Why do we roleplay

What makes us sit down and pretend that we are characters in a fictional setting? I mean this as Roleplaying as a whole. Quite surprising that this isn't a discussed thread yet so I'll start with a few of my own opinions.

- Firstly, undeniably, we RP because it is FUN. It is entertaining. Very much like playing a video game or any interactive media. What makes games fun is for a separate topic but I'm pretty sure we all get the general idea.

- We RP because of the social aspect of it. We get to interact with people and form relations, both IC and OOC. It brings people closer together and we built a community out of it.

- Some RP as a form of Expression. Whether it be as an art or just share to people their vast knowledge. I also believe RP let us express us in ways that may not be possible IRL, which brings us to my next point.

- I believe some people will agree with this if I say we RP as a form of Escapism. Unfortunately, IRL can really suck and we just want a way to get out of it. This makes RP addictive and it becomes easy to forget about IRL problems when our minds are elsewhere.

- There are likely also be people who RP as a form of Experimentation. These people want to try things to observe the result and consequence of their actions. Some of these actions might seem crazy to those who aren't used to those things.

So yeah, I'd like to know if you agree/disagree with me or add your opinions.

I have an idea that since we are exposed to varies things like books, games or movies portraying protagonist going on an adventure, we want to become like them or become our own hero of some sort. Our life may just be boring, uneventful, envious of main character's exciting journey, which is why we like books, games, or movies. If we are also creative and expressive, we want to fulfill both our want of excitement/adventure and express creative ideas. We turn to Roleplaying because it "fills the void in our hearts/soul" or gives us moments that our real lives can may never have.

Somewhere between Experimentation and Expression, for me, creativity is the biggest draw. I want to improvise characters, come up with concepts, and improve on them as I go. I want to see what other people come up with, and how their ideas interact with mine. Some concepts sound good on paper, until I've played two sessions with 'em and realised my boat has lost all steam.

It's a clash of my expectations, and the unexpected elements that other players bring in the mix, that turns RP into this wild, brilliant, fun spectacle, where anything can happen, and you are a part of it. That means a lot to me.

At the end of the day, it's escapism. Regardless of what you say, people roleplay so they can get away from the real world and become someone they could never be. Social interaction, expression, and all the other things listed just so happen to be involved in the form of escapism we've chose.

in other words, we are losers xd

Also an aspect people tends to always forget about RP, is the interactive writing. Sometimes, when you are reading a book, or a story, watch a movie, you might feel some sort of unsatisfaction if the outcome of the story is not something you expected... or you feel the same unsatisfaction, when you can not hype some great outcome with people.

With roleplaying, from the most basic to the most advanced terms (so, from fabletop's most oneshot basic table, to the most complex tabletop book), RP is still a story, a situation, something fictional, that you are creating together with people. Personaly, even on fabletop i played on tables that's memory is equal with a great movie. (Ronn and Beau's tables, especially)

Great post Tourneyino

because theres this one cool guy in our dream that we want to share with others...his appearance , his personalities etc etc.

and there is noone able to act as its proxy except the creator itself. us.
because we know him from mind body and soul. since he is a product of our minds.

that is why we RP.
to bring life to our imaginations

Is it not obvious? we roleplay to WIN! Roleplaying is SERIOUS BIZNIS

Impatience.
There are those who role play an older person because we're eager to become them.

The problem arises when the same person grows up.
We role play because we're desperate to relive that immature but glorious version of ourselves we once played. Unable to spark the same fire, perhaps due to changes surrounding the medium, the people, times, culture, we mindlessly stumble table to table to play a role, any role, hoping to grow back into it.

Sometimes passion just isn't there anymore. It's become a silly habit to cover up the empty vacuum in our hearts because we got nothing else to do.
Till we spend every once in a while writing the same old story over and over in our little notebooks, gradually adding small false details overtime.
Sometimes it's because we found a letter from the past, describing a story we cannot remember, but sounds so dang familiar. So we raise arms, gather a bunch of misfit adventurers and go on a quest to retrace the steps of the legendary [insert favorite old character here].

Sorry if its a bit off-topic.