What is Roleplay?

[PurrTgirl]

Hey everyone,

 

I come here with much humility, an open mind, and eagerness to learn. I want to learn this roleplay thing so that I can play this game better. My ignorance of Roleplay has made me look like a fool. It has had me disrupt another user's 3DX experience and I simply will not make that mistake again. And it starts with me really understanding what Roleplay is.

 

My only understanding of it is typing stuff in a chat. I never did it in a virtual world though. Stuff like Yahoo Messenger is where I would do roleplay but it never involved 3D avatars. 3DX is my first look at this sort of chatting and social interaction and so roleplay really wasn't at the forefront of my mind because I never roleplayed in 3D before. So I have a series of questions and I would appreciate any help with this.

 

My questions are:

1. What is Roleplay?

2. Is it a full time thing? Like is everyone roleplaying?

3. How do you detect a roleplay?

4. Is it disrespectful to not roleplay or function as a roleplayer?

 

[Sage Stoner]

1. What is Roleplay?

 

OK, so remember that time when you did something and one of your parents had to have a heart -to-heart talk with you to set you straight? 

It was either a father-to-son/daughter talk or a mother-to-son/daughter talk. That was roleplay.

 

Remember when you went into a restaurant to get something to eat and your waiter came up and you were the customer? That was roleplay.

 

Remember when Donald Trump was talking about how presidential he is?  That was fantasy. But it was still roleplay.

 

Roleplay on 3dx generally involves assuming an identity and improvising a conversation with another person who has also assumed an identity. Cops/Robbers. Doctors/Nurses/Patients, Boss/Secretary.   You get the idea?  It is used in contradistinction to "chat" which means just shooting the shit with other people as if you were sitting in a bar, passing the time.

 

 

2. Is it a full time thing? Like is everyone roleplaying?

 

Not everyone is roleplaying, Some people almost never do. Some people do nothing but.  Cybersex is often referred to as erotic roleplaying (eRP).  It varies from person to person and situation to situation.

 

3. How do you detect a roleplay?

 

You need RPdar. It's like gaydar but for detecting people who RP. Some people just have it, and others just never will.

 

4. Is it disrespectful to not roleplay or function as a roleplayer?

 

Everyone comes here with different experiences and different skill sets. One size does not fit all. You have to take people one at a time, find out what they are into, and decide whether you want to go along with it or not.

 

And, no, it is not disrespectful to politely decline to RP.  It is sometimes disrespectful to continue to RP after someone asks you politely to stop.  But again, it's case by case.

 

 

OK, so maybe the above is a little sarcastic in spots, but it's intended in good humor, so please take it that way.

 

Any other questions?

[PurrTgirl]

Good stuff, Sage.

 

I'll just post questions when they come to mind. I do have one at the moment.

 

1. Would it be wise to assume everyone is roleplaying and just sort of play along with the room or something? I don't know if I'm saying it right but like..if I go in Sin Club would it be roleplaying to simply treat it like an actual bar? Cause I've been to a few bars in real and I never greet everyone at the bar! I just find a seat and stay to myself. Which is usually how it happens in real life unless people know each other and they yell with huge HEYS!! Cause I was told by some one that it's rude to come in a room and not at least say Hello in Local. So I'm like well, I never say hello to strangers at a real bar so why would I do it here? Is that roleplay? Walking in a bar like Sin Club and saying hey to everyone when really that's not even realistic?

[PurrTgirl]

Sounds like I contradicted myself a bit cause I'm having sex in public on here but don't do that in real life either. What I meant to say was how is roleplay in one area of the game and not roleplay in other areas. Like it's confusing. Like sure, I can roleplay a slut and fuck everywhere, but then when it comes to talking it seems that it's no longer roleplay. That's what confuses me.

[Alliehotass]

Ok, eets pretty simple here. Do what ever you like but always consider other peoples games.

 

Just do your thing, walk into a bar and say Hiiii peeps in local. This will help people get to know you for one, if indeed that's what you want, friends. You may want to have a local as your local hangout, do you want to be popular there, funny, chatty or do you want to be quiet and listen, or just dance etc. The role you take may change from day to day but the thing is play how ever you like but consider other people like you would in rl. 

