Why Text Based Role Playing?
Some people (hem. Brandy Pie comes to mind – my wife knows what I’m talking about) have questioned the legitimacy of continuing textual role playing in an age of video games, TV and block buster movies. It seems utterly irrelevant for a bunch of people running around imagining things when they could see them in a video game just as well or even better, that they should write it down instead of just act it out with the mouse, keyboard or controller. Or does it?
When did the ability to read and write correctly, the ability to imagine, to comprehend, plot and solve problems become worthless? When did humans let machines live for them, does an engine get rewarded for its work? I think not. There’s a song by Johnny Cash called “The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer”, about a man who worked on the railroads laying the tracks for the trains and in the song it says “Did the lord say that machines oughta take the place of living? And what’s a substitute for bread and beans? (I aint seen it) Do engines get rewarded for their steam?” That has a very good point, when did machines take the place of living? This is no different from video games, TV and all the ‘conveniences’ of modern day living have made us no longer need to imagine, sometimes even think and it’s utterly appalling at least to me.
Text based rping (TBRPG) has taught me how to make realistic characters, not to be afraid of flaws, to plot, to write in different styles and genres it’s also improved my spelling and grammar dramatically as well as my confidence in my writing and my ability to explain myself and write more then two sentences per post. I learnt how to use proper sentence structure, how to describe, it was invaluable to me not to mention it taught me how to cooperate with other people no matter belief’s. You can’t tell me a video game teaches those things to you, I’ve played video games, hell I own a few but I still think most of them are a waste of time and energy in a society that is getting stupider by the generation because they don’t want to learn the fine art of literacy they don’t care, why should they anyway? Everything we can get on TV or audio book anyway.
I’m a writer, not by choice, by birth. I also design graphics, I have a great love for images too but in a world full of pretty pictures the words that hold them together are slowly disappearing and that’s worse then loosing the treasures of Atlantis. It is legitimate to continue TBRPG because people need words, communication and language, because people need to know how to act things out and how to think strategically, to think of people as three dimensional, these are few of the wonderful things that TBRPG’s bring about and they alone are enough for me to fight for them to stay.
So the final answer? The day we fall from this planet and words are no longer of concern to us, then and only then should someone be so stupid as to stop TBRPG’s.
You’re welcome to give opinions.
- Stephanie.
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About us
It seems inevitable that I end up writing one of these for every site but that alright I suppose. I’m just picky and like people knowing what sites are about, its practical and makes perfect sense to me at least. The Costume Wardrobe is a place of teaching about the art of text based role playing, a fine but understated form of the art of writing.
Text based role playing has been around at least as long as the internet in its current form but in one way or another it’s probably been around for a lot longer then that. Most text based role playing is somewhat like round robin story writing except you can only control you own characters and their actions, not anyone else’s. In example I play a Harry Potter character named Bellatrix* she’s sisters with another one of the HP characters, Andromeda*. A friend of mine, Sammy, plays Andromeda and if we’re role playing and for whatever reason Bellatrix throws something at Andromeda then I can’t say ‘Bellatrix threw the antique vase at Andromeda’s head, it hit her and she crumpled to the ground.’ On the other hand I can say ‘Bellatrix threw the antique vase at Andromeda’s head, in the hope she’d hurt her sister like she was hurting.’ See the difference? If you do the former it’s called God Modelling or Power Playing and shouldn’t be allowed ever unless previously discussed between the players.
Most people are becoming increasingly illiterate or stupid, I’m not sure which anymore but good writing and role players are disappearing in packs or something. This site is in the hope to educate newer or less experienced role players in at least the basics because after over three years we do know what we’re doing. A lot of my friends ask how to role play, this is mine and my wives answer. (and no, I’m not male. 
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*Harry Potter creations are © by Ms. Joanne Kathleen Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Little Literacy Agency, Arthur A. Levine, Random House, & Warner Brothers. Other copyrights and trademarks of Harry Potter belong to Hallmark, Jim Dale, Nintendo/Gameboy, Department56, Coca-Cola, Inc., and more to come. All rights reserved.
- Stephanie.
Filed under: The Studio Stuff | Leave a Comment
