fly and are limited by what someone has already made. If a player wants to do something that cannot be done in the game, then they either can’t do what they wanted or the game developer would need to add that feature in. With tabletop gaming the possibilities truly are limited by the imagination of those at the table. The impact of player choices and the emotions that come with the story unfolding is also very strong, although I am not denying at all that video games can have a very strong impact and emotional response as well. I have played many video games in my time and there have certainly been some that did everything from make me tear up to making me say out loud, “Whoa.”
Ultimately, I encourage you to try the experience yourself if you haven’t before. At the very least, it is a fun and social way to take yourself away to another place. It’s healthier than drugs and alcohol and it fuels your brain!
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