 

Certain things apply in rl and in gaming, respect, communication and participation. The best way is to talk to people, there will be failures and success and youll progress through the game incrementally with understanding as you do in any social activity accept here SEX is generally the focus, not "the" focus for everyone but generally it sets the tone.

 

Most user clubs have a title name which kind of tells you what its about if indeed there is a role played there but it doesn't mean you have to. A user room called " The job interview" is obvious and if you indeed want to participate in that room then the creator is most likely playing that role and hopes you do too. You may want to sit in there and just watch but remember you are dealing with people and we can be difficult sometimes so expect anything lol

 

Play your game your way and let other play theirs, come together with peeps and have fun, and try to meet people half way on things. 

 

I wish you luck and good funs here.

 

Meep

[Domonique]

Personally, I don't RP much.. but most commonly, people will RP a persona, they'll RP their fantasy self. They'll design the person that they want to be in the game and will often design their profile to reflect it. You'll get the obvious vampires, demons and nekos and then the not so obvious where they'll just be RPing a more confident or slutty version of themselves.

 

It's completely up to you who you want to be, but as you've found out, there needs to be a level of respect. Public sex happens quite often in places like Sin Club, but it often happens in the back rooms for instance, rather than on the bar, as an example. The longer you're in the game, the more you'll learn this stuff, when in doubt: ask :3 you'll notice the people who are around a lot and most 'veteran' players will be happy to give you advice :3

[Guest RomanFox]

Roleplay can mean so many different things. A person playing a different gender, nationality, race, ... could technically all fall under the category of "roleplay". Because at it's core, roleplaying means you are taking on the role of someone/something OTHER than you.

 

Within this game, roleplaying is divided in two main categories:

1. Regular roleplay;

People decide a certain scenario they want to play out and "act" accordingly. This can be a one person thing or it could be with a group of people.

 

2. Erotic roleplay;

Which is usually the term they use when they talk about sex that involves very descriptive writing (in some cases also combined with a certain scenario).

 

It's not always easy to detect roleplays...

Some roleplays are really vague, you won't notice it. For example; someone could be playing as a more dominant character than they are in reality.

Other roleplays are obvious. For example; Someone playing as a sex craving demon that needs body fluids to stay alive (or whatever xD).

 

Lastly, no, it's not disrespectful to not roleplay or not function as one... if you do it UNKNOWINGLY.

For example; You step into a group that is roleplaying and you're unaware, you say or do things that go against their scenario and that upsets them.

If you didn't know, then they shouldn't really blame you.

However, if you know they are roleplaying and you purposefully interrupt, then that could be considered disrespectful.

 

I used to be better at writing stuff here, it's been a while, but hopefully this helped.

[JenC]

Hey everyone,

 

I come here with much humility, an open mind, and eagerness to learn. I want to learn this roleplay thing so that I can play this game better. My ignorance of Roleplay has made me look like a fool. It has had me disrupt another user's 3DX experience and I simply will not make that mistake again. And it starts with me really understanding what Roleplay is.

 

My only understanding of it is typing stuff in a chat. I never did it in a virtual world though. Stuff like Yahoo Messenger is where I would do roleplay but it never involved 3D avatars. 3DX is my first look at this sort of chatting and social interaction and so roleplay really wasn't at the forefront of my mind because I never roleplayed in 3D before. So I have a series of questions and I would appreciate any help with this.

 

My questions are:

1. What is Roleplay?

2. Is it a full time thing? Like is everyone roleplaying?

3. How do you detect a roleplay?

4. Is it disrespectful to not roleplay or function as a roleplayer?

As has been touched on already, Roleplay can mean different things to different people, so the definition is somewhat open.

I have roleplayed for years in various games, usually MMO's like Final Fantasy, Elders Scrolls, Star Wars, and in those games there are thousands of roleplayers and while there is still some variations to it in there, its much more generalised and the rules more normalised.

A general idea of roleplay is making a character, naming it, then giving it a life so to speak. For example, in Elder Scrolls, I play a travelling merchant woman, stopping at small villages and towns, striking up convos with other roleplayers. Before I started, I sat down and wrote a full bio up on her, as I find it easier to do it that way. things like where she was born, the status of her family and their background as well as your own, the type of person she is, her MO and other assorted references. I do this so I don't fall into the trap of sliding different ways during rp, so I have a reasonable firm stance on the demeanour. An example of sliding is when a young man whom I was quite fond of, asked for my help to set up a robbery on a caravan, and while the scenario sounded fun,  my character would have nothing to do with this, in doing so would break my character and be silly.

