Social Opportunities
The most common reason roleplayers give for their involvement with gaming is the opportunity it provides them to socialize with those with common interests and similar personalities. Player 2 Gamer laughingly stated that "I like gaming because I get to socialize with my people. People like me." Roleplaying creates a social environment that revolves around an activity with which the player is intimately familiar. Allowing the players to focus on a topic they can converse about confidently decreases social anxiousness and creates a commonness of purpose among the group.
These social interaction also provide the gamers an opportunity to practice various social skills in a nonthreatening environment. Perhaps because many gamers have faced obstacles in conventional socialization themselves, they are notoriously open-minded and accepting of a diverse range of socio-economic statuses, racial backgrounds, sexual preferences, religious beliefs, and age ranges. This often creates a group that, at least initially, is only linked by their shared hobby. The process of creating a shared reality together strengthens their common frames of reference and draws them closer together. Hughes (1988) observed that,
"Most of those interviewed noted their believe that roleplaying increased one's empathy with other people, largely through attempting to understand characters that one played whose personality was different to one's own. Several gamers mentioned that encouragement roleplaying provided to try out novel social strategies and the ease with which one could recover from role playing." (pg 4)
Contrary to the old adage, roleplaying gives the players a chance to make a new first impression every time they change characters. As the group members explore the shared fantasy world they are able to test boundaries, hone social skills, and practice impression management in an environment with relatively low consequences outside the game. Goffman (1959) describes impression management as the method by which we either induce, manipulate, or suppress our emotions or the emotions of others. This is not limited to the simple projection of what we perceive to be the correct emotional display for the situation, but requires a genuine attempt to experience the results. This difference can be seen in someone acting falsely excited about a coworker’s promotion because it is expected of them, and the same person actually trying to feel happiness for the coworker's good fortune. This can be accomplished cognitively by changing thought patterns, bodily by changing physiological reactions, or expressively by changing gestures or body language.
Emotion Management
Some professions require very precise emotional control to succeed, and employees are rewarded for their ability to produce that kind of deep acting. You can see examples of this in the waitress who is able to establish a friendly rapport with her customers in spite of her aching feet, or the police officer who can master his fear in dangerous situations. This kind of work is known as “emotional labor” (Hochschild 2003). Roleplaying is presents an excellent venue to train this highly desirable skill in a physically and emotionally safe space.
Chance to Escape
The second reason players listed was the chance to escape from one's self and experience something new. Many gamers find it enjoyable to experience another world without the stresses that society places on them or the problems that exist in their real lives. For a short time, they can exist as another person with another life in another world if they wish. "Within the game, one does not portray one's real self."(Fine 1983:56)
Roleplaying also allows players to experience something that is normally beyond the scope of what is possible for them - sometimes because of the limitations of the player, and others because of limits of reality itself. A player may want to become a Special Forces sniper, though they personally lack the training or physical requirements to do so. Another player might wish to become a Jedi, however, which is not possible because it does not exist in our reality. While it is possible to play yourself exactly as you are in this reality, studies show that games tend to increase in popularity the more they deviate from everyday life (Appelcline 2011)
This does not mean that gamers are engaging in escapism because they are dissatisfied with their own lives. Players rarely create characters that simply have more money or social capital, such as a sports star or a dilettante, but prefer instead to become a wizard or a knight. The do not seek to create a new place in the world for themselves, they seek instead to create an entirely new world. The average gamer is no more acting out of personal dissatisfaction than those who attend plays, watch movies, or read fiction novels.
Educational Opportunities
Another reason gamers listed for becoming involved in roleplaying is that it allows them to learn about a variety of topics. To support the fantasy frame, both players and narrators often do extensive background research in preparation for the game to add as many realistic or thought-provoking elements as they can. Similarly, many gaming manuals offer detailed explanations of scientific and mechanical processes to help the gamers understand the world in general or why a specific rule functions the way it does. In addition, since most gamers I interviewed have a college degree or are currently attending college they bring a great amount of diverse knowledge with them to the table. One of the players I observed was in pharmacy school, with an extensive knowledge of chemistry and pharmaceuticals. He often clarified points for the group and offered creative suggestions to problems based on his educational background. These comments would often spark lively discussions among the players during breaks or after games.
Critical and Creative Thinking
The fourth reason listed was the opportunity to engage in critical thinking and problem solving. Most gamers enjoy the challenge of working through puzzles and investigating mysteries. Roleplaying plots are often elaborate, involving clues and misdirection that the players must navigate using critical analysis so that the story can progress. Players are often presented with a problem which the narrator has decided several different approaches could address. Sometimes the players discover one of the narrator's intended solutions, but other times they approach the problem from a completely unexpected angle. The narrator must in turn react to the new actions of his players by making any necessary adjustments to the plot. This is a very complex process because the narrator, who alone knows how all the pieces fit together, may have to put events into motion that the players do not yet entirely understand. "It builds creativity, problem solving, analysis, and 3D thinking," commented Ren Gamer. "When the group decides to save a young woman from a magical sleep, they don't realize they've accidentally freed the Avatar of an evil god and have just started a war!"
Gaming also requires abstract thinking about theoretical problems. For example the party may have to ask "At what distance can you safely orbit a Black hole?" (Hughes 1988:4). Critical thinking is something that often comes more naturally to some than others, but like any skill it can only improve with use. Gamers benefit from years of critical thinking and analysis that teaches them how to create alternative approaches to solving problems.
In many professional environments, employees with creative problem solving and critical thinking skills are highly desirable. Ben Gamer, who is an upper-level manager for a large corporation, said "We must be critical thinkers! It is desirable in every aspect of life, and gaming teaches it beautifully. Corporations take retreats to encourage this skill in their employees, and we gamers do it every week." Another interviewee explained that he believed that his background in roleplaying has been a major component in his professional success.
“I work in an environment where I am surrounded by people who are more qualified and more educated than I am, yet I outperform them consistently. The reason is gaming. I have extensive experience in abstract thinking and hypothetical scenarios. I do what the greatest theorists in our country do in think tanks, and I have been doing it for twenty years.” - Sol Gamer
Conclusion
Gamers get involved for a variety of reasons, like participation in any hobby or social group. Some of the reasons discussed above are extremely beneficial and facilitate success in relationships and professional circles, but for most that is not the reason for involvement. There is something about play that is still not understood. Gaming is something that I never get tired of, and I know that I am not alone.
References:
Fine, Gary Allen. 1983. Shared Fantasy: Roleplaying Games as Social Worlds. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
Fine, Gary Allen. 1989. “Mobilizing Fun: Provisioning Resources in Leisure Worlds.” Sociology of Sport Journal 6:319-334.
Hochschild, Arlie Russel. 2003. Working on Feeling. Los Angeles, California: University of California Press
Hughes, John. 1988. "Therapy is Fantasy: Roleplaying, Healing, and the Construction of Symbolic Order." Presented in Medical Anthropology Seminar. Department of Prehistory & Anthropology, Australian national University.
