I love RPing even if I'm only average, I still have fun with it. I wish I had more friends IRL that RP (the ones that I do have aren't to good at it unfortunately), but I ask some of my friends who I think would be good at it to start. But RPing seems like one of those guilty pleasure type things that people would criticize (like D&D or something). So I wonder, are there alter-ego RPers out there? Those who don't want to tell their friends about it? Share your views! Why would you be embarrassed by something so fun?

I have noticed I get a 'twinge' of something, when I bring up the subject of RPing with friends. Like a slight hesitation before I admit to it, as if my brain is trying to convince me that such a hobbie is shameful and dorky, and I conveniently acknowledge and ignore its complaints and plow right on through.

I do notice, also, that certain friends of mine, when I tell them, reveal a flicker of emotion, an attempt to conceal a look that says 'ah... that explains it.'
You know, like if you found out your friends parents were shrinks, or they were adopted, and the puzzle piece that had been missing to explain their personality falls into place.

..hm... I wonder? If people of a Certain personality are more prone to RP? If my quirkiness brought me to the RPing world, or if the RPing world brought about my quirkiness?

I smell an experiment!

I'm already a nerd in so many aspects. From my comic collection so big it will need its own room soon, to my anime to my absurd collection of sheep, gadgetry and huge collection of kids books. Then there is my OCD filing system, my stupidly huge telly and questionably large computer knowledge. Ain't no point pretending I'm something I'm not anymore!

It doesn't get discussed though really, but if asked, I'll talk.

It depends on who it is. My parents and sister knew a fair bit cause I talk to myself when I am in front of the computer.

I tried getting one of my friends rping. It was painful, so I just stopped.

Mind you my friends think I'm pretty weird anyway.

I let everyone know it's what I like to do. When they ask me what I like, I tell them. Simple! In my opinion, it's the least 'nerdy' thing I do.

I used to. Now one of my IRL friends RPs with me, and I'm not in the least embarrassed.

I won't tell my dad, though, but then, I don't tell my dad a lot of things about me.

Well, i'm pretty looked nicely upon at school. I mean, i dont got bad rep or anything, but i am classified as a non-jockish-i-love-my-anime-friends-and-i-get-good-grades. So i mean, i dont shy away from revealing my rp-ness out in the open.

But i mean, i dont have a shirt that says "Hello, i rp". xD Cuz'...i just dont. If someone asks me about roleplaying, i'll say "hell yeah i roleplay"

I tried convincing people to roleplay, but they just dont get it.

And i have RL friends who roleplay, but their type of roleplaying and the plots they like are quite different than my own. They're into the cartoony versions of fantasy and they arent as diverse in their type of characters.

I wish i knew more RL roleplayers though. Im sure they're out there. =]

Absolutely not. A lot of people that know that I RP are amazed by it. Their whole belief is that it can make you write good term papers - which is not really the case. (I've written good term papers since I was in school.)

I just realized that there was a poll subforum. To the admin, I apologize and if you could move this immediately that would be great XD.

I used to be, but I did end up getting a couple of RL friends to try it, and it stuck for a while, but they fell out of it. =/ And after I started dating my current boyfriend, I found out that he roleplayed too! =o It wasn't forum roleplaying, where you reply with a post like on IF, but it was more interactive and messenger-like. It was pretty cool to find out. ^-^

OH, and whenever I bring it up, people always look at me funny, like: "Oh, you roleplay...?" And it's awkward because the lot of them have dirty minds. ><

I admit it now more than I did, but that's only because at college I'm grouped with the "smart" kids who happen to have "nerdy" hobbies. Thank you college with a teeeny tiny honors program, that is slightly (ok HUGELY) reminiscent of a cult.

Anyway. Since then, I've realized that it's nothing to be ashamed of, and since I've been doing it for seven years despite all my mother's attempts to keep me from it (walking to school early to be able to use the computers to make my posts...high school was hell for that) it's a part of me, and doesn't change me. If anyone gets that. None of my old friends freak out when I tell them, and it explains a lot to them why being away from a computer or decent internet for more then 24 hours makes me fidget. And by fidget I mean...well...I'd highly reccommend keeping me within walking distance of a wifi connection. I've walked well over five miles with my laptop case to be able to get online to read and reply to my posts.

As for my new college friends...well...I told them like this,

"Hey Bells, what the hell are you doing on the computer allllllll the time?"

"Shutup, I'm replying to a really amazing post."

"Post? Wait, you RP too?"

I rest my case.

I am and I'm not. It depends on who I'm talking to. If I was with people who were like... 'popular', so to speak, I never mentioned it. If I was with people who were like me, nerdy in most ways, I'd discuss it openly. But, even at times, I won't say that I'm replying to a post or something to people who already know I rp. Not so sure why, I just don't. But I recently found out that my friend's friend roleplays and I was like, "DUDE! NOW can you understand why I was always Rping and never playing online games with you? XP Writing is addicting." If only I could get him to Rp on forums. He says he used to do it a bit on games and stuff but... Feh. It's great to find fellow writers in the world who you actually know in person. XD

MY NAME IS ALNOY'NMSR! AND I RP!

I think you can guess which one I voted for ;)

I think as the years have gone by it made it easier to open up about RPing. I’m not sure if this is due to me getting older and more secure with myself or maybe it is the more you do it the more you want others you know to experience it.

I admit that I don’t tell everyone I meet about it. I treat it like I do some of my other hobbies, if it comes up in conversation or there is a fitting place for it I talk about it. (Though my family does use it as ammunition for a few jokes, but that’s the type of family we are :) )

My good friends know that I roleplay, and my mom and sisters know that I roleplay, but... I definitely wouldn't shout it from the rooftops. I guess I'm one of the people who'll talk about it if asked, but it is something I'm embarassed by because I don't know anyone else in RL who does it. I had one friend who used to, and even used to roleplay with me, but who now says that she grew out of it. My other friends barely spend any time on the computer and the few people I've tried explaining it to have either not gotten it and never asked again or have teased me about it.

My boyfriend does know that I roleplay and doesn't tease me about it, but I also won't let him tell his friends about it =/

Bah, I know the feeling. My best friend grew out of it too =\ So I don't really discuss it with her anymore at all, not even the site that she used to be on that I own. Because it's like... Just weird, I guess. I don't discuss unless it comes up, or if I feel like answering.

I am what some of my friends and I call a "closet nerd." I was more of a nerd in previous years, when I liked anime and such, though... My best friend RPs and she talks about her games and such openly, not caring who hears, and yes, I do get embarassed. D:

It doesn't bother me; people just have to understand the difference between the various types of roleplaying, of which play-by-post is really a lot more like collaborative storywriting than it is anything else.

Everyone who know me knows I roleplay, not because I've told them but because my friends have o.O My closest friend for example loves to tell people that I roleplay and that if they need any help, be it finding a roleplay or someone to roleplay with, I'm the girl to ask... I've no idea how that came about since I really don't know of any Naruto roleplay games and the like, since I don't roleplay that genre... The same goes for other genres, so unless someone's got the exact same taste as me I really don't see how I'd be able to help o.O

Take RPG-D, most people close to me know that it's a place where you talk about roleplaying and the like, but they don't know the name, link, my username etc. etc. (well a few does) but that's because I don't really want to see my RL friends crawling about <_< I'm a bit possessive sometimes :p

But really, I meet a guy or girl through a friend and the first thing they say are usually something like: "Oh, so you're the girl that obsessively plays sims, writes on the computer and likes to read (and for some reason most of them can list at least three series of which I like o.O and I don't even know their name yet)?" yeah <_<
That or "Oh, you're the girl who's got a best friend in India (never mind that she's Indian and lives in Bahrain -_-), right?" Bahrain

I don't really have to tell anyone that I roleplay, everyone else around me seems overly eager to tell it for me anyhow XD

I don't really talk about it. I haven't told my parents, or my brother (younger). I have told a few friends who occasionally join me in RP, and then yesterday another friend who said it sounded good for my writing brain, but I don't want to tell people about it because they'd think I was some sort of freak with no life and way too much time.

RPer's make better parents because they understand the concept of play, and better lovers because....Well, I'm guessing you can figure that one out...;)

I tell people that I RP if they ask what I do on the computer. I'm not ashamed of it. I've always been a writer and the RPs I do help me figure out different characterizations for when I finally write my novel. I seriously think of it as a writing exercise and a way to keep my creativity around when I can't think of anything for my story.

That and it's a lot of fun.

In fact, one of my IRL BFFs RPs as well so it's pretty great.

Most of my friends just have dirty minds and don't understand roleplaying or why I like doing it so much. So I just don't show my roleplaying skillz when I'm hanging out with them, or talk about my latest character or thread.

Well, Dusti took the words out of my mouth.

I am not shy about it. I don't chat about it much to peole who I don't RP with, but if someone asked me about it, I'd feel okay to talk about it.

I was embarassed, because my friend nosed through my computