LogFAQs > #936307766

shadowsword87 posted...

Throwing it on the floor because you don't want to put the effort in speaking in a different intonation is wild to me.

Some people are so self-conscious about speaking in character that they shut completely down. Text can create a buffer where they can play in character while they'd never be able to do so in person. Especially if they're playing with strangers or other people they feel are more likely to be judgemental. For those sorts of people, the difference between text and speaking is going to be the difference between playing as your character and playing the entire game saying things like "My character does this" and "My character says that he's interested in hearing more" or "My character describes the battle to the merchant". And trying to force them to speak in first-person or describe their actions in first-person isn't going to encourage them to get better/more relaxed as much as it's going to encourage them to stop RPing entirely.

Though in my case, it's not that as much as the fact that I'm and old man stuck in a 90s tech mindset and I hate anything more advanced than AIM or ICQ. And I tend to find group chat with cams/mics can be distracting in its own way because it can be a cacophony of noise, which is more of an issue over mics than it is in person. Especially if the tech involved is being kind of shitty. Or if you're using older/less powerful hardware (which you very well may be, if you're notoriously anti-PC gaming and only ever use your computer for e-mail and message boards).

Though it's also worth noting that people who are frustrated theater majors are much more likely to want that direct personal interaction (similar to why the Crit Role cast play up the blatant acting aspects of RP), whereas people who are frustrated writers may absolutely prefer to lean heavy into text because you can convey a hell of a lot with descriptive writing. You can talk about things like tone of voice and body language all you want, but if you're not a skilled actor you probably aren't conveying what you want your character to be thinking/emoting most of the time anyway. Because YOU aren't personally feeling what your character is most of the time (especially if you're playing any sort of character who is different from your actual personality). Whereas, if you're dealing with GOOD writers, they can introduce a lot of subtly and nuance that is completely lacking in face-to-face games (I can honestly say I've felt far more emotion from some of the text-based games I've played in than I've ever felt in any face-to-face game ever).

A lot of that admittedly depends on what sort of game you're running, though. A more casual or comedic game doesn't really need Academy Award level acting to convey meaning or tone, and quick-witted humor works better verbally than written. And players are more likely to feel comfortable enough to speak in character with a group of long-time friends than they are with total strangers (especially ones that are already somewhat extroverted). So there are definitely games where being face-to-face (or at least cam'd up) helps. But that isn't always the case.



shadowsword87 posted...

Besides, you still get the precision of word choice while speaking anyway. You just can't edit it after.

That's very much a question of individuals, though. I'd argue that almost every RPer I've ever played with in my entire life have never been as eloquent or well-spoken in-character in a live game as they are/can be in a text-based game where you can at least have a few seconds/minutes to think about your response in advance before sending it.

I know players who would never choose to play an eloquent or talkative character in a live game because they would never be confident enough to speak in character. Or, at the very least, they wouldn't speak in-character/first person, but would default back to third-person "My character says this" speak. There are also people who would refuse to play any character too different from their own personality or gender or preferences because they wouldn't feel comfortable acting it out, but text gives them time to think about how that character would react to things, and the buffer they need to describe their actions/words/thoughts in ways they feel comfortable with.

I've actually played in LARPs, and I definitely noticed myself changing how I designed and played characters there than I did when I was on text-only SeaChat sites. Because I felt way more pressured into making a character who was physically and mentally closer to my actual self, who I would be better able to play in that sort of setting, without feeling too awkward or overwhelmed. Whereas in text games I've had a MUCH wider range of characters and personalities.

I'd never say that text-based RP is always objectively better than the alternative, but I also would never say that face-to-face is better than every other style either. Ultimately it depends on the players and what sort of game they want to play. In some cases, for some people, text will absolutely be 100% better. In other cases, it won't be.
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"Wall of Text'D!" --- oldskoolplayr76
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