ON THE MARK

Role playing. We all do it. Maybe not to certain extremes like what some do in the bedroom, or for weeks on end as a sort of challenge. But we all role play in some shape or form.

As children we played house. We took on the mantle of a sheriff or cowboy, a doctor or nurse. Perhaps we even parroted a few lines from our favorite movie actors and acted like them at times. During Halloween we were especially into the role playing theme. We were Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and so much more. Basically any superhero or character who was larger than life, we wanted to be them.

But now we’re older and in college or working positions. Unless we’re all still children at heart, I don’t imagine we’re going off on games of cops and robbers at our age. There are papers to write, work to finish, beer to drink and all sorts of trouble to get into.

Maybe it’s the idea that you have to be weird, introverted, or part of an odd group of outcasts in order to role play that throws off some people. Role playing just isn’t a steady part of our lives anymore, or so we think. There are many different kinds of role playing opportunities. One of which is acting that we engage in regularly. Plus, you don’t have to be weird to have fun doing it.

Though, admittedly, being weird sure does make things interesting.

Now imagine this: What are the similarities between a guy acting as a puffy noble on stage and a girl unleashing her inner orc in some fantasy adventure? They’re taking on the image, voice, behavior and other defining characteristics of their character. They’re trying to better understand who their character is, they want to put them in strange situations, or maybe they’re just in it for the fun. Regardless, it’s a role that we take on, a role that we play out. Hence, role playing.

One could even argue that many video games have role playing aspects. When playing Call of Duty, you take on the role of a soldier or mercenary. You become them, act like them, think like them. Were you an ordinary student, you probably wouldn’t be very composed when facing a horde of zombies, enemy soldiers, bandits, etc. The unconscious question floating around in our minds is always ‘what would so-and-so do?’ If not, then we are the ones playing ourselves, but under certain conditions. ‘What would I do if so-and-so happened?‘

Why do we role play? Well, why do we play video games, read books or engage in other immersive hobbies? Yes, it can be fun and stimulating, but it’s also a way to escape the real world for a while. Part of the appeal of playing video games is being able to see and do things that are not possible in the real world. It’s not often that we get to embark on wonderful quests to defeat dragons and the like. We don’t have to be ourselves when we’re role playing. We can be whoever we want.

When we role play, we seek to better understand our chosen characters. Maybe they have certain characteristics that we don’t have, and when we take on their role we feel more powerful, more in control. I speak from experience when I say that it’s entertaining when playing as a character who can do amazing things. I can’t leap over 10-story buildings or shoot fire from my hands, but the characters can. When I role play a police officer or some other position where I’m in power, it makes me feel like I’ve got everything under control. And that’s a very important feeling when in the real world so many things seem to be out of your hands.

So in short, we role play because it’s fun. We role play because we want to escape from the real world for a while. We want to be somebody else and walk in their shoes; to better understand them or at the very least see what it’s like. Whether it’s acting or sitting around the table with your D&D buddies, it’s role play. And boy, is it a riot.