In picking a character to play, this game is a lot different as it does not have lore associated with it, so if you want to play a demon, vampire, werewolf, secret agent or coffee shop owner or just a normal person with some odd quirks, its all fine, though its best to pick something you know a bit about so convos can be a bit more engaging, but google is your friend if you feel like something different.

 

As for being full time, most don't, and I feel it would be unhealthy to do so. A lot of people including myself usually use an alt character that we will RP on, and another character to play the game so keeping them separate. Some scenarios can go on for weeks, even months in the case of a romance I had in Star Wars, it started as a random encounter with a bounty hunter in the deserts of Tatooine, we became friends, then lead to romance.

 

Once you've made your char and given it a life, and some sort of meaning, then comes the hard part, going out into the world and finding like-minded people to converse with, which leads to your question about finding RP. This game wasn't build with RP in mind, so lacks even the basic tools to help with this. In other games, if you walk around, rather than sprint or use a mount, is a clear sign to others you are in character, and games like Final Fantasy have a little RP tag that you can turn on in options that shows up next to your name, and finally, the RP communities usually end up making a area like a tavern/pub/bar somewhere in the world which will become a default meeting spot for like minded people. Your only avenue here is to use the forums, and add that info into your profile... Clunky, but its all we have atm.

 

There's two key things this game needs for RP to flourish and attract more. One is an area chat or /say, which usually covers around a 30 feet area around the character so you can walk into and out of rp as you go along, possibly joining in if its open, this is usually a common sense thing and just listening in for a moment will tell if its open banter or a more serious private convo, but usually, that sort of private convo will be taken to a remote area like your private house, or possibly group chat, but as a general rule, if you're out in public chatting, then you're "usually" welcoming anyone to join in. Even in the current small places and clubs, where the the convos would overlap it would still be a benefit, as it gives users an extra channel separate to World and Local which people can shit talk in.

The second, which is symbiotic to the first, is a map to facilitate this open RP style. The recently released beach map goes a long way towards this as its huge, allowing you to find private pockets in a still public space, but what is needed is a more what I call a character neutral area, something like a small city area with a couple of streets, some shops, offices and maybe a small park so naturally occuring RP can happen more organically in a setting that makes sense for so many different types of characters.

 

For your last question, No, not at all. You pay your monthly fee and can play how you like. The two groups play in the same place for years without too many problems at all, sometimes people can be mean and try and disrupt RPers by standing, jumping and other silly things in between the avatars, but this game has an excellent ignore function that not only mutes unwanted and disruptive chat, but makes the offending avatar vanish.

[Anaganda]

We are all roleplaying here, whether it's our real selves or not, in the end we have a certain role and we expect others to approach us as such... take you for example, you are playing a transgender, yes yes I know it's who you are... but in the end it's a role that people are expected to interact with you while keeping this in mind.

 

aight... now to the messy stuff... I will try to keep it as short and simple as I can. keep in mind I am not a pro or anything, but this is just what I learned over time.

 

roleplay is when a person assumes a role that is pre defined ... i.e a vampire, a succubus, a sexual predator, a sexually dominant person who like to do it rough, a slut, a person who's so wild that they will have sex on a DJ booth ... or a DJ.... etc...

in essence it's much like when you are playing the -witcher game- for example, while you are playing this game for all intents and purposes you are the witcher, you are living this fantasy and enjoying it... and all your interactions are defined by that... and that's what a role player wants to achieve, to live a certain fantasy in the game, the only difference here is that they set this fantasy for them selves. 

 

now, the most common questions...

- how can I detect them?

- are they always in character?

- am I expected to only interact with them as such?

well... the answer to those questions most of the time, exists in said person's profile... some people don't like to be always in character, some people are always them selves, except for certain times when they want to enjoy a certain set scenario in a certain way... in that case this scenario gets planned with the people involved and it gets played out... erotic RP falls under this category. 

 

- is it disrespectful not to function as one?

no... by no mean is it disrespectful... it's up to you, it's your game and you choose how to enjoy it.

