by Greg Nelson

Created on: March 11, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I like role-playing games because they allow users to experiment with multiple personas, allowing a sort of "trial run" without serious negative consequences. The user can shed their real-life baggage and "be" who they would like to be in a protected setting, virtually free of judgment and condemnation. This arena of free and unfettered self-expression is important for many who feel hemmed-in by the world they live in. They get to see how it feels to "be someone else" in a limited way, without all the emotional costs that would be associated were the change to occur in real life.

But there are benefits that go beyond the mere experiential, as the opportunity for various forms of self-expression also will allow the user to begin the process of understanding those who differ from them socially and culturally. As they try on a variety of persona's, they begin to empathize with others who hold different views and live different lifestyles.

Role-playing games offer more than just a s These social sandboxes give the user the ability to practice relational transactions with other players who are supportive and for the most part, non-judgmental. Users are not judged on their personal looks or on what they wear, but on the friendship and interesting conversation offered. This allows a user who may not be socially adept in today's society to learn what makes relationships succeed or fail without the traumatic consequences that sometimes accompany real life social interactions.

Imagine an educational system that uses role-playing games in the classroom as part of the regular curricula. Students could be allowed complete freedom for a while, and after evaluation, could be guided into different roles and taught new behaviors. This could have a great effect on the socialization in the school system, could possibly break up the "clique system" we are all so familiar with, and break ground towards a truly integrated social experience.

Some will always point to the negative consequences of allowing role-playing to displace real-life experience. While this is a concern, it is limited and not unlike any other activity that one could participate in.

Role-playing games offer more than just a socializing experience however, they offer the opportunity for self-expression in ways that might not be safe were they practiced in the user's real life. Relatively unfettered self-expression allows the user to experiment with different personas, different lifestyles, different belief systems. This tends to open the horizons of the user to others who might not share the same beliefs.

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