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Why does one grow out of roleplaying?

moon

37,467
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Apr 19, 2024
I know many people who used to be regulars here but who now are gone...

It's been obvious that over time, people can lose interest in pokémon. There are plenty of other things to RP here than pokémon though! But some eventually fall out of that too. Do you think it's a matter of growing up and finding other hobbies/interests, or a matter of not wanting to hang around a forum anymore? Or something else?

and now a silent minute for our lost rp comrades ;;
 

Ice1

[img]http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/712.pn
3,447
Posts
9
Years
  • Seen Nov 23, 2023
I think it's mainly time and life. It's quite an investment to keep up with not only all these stories you're participating in online, but also the people.
 
gimmepie

gimmepie

25,503
Posts
11
Years
Whilst RPing is fun and a hobby, I think we need to come to terms with the fact that it takes up a lot of time and energy because ultimately it boils down to creative writing and that is not always an easy task. So often people just find that they don't have the time or energy to spare on it anymore when life starts getting hectic.

That's why you get a lot of people who disappear, even for years, and then make sudden returns. It's not that people grow out of the hobby or even get bored of it, it's just that life doesn't always allow for such a time consuming hobby.
 

Khawill

<3
1,567
Posts
11
Years
I have a short interest span. My interests pretty much change month to month, and eventually PC drops out of interest on these resets. I eventually come back if I see an RP that I like. Writing left my interest at one point, and I actually replaced it with script writing, which has made things pretty hard coming back.
 
SV

SV

See You Space Cowboy
3,393
Posts
13
Years
  • Seen Feb 7, 2022
I think it varies by person, but time constraints definitely play in.

I'm still here though! Lurking... waiting... binding my time... watch your back.

I'm SV, and I approve of this message.
 
Arsenic

Arsenic

[div=font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Kaushan script
3,201
Posts
12
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I partly agree with Pie. I will say that time constraints certainly do play a roll. But being someone who only recently branched out from the RPT this summer even though I've been a member for... Over 5 years now.... have seen and in some cases experienced other big reasons as well.

First, I'll go with some experienced reasons. This has been mentioned above. Lack of interest in available RPs. I simply have not seen anything that interested me in Casting for what has to be over a year now, and when I do, it normally fizzles out before the SUs even get accepted.

Another reason would be how tightly nit of a community this is. Someone coming back from a long hiatus might find the concept of breaking into an entirely new and tight nit group of RPrs daunting at the very least and chose to just not jump into a roleplay at all. I mean I rarely, if ever see most people here on the PC Discord!!!

A smaller reason I'll put is simply they may not find anything they feel within their skill level. There are not many, if any, RPs for people with moderate to low writing skills (I'd like to think I fall under the moderate category.) I think part of that goes to this being a closed community. Either no one feels it is necessary, or simply it's not even thought of... But that means people like me may not join an RP for fear that we may not be good enough (though I haven't let that stop me before...)

And finally, commitment. It requires a lot of time, effort, and dedication to Role Play. This gets worse with more complex RPs. For end result look one paragraph above..

So what does this all mean? A lot of people might not have grown out of RP, but simply don't find one that fits what they want ot are too intimidated to join one, and thus, do not participate in the RPT.
 
Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

[I]are made of these~[/I]
703
Posts
16
Years
Arsenic said:
Another reason would be how tightly nit of a community this is. Someone coming back from a long hiatus might find the concept of breaking into an entirely new and tight nit group of RPrs daunting at the very least and chose to just not jump into a roleplay at all. I mean I rarely, if ever see most people here on the PC Discord!!!

A smaller reason I'll put is simply they may not find anything they feel within their skill level. There are not many, if any, RPs for people with moderate to low writing skills (I'd like to think I fall under the moderate category.) I think part of that goes to this being a closed community. Either no one feels it is necessary, or simply it's not even thought of... But that means people like me may not join an RP for fear that we may not be good enough (though I haven't let that stop me before...)
Click to expand...

There's a lot of text incoming, because I apparently don't know how to shut up. But hey, what else is new? xD

As someone who has been here since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I both do and don't agree with these points. Those who know me will know that I have come back to the RPT a probably insane number of times, and sure, it can be a bit daunting to reintroduce yourself to a whole forum of people who don't remember you, but the only cure for that is to join in. Trying to break into the community without RPing is difficult (but not even impossible; I've seen it done) since that's what connects everyone here. You wouldn't really expect to form really close relationships with the people in the TCG forums without actually playing the card game. Though undoubtedly, RPing is much harder to get into, initially, and the mods and people in the community are always trying to figure out ways to try and make it less intimidating.

And about the second point: I do think there are fewer RPs that are less low-level-friendly, but people have tried consistently to create them and help people get into our little niche hobby. The only problem is that any RP requires huge dedication to run or participate in, and one with a lot of less experienced people participating in it would need a really active and competent GM to keep it going well. We have a lot of fantastic GMs, but I find most of them want to pour their effort into RPs that are complex or grandiose, rather than things that might be simple and fun and open, which would be more forgiving. It's every GM's right to choose what they pour their time into. RPing is a commitment of time and energy put towards a collaborative project in a way that few things are on PC, which is a reason why the community can be pretty tight knit, and it's so easy to just never venture outside like me.

