Posted by David Artstone on March 8, 2010
Slate and Artstone – Role playing is the act of assuming an imaginary identity, along with others, in order to act out a story in real time. There are a wide variety of mediums that can be used to engage in these activities, ranging from real life costume play, to internet based interactive technologies. Roleplaying in a chat room is a unique experience because it provides the mental stimulus of writing a book, but in real time, with others participating in the writing of that book. In this way, it’s a truly improvisational act of creative acting, done in the form of characters on a screen, and visions in the mind.
With nothing but imagination and descriptions to work on, it can be difficult to imagine a scene, especially when action happens in real time, with other living people shooting ideas, actions, and story plot twists at you in real time. Engaging in this type of activity helps to increase your ability to think on your feet, while also teaching you to be a better writer, both in form, and in story creation.
The writing of a book is actually a very isolating experience. You have to work entirely on your own. Even when collaborating with another author, the actual writing is a singular process that can in extremes cut you off from external reality.
Chat roleplaying is a writing process that actually connects you with other people. It’s creative, without being isolating. It is actually an evolution of the old game, where a story is written one line at a time, each line being written by the next person in a circle. However in roleplaying through chat, you can actually assume the role of a character, allowing you to get emotionally invested in the story you are creating.
After the chat is over, a good roleplay site will provide a transcript of the action. This allows players, and those who were not present at the time, to read over the written actions of the characters who participated, much like reading a novel written by a variety of hands.
RolePages is the world’s first roleplaying chat room and social network. Designed much like other popular social networks, on RolePages you sign up for an account as a fictional character, creating a profile, and uploading pictures and videos to express who your character is.
Posted by Jim Slate on November 30, 2009
Social networking technology has changed the way communication works. There are a variety of new levels of interaction that are possible. This is not only connecting people in new and unique ways, but it is also allowing people to tell stories across a whole new range of media. On the cutting edge of this new technology, creative individuals are experimenting with the basic elements of the story itself.
Roleplay is an act of imagination, where you gather a group of people together, and each one assumes the role of a character. Then they act as that character, in order to further the story. Everyone adds their own perspective to the piece, and the resulting story is made up of the whole.
Social networks such as facebook were created to allow people to tell stories. You are supposed to use them to tell the story of you real life, through the use of pictures, videos, and written submissions in a variety of forms.
This ability to tell stories can, with a little tweaking, be used to tell fictional stories. You don;t necessarily have to talk about yourself on these networks, you could sign up as just about anyone or anything you can imagine.
The story can then be told and expanded on through a series of interactions with others on the site. These can be other fictional characters, or they can be real people. The addition of extra people to the story breathes new life and energy into the tale, invigorating it.
The problem is that most of the big social networking sites expressly forbid their members from creating fictional characters. They want the site to remain a haven for real people to interact. This is often stated in their terms of service,a nd violation can result in your character being banned from the site. While this rule is usually not strictly enforced, its presence alone is enough to hamper most roleplaying endeavors.
http://www.RolePages.com is a community that was created to fill the void in creative social networking. Similar in structure to facebook, the site describes itself as being a social network for fictional characters. Members are encouraged to sign up as anyone that they can imagine, and then to tell the story of their character through a series of forums, blogs, chat rooms, as well as through the submission of pictures, videos, and audio files.
Social networks are a new frontier in the art of communication. Using them as a medium for telling stories is a trend that is just starting to catch on. As the sophistication of the technology increases the ability to create fictional works using these tools is only going to improve.
To read more about this subject visit RolePages.com an in character roleplaying social network where you can sign up as anyone or anything that you can imagine. There you will find more information on facebook roleplaying, as well as an eclectic cast of members including werewolves, vampires, fairies, psychics, aliens, madmen, monsters, demons, and anyone else that you can imagine.