 

also with time, after interacting with a person for a bit, you will start to learn them, get closer and know them better... in that case you wont need any of those questions, cause you will just know what to do with them

 

I hope that was helpful, know I didn't cover everything, and I don't consider my self a pro at by an extent.. but I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have in mind, on this thread, or via PM here or ingame.

[LenaFox]

I have been playing this lovely game for a little over 3 years.  I only started to role play in the last 2 years.  I have so much fun.  I fact my only true lover even made movies of our role play it was so much fun, thank you hun.  .  These movies were around the "TABOO" story line.  Yes we had actual family here in the 3DX world.  Aunts/Uncles/Bother/Daughter ppl used to question us about our story line.  Some didn't like it but other wanted to join.  Funny how ppl are with it.  We had quite a following.  Some of the new player on here have taken the role play to another level.  My lover and I just take the back seat to these guys.  We are not in it as much as we use to.  We just chat with our self's.  Solving all the 3DX problems while chatting to others. We just try to enjoy our selves.  I wish everyone to try it come up with a story line and try to keep it going.  We have lasted 2 years on our story line.    Remember have fun and stay true to your partner.

[AnyNameWillDo]

All life is just one big role play, really. Somebody's son; someone's daughter. Their husband or wife, a brother, a sister.... a friend, an enemy.. A lover.

 

In 3DX, we can infinitely chose; we can constantly change. And that freedom feeds fantasy, or maybe the other way round....

 

My wife and I are RPing atm, and on a very personal journey. It's fascinating...

[Cordelia]

You could Google it and get a thousand different responses.

My opinion, fwiw...

You are dealing with non-real images on a screen so, effectively, everyone is role playing.

Typically, as already suggested, it is enhanced by the player's development of related story lines of various types.

Often, it manifests itself in the player's use of the /me command which adds descriptive text designed to enhance the imagery.

 

You can play the game however you like, so long as you stick to the rules and there is nothing to suggest that your role playing should extend past being here.

[PurrTgirl]

So basically profile reading is going to be my new hobby! lol. Thanks, guys. This has really been a help. I think I have enough information about this for now. I'm excited. Now my creative juices are flowing to try and come up with something cool.

[Briana]

It's not really hard to understand the difference between Roleplayer and not. The Day a person asking you to skype or talking about real life things and what real life gender you are back of keyboard, mean everything and you got your answer, that's all.

[Nique]

I dont roleplay much. i decided when i came to this game i was going to play the game as myself.

i treat all the other avatars as people all different all with their own personality.

Thats my roleplay

[Nitroo]

Generally roleplay isn't a big deal. Every child is doing it. Like I am Batman or I am Mr Spock or whoever or whatever.

When it comes to sex it's a different story though. Because were not machines and can't prevent that some emotions will be involved.

So if youre a male who plays a female or a female who plays a male tell it to your coplayers and nobody will get hurt.

Personally I prefer to be myself here at 3dx, I am not a good actor.

[Lovers]

 

1. What is Roleplay?

 

 

I have to say the idea of Roleplay interests me ....... I think I would like to RolePlay, still being, for all intent and purposes, me, maybe sometimes acting as someone younger or older with a different lifestyle or work position (for my partners amusement) .... but I am just dipping my toe in the water so can't offer you any real insight unfortunately.

 

I think what attracts me to the thought of RolePlay is older women playing younger women .... Younger women can look so damn hot LOL, but very often it is like we are from different planets ..... Now older women playing younger women is best of both worlds for me, which has been born out by some of my encounters in game already ..... not sure if that is proper roleplay?

 

Good topic though, so will continue watching with interest PurrTgirl

[JenC]

Generally roleplay isn't a big deal. Every child is doing it. Like I am Batman or I am Mr Spock or whoever or whatever.

When it comes to sex it's a different story though. Because were not machines and can't prevent that some emotions will be involved.

So if youre a male who plays a female or a female who plays a male tell it to your coplayers and nobody will get hurt.

Personally I prefer to be myself here at 3dx, I am not a good actor.

That's a really bizarre way at looking at roleplay and 3dx for that matter.

Firstly, most roleplayers like to do it with like minded people, well, its the only way you can RP on a realistic level, though I get what you mean when saying people playing the opposite sex, but the original questions are about roleplaying(not the 3dx pick-up game), which is playing out fixed or evolving stories and scenarios, and that sex doesn't matter in roleplay as the person is playing that role. The enjoyment comes from learning about that character and how your character meshes or reacts to them and the story. 

