stevekenson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevekenson) wrote2008-02-25 04:33 pm
stevekenson) wrote2008-02-25 04:33 pm
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[RPG Theory] RPGs Are Writing, Not Reading
It occurs to me that, in many regards, the lauded goal of “creating stories” in RPG play often leads to the mistaken belief that playing a good RPG should be like reading a good story of the same genre, whether fantasy, four-color comic book, cosmic horror, or whatnot.
However, in my experience, the “story” part of an RPG actually comes after the game is over, when you and your friends are recounting the cool story of what happened to each other or to someone else (”Hey remember that time we saved the world from the Overshadow?”). Playing the game is actually more akin to writing a story, including all the missteps, edits, typos, mistakes, unexpected turns, and revisions that go along with that process. It’s when GMs and players expect the game to play like reading a novel or watching a show—where the author (GM) has done all the work in advance—that things become railroady, frustrating, and disappointing.
However, in my experience, the “story” part of an RPG actually comes after the game is over, when you and your friends are recounting the cool story of what happened to each other or to someone else (”Hey remember that time we saved the world from the Overshadow?”). Playing the game is actually more akin to writing a story, including all the missteps, edits, typos, mistakes, unexpected turns, and revisions that go along with that process. It’s when GMs and players expect the game to play like reading a novel or watching a show—where the author (GM) has done all the work in advance—that things become railroady, frustrating, and disappointing.
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I've been writing about this extensively in various areas, if you feel like reading some half-formed ideas:
http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/firstperson/thirsty (http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/firstperson/thirsty) is my essay on the subject from Second Person.
http://gameplaywright.net/?cat=31 (http://gameplaywright.net/?cat=31") has links to my posts exploring the idea a bit further at Gameplaywright.