My weird little pastime.
While it is no longer my primary hobby, I have been involved in tabletop roleplaying for many years. In the beginning, we just called it roleplaying. I still get a little irked with the tabletop addition because we roleplayers were around long before the computer roleplaying game existed.
For a while, I didn’t play, preferring to steer my creative energies into writing, but I’ve come back to the hobby in a serious way over the past couple of years. There’s something freeing about making stories with friends that don’t have to be marketed or sold. Creation for the sake of creation, and I’m all about that these days.
As it happens, I credit my hobby with strengthening my storytelling skills. When running a game for people, you see in real-time what works and doesn’t work in terms of plot and characterization. You think quickly and commit to decisions with tremendous enthusiasm. Try running an RPG sometime and see how fast you learn. Or bomb. I’ve seen people who are bad at running games, and it’s painful.
My parents’ generation didn’t get it despite being instrumental in its creation. It was up to us ‘80s teens to figure out how to make magic happen. The younger folks are into it, though they tend to ruin things with their scolding nature. Millennials who enjoyed roleplaying as kids are experiencing nostalgia for the hobby and coming back.
Why not try it yourself? There’s a game happening near you.