When people look at folks who play MMORPGs, they often think of either raiders or PvP (Player versus players) players. I know raiders and streamers come to mind for me, however the group of people I play with, and myself, encompass a different group of people in the genre.
I am a roleplayer, meaning I enjoy writing stories with my characters with other people. I play by the lore, or story, of the game! This helps keep my writing strong, but also it’s just something I love doing. I enjoy collecting things for purpose of roleplay.
Unfortunately, some gamers in MMORPGs do not take roleplayers seriously, and there’s a lot of folks who enjoy bullying those of us who like this style of gameplay. Why that’s a thing, I will never know, but it’s a ‘jocks versus nerds’ situation which is ironic given all gamers used to be made fun of. It isn’t fun being the butt of every joke, especially when I’ve found many raiders to be toxic in their own way, but it is what it is. In reality, roleplayers keep the game going pretty well when there’s little content and what’s called a ‘slump’ (no new major content being added anytime soon).
That said, it’s good to remember that etiquette applies in these games. You don’t want to just break into large paragraphs of story and roleplay when people are trying to go through a dungeon or raid. There’s a time and place for story writing, and unless you have an entire group of roleplayers who agreed to roleplay in a dungeon or raid, that’s a no-go. People have a right to snap at you for that nonsense then.
Roleplayers have that odd reputation of obsession with ‘erotic roleplay’ (the term is exactly what you think it is) but the majority of people I play with, at least, aren’t interested in that beyond it maybe being relevant in the story from time to time (and I do fade-outs. No, really. I may write erotica, but I don’t ERP with people. You’d have to buy that from me, and it’d be expensive.) Obviously, I can’t speak for everyone, but most I interact with really aren’t interested in that as their primary story. Not that it’s a bad thing if it is! I’m super sex positive, but wanted to be clear that it doesn’t define all of us.
If you’re a gamer, just remember to respect your fellow gamers even if you my not understand them. Playstyles vary, and raiding isn’t the ‘end all be all’. Just because someone does not raid does not mean they are not as valid as you. I am a bit tired of people arguing that content is useless if it isn’t raid content. I’ve needed to step aside for raids being a primary focus when other aspects of a game have been ignored (World of Warcraft), and eventually, said game took a nosedive in Shadowlands I firmly believe one of the main reasons is Blizzard listening to only one part of their playerbase – the elitist raiders. I’m happier in FFXIV, where all aspects of the game are given care.
Everyone can have a piece of the pie! Be kind to your fellow gamers, and understand some things you don’t like the sound of may be fun to others.
Des M. Astor 