The other part of your reply is most worrying, getting emotions and being hurt.. I'm trying to think of a way to say this without being too blunt, but I can't think of anything other than you really shouldn't be here for that.

Keep your feet planted and firmly keep hold of realistic expectations.

[Briana]

''because i find most Rpers to be very condisending and egotistical . they act like 3dx wouldnt survive without them and without them 3dx would crash and burn''

You know why you thinking that? Cuz you take your life style seriously, As you know and already told you in the past,''Remember when we met in game'' I do rplay with those already open for it, if they seem not willing for so, i respect those playing 3dx game in a serious way just like you. I don't consider myself to be egotistical condescending person for playing the way i do Rob.

[Nitroo]

That's a really bizarre way at looking at roleplay and 3dx for that matter.

Firstly, most roleplayers like to do it with like minded people, well, its the only way you can RP on a realistic level, though I get what you mean when saying people playing the opposite sex, but the original questions are about roleplaying(not the 3dx pick-up game), which is playing out fixed or evolving stories and scenarios, and that sex doesn't matter in roleplay as the person is playing that role. The enjoyment comes from learning about that character and how your character meshes or reacts to them and the story. 

The other part of your reply is most worrying, getting emotions and being hurt.. I'm trying to think of a way to say this without being too blunt, but I can't think of anything other than you really shouldn't be here for that.

Keep your feet planted and firmly keep hold of realistic expectations.

 

 

Well, not everyone plays 3dx for the same reason and thats good so.

[Nitroo]

I would agree with someone earlier who said everyone roleplays to a certain extent because we arent the fictional avi in game. we can make them as close as possible to who we are but they arent us. I personally have never roleplayed in the classical sense because i find most Rpers to be very condisending and egotistical . they act like 3dx wouldnt survive without them and without them 3dx would crash and burn. . now that i think about it, sounds like i just described myself!!!

 

Well yes, I think many people have the opinion that 3dx IS jut a roleplay game.

[Niblette]

 

 

Well yes, I think many people have the opinion that 3dx IS jut a roleplay game.

 

I do think many maybe even most people do see it that way. However, I have definitely met people here who don't role play at all even sex. It is possible to do if you just talk about what your doing in RL. I prefer role playing sex though but, if the other person can be descriptive about what they are doing in RL that can be sexy as well. I think that's the real difference between being "descriptive" and role play, whether your really doing the things you say you are in RL. I do think most people role play here even if they don't admit it. I would say however that I would not be surprised if the majority of people who do see this as a role playing game are a bit conflicted about that as well.

[Nitroo]

I do think many maybe even most people do see it that way. However, I have definitely met people here who don't role play at all even sex. It is possible to do if you just talk about what your doing in RL. I prefer role playing sex though but, if the other person can be descriptive about what they are doing in RL that can be sexy as well. I think that's the real difference between being "descriptive" and role play, whether your really doing the things you say you are in RL. I do think most people role play here even if they don't admit it. I would say however that I would not be surprised if the majority of people who do see this as a role playing game are a bit conflicted about that as well.

 

Hey Niblette. I agree. There is a difference between cheating about your sex or personality and trying out things you haven't done in real life yet though. For example, me and my partner never had anal sex in real life. But in the game we had.

[Sage Stoner]

So if youre a male who plays a female or a female who plays a male tell it to your coplayers and nobody will get hurt.

 

Wow.  Just wow.

 

Well, you could also say: If you are a cis-gendered homophobe tell it to your coplayers and nobody will get hurt.

[Briana]

im not really sure how I take it too seriously since I don't rp at all. was just an observation. if you doubt what I say go in that one rp thread. will tell you all you need to know. if you don't agree, I wont lose any sleep over it as you shouldn't because you don't agree with me. everyone is entitled to there own opinion

The only thing I always knew is playing with honesty with ppl's and telling them I'm a roleplayer at the first met. No hurts, no surprise in that case.Soon they ask for my rl gender and stuff bla bla bla, I'm out, that's what it is.

I shared my rl identity and some rl things only with few players i met here who I consider as my real friends and very open minded as Oliu, Vero, Tika, Chik, Olesya... ect ect