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RPGs In The 'Real World'

Posted by Zonk on from the where-are-the-cheetos dept.

As more and more people realize the fun they're denying themselves by turning away from orc-bashing and dragon-baiting, mainstream businesses and media are paying more attention to RPGs. Sam the Giant writes "Barnes & Noble University is offering a free 8 hour on-line course titled 'Discover Dungeons & Dragons: Becoming a D&D Player'. The free course is described as follows: 'As a beginning player, this course will guide you in understanding how D&D works, explaining the various worlds and characters types that it is based on, creating a D&D role for yourself, and understanding how your player role interacts in the world and with other characters. You will learn the extent of your abilities and the possibilities that lie ahead for your player, including magical spells, mythic quests, and epic battles with incredible monsters.' It's free to enroll." In the same vein, NPR's great reporting turns to World of Warcraft. Dragoonmac writes "All Things Considered recently ran a feature about WoW communities, farmers, and a humorous review of real-life. A Slashdotter's must hear."

3 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. Ain't Real World by gbulmash · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Real world?????

    IMO, if I'm not rolling a 20-sided die, it's virtual. Actually, even if I am rolling a 20-sided die, it's virtual.

    If I think "real world" in relation to an RPG, I think of physically playing the game, such as an assasination game or something like that. To me, RPGs around a table or the flickering light of a monitor are virtual. Before I ever touched a computer, D&D was a form of VR where your imagination was the interface, a module was the software, and the dungeonmaster (along with a number of dice) was the CPU.

    - Greg

    --
    Start a happiness pandemic
    1. Re:Ain't Real World by MoonFog · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Isn't that the wonder of it? Even with today's tools that will allow us to really visualise the game, most of us prefer the old fashion way of playing RPGs. We each have our own perception on how the world should look, and we picture it ourselves. No game or movie can replace that.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion