Get excited, RPG fans, because we’ve got some good news for you. It turns out that as human beings living in a modern society, we’re all playing some kind of role, no matter what. In fact, that seems to be the basic human condition!
That’s right, gamers. While you may think the only time you inhabit a character is when you’re playing titles like Final Fantasy or Elder Scrolls, you’re also, in a way, putting on a comparable facade in your everyday interactions with the people around you.
It doesn’t matter if they’re total strangers or your closest friends; there is an element of artifice inherent in all social interactions that renders them as fantastical as the ones you have with computer-generated guild leaders, mages, and shopkeepers. You know what that means? You’re basically playing an RPG at all times, even in your most intimate moments.
And the best part? There’s no escape from the grand charade of human life!
We can all, of course, strive to be our own “authentic selves,” but upon closer examination, you’ll find that we each fill a predefined role prescribed to us by society at large, just like the way you have to choose to be a warrior or a healer or a mage. And try as we might to differentiate ourselves from those around us, what we consider to be unique aspects of our personalities are no more than items of armor we equip and unequip without thinking, revealing a fundamental naked nothingness underneath.
This basic truth holds true whether you prefer MMOs, tactical RPGS, dungeon crawlers, life sims, you name it. Our existence is nothing more than one big performance, and deception is a fundamental part of how we relate to one another. You may not be casting spells or swinging a sword around, but by just being you, you’re playing a character, as is everyone else around you.
So next time you’re having a meeting with your boss or asking someone out on a date, remember, you’re essentially questing! Isn’t that awesome?! We sure think so.