If you want there to be a good RP for people who might not feel up to joining any of the currently open ones, then make one or bug the mods to bug someone for you. Gimmepie and Adventure have been running around for as long as I've known them trying to make the RPB feel more inclusive and welcoming. From the CSS template thread when people felt that learning to format might seem intimidating, to turning the main page to a discussion forum so people can ask questions easily, to starting several fun events open for everyone of any skill level or availability to participate in--like the current Secret Santa event.

Basically, our mods are really, really awesome, and I like to think that the general attitude in the RPT reflects that. We might take RPing a little seriously, but honestly we just want everyone to have fun together.
 
Arsenic

Arsenic

[div=font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Kaushan script
3,201
Posts
12
Years
Sweet Dreams said:
There's a lot of text incoming, because I apparently don't know how to shut up. But hey, what else is new? xD

As someone who has been here since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I both do and don't agree with these points. Those who know me will know that I have come back to the RPT a probably insane number of times, and sure, it can be a bit daunting to reintroduce yourself to a whole forum of people who don't remember you, but the only cure for that is to join in. Trying to break into the community without RPing is difficult (but not even impossible; I've seen it done) since that's what connects everyone here. You wouldn't really expect to form really close relationships with the people in the TCG forums without actually playing the card game. Though undoubtedly, RPing is much harder to get into, initially, and the mods and people in the community are always trying to figure out ways to try and make it less intimidating.

And about the second point: I do think there are fewer RPs that are less low-level-friendly, but people have tried consistently to create them and help people get into our little niche hobby. The only problem is that any RP requires huge dedication to run or participate in, and one with a lot of less experienced people participating in it would need a really active and competent GM to keep it going well. We have a lot of fantastic GMs, but I find most of them want to pour their effort into RPs that are complex or grandiose, rather than things that might be simple and fun and open, which would be more forgiving. It's every GM's right to choose what they pour their time into. RPing is a commitment of time and energy put towards a collaborative project in a way that few things are on PC, which is a reason why the community can be pretty tight knit, and it's so easy to just never venture outside like me.

If you want there to be a good RP for people who might not feel up to joining any of the currently open ones, then make one or bug the mods to bug someone for you. Gimmepie and Adventure have been running around for as long as I've known them trying to make the RPB feel more inclusive and welcoming. From the CSS template thread when people felt that learning to format might seem intimidating, to turning the main page to a discussion forum so people can ask questions easily, to starting several fun events open for everyone of any skill level or availability to participate in--like the current Secret Santa event.

Basically, our mods are really, really awesome, and I like to think that the general attitude in the RPT reflects that. We might take RPing a little seriously, but honestly we just want everyone to have fun together.
Click to expand...

I meant to respond to this earlier, so apologies for that.

First and foremost, holy crud I thought you were a name I'd never see around here again, but looks to just be a shared username.

I don't know if I get to call myself a dinosaur but I've definitely been here a long time, longer than one of the mods! A caveman maybe... Seems fitting

On to more important business

I will admit when routed. You smashed most of my argument, but I do hold one issue.

...or bug the mods to bug someone for you...
Click to expand...
I don't think this is right. I see the RPT mostly as an extra game of luck when joining other's RPs. It's no ones responsibility to make something that interests say, me. Even if they did do it just to make something for me, it wouldn't (most likely) have the same soul or heart as something they wanted to make, and I'm sure they will not enjoy it as much either.

I've never liked the idea of having someone make something I enjoy for me. And so I wait, on the outskirts, watching...


Also I do know the mods here are great! I was a shut-in to the rpc rpt* for 6.5-7 years!
 
Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

[I]are made of these~[/I]
703
Posts
16
Years
Arsenic said:
I meant to respond to this earlier, so apologies for that.

First and foremost, holy crud I thought you were a name I'd never see around here again, but looks to just be a shared username.
Click to expand...

I was a shut-in to the rpc rpt* for 6.5-7 years!
Click to expand...
Oh hey! You might even know me, actually. I've been around on and off for eight, going on nine years next month. I used to go by Sweet_Dreams for most of my lifespan here. I know there was another Sweet Dreams running around for a while a few years ago, but they must have changed their username or deleted their account somehow, because when I checked back like a year ago the username was free. ^^

I don't think this is right. I see the RPT mostly as an extra game of luck when joining other's RPs. It's no ones responsibility to make something that interests say, me. Even if they did do it just to make something for me, it wouldn't (most likely) have the same soul or heart as something they wanted to make, and I'm sure they will not enjoy it as much either.

I've never liked the idea of having someone make something I enjoy for me. And so I wait, on the outskirts, watching...
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, I meant the comment somewhat lightheartedly, though I know that doesn't come across well in text most of the time. :S I didn't mean that the mods should force someone to make one or anything, but rather that I've seen times when the mods have brought up the lack of lower level or easy RPs, and people actually take it upon themselves to craft them in response. Like I've said, I think most of our community is really supportive and active, and can find creative outlet in anything, given perhaps a spark of inspiration... and enough time. xD

But yeah. To answer the original question which I may or may not have forgotten to do I agree with a lot of people who've posted previously. Growing up, many people find they have a lot less time to RP because of growing responsibilities and they have to focus their energies. A lot of people have to let RPing fall by the wayside in favour of other hobbies or activities, and even the people who may be pursuing creative writing as a career option might need to concentrate more on that instead. And I think it might get harder and harder for those who stay on to form connections with the younger crowd, simply because they might have different priorities and interests. And with all their friends dropping out from RPing regularly, it can get a little discouraging. It's like a neverending loop, probably. xD
 
gimmepie

gimmepie

25,503
Posts
11
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It's weird now that I think about it. Since I got sick, I haven't been able to work or study or go out etc etc I've been keeping up less. I've got all the time in the world right now but I'm actually finding it harder to keep up with RPs than when I was never home.
 
Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

[I]are made of these~[/I]
703
Posts
16
Years
gimmepie said:
It's weird now that I think about it. Since I got sick, I haven't been able to work or study or go out etc etc I've been keeping up less. I've got all the time in the world right now but I'm actually finding it harder to keep up with RPs than when I was never home.
Click to expand...

Oooh that's an interesting point. I think the thing about RPs nowadays is that they actually move reeaaally slow. I do find that I tend to lose motivation if I have a lot of time and nothing to do in an RP. Back forever ago people would commonly post multiple times a day each, and now we're pretty lucky if an RP gets posted in multiple times a week, total. Which is great for those who are busy, and probably not so great for those who aren't. I don't know if that has anything to do with how you feel. Perhaps you're just oversaturated? xP

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. I have never been able to stay away from the RPT for too long because I always end up missing it.
 

Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
1,955
Posts
14
Years
From personal experience, it can be a number of things.

The first is as everyone has stated, time commitments. Every now and again I'll browse through the RPC but between teaching, friends and family, partner and other commitments, I just don't have the time I did previously.

Secondly is that people can be really toxic due to immaturity. I sure as hell was at one point. Without pointing fingers, it was these immature people and the way they acted and came across that made the RPC hostile. People suck.

Thirdly, for me at least, what kept me tied to the RPC was the group of friends I made on here. Sadly we all kinda drifted apart and with that kinda went my interest in RPing.

Fourthly (to keep this whole counting thing going), I'm gonna be blunt and probably annoy some people with this comment so firstly I apologize. I grew out of the RPC. I came in during high school and stayed through undergrad, and even in undergrad I felt a little bit of a big fish in a small pond. The way the RPC is, it tends to feel like it's mainly for a bunch of teenagers. Obviously there are others like myself who are older on here, but after a while that teenage immaturity and drama becomes tedious. And probably when some of you younger folk get older, you'll realise this too. Kinda feels like trying to study for your Ph.D while everyone around you is still in High School Calculus.

Lastly, this is a Pokemon forum, whether you like it or not. It's not an RP forum, so in a way growing out of Pokemon kinda meant growing out of this forum. Don't get me wrong, when I have kids I'll get them into Pokemon, but now it's kinda become one of those things I liked as a kid that I don't enjoy as much anymore. It comes with aging; likes and dislikes change over time.

So yeah, my two cents just so you all get an idea of what it's like for someone who has actually left.

EDIT: SV is Bae
 
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moon

37,467
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  • Age 34
  • Seen Apr 19, 2024
Yea, if your friends leave this place it certainly gets a different mood... and can discourage you a bit. I miss the days when I was in close knit RPs with lively chats where we all were good friends. But I'm sure it can happen again if I stick around and put enough effort into this place. I'm not ready to admit that I've "grown out of RPing" yet.

Swolligator said:
Lastly, this is a Pokemon forum, whether you like it or not. It's not an RP forum, so in a way growing out of Pokemon kinda meant growing out of this forum.
Click to expand...
There are plenty of successful or at least long lasting and popular RPs here that aren't about pokémon though. I'd like to think this place is a RP hub that might have pokémon in focus still, but allow just as much for other things as well. I suppose some might think it weird to log onto a pokémon forum to participate in non-pokémon RPs only, though. So you might have a point there too.
 
Sonata

Sonata

Don't let me disappear
13,642
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The lack of time and energy needed to dedicate to something as involved as an rp over something that you can do on your own and by your own schedule like writing monologues or short stories, researching new interesting topics or just playing a video game. Also, for a non pokemon rp-er, the lack of truly original and interesting rps to devote what little time you have left at the end of the week to.

commitment issues.
 
Ninjorf

Ninjorf

Friendo
119
Posts
7
Years
If you find yourself growing out, try something more formalized like D&D or Pathfinder, or any of the other D20 type games. Structure + a dedicated narrator is very, very helpful when you find that freeform is too difficult to keep up with any longer.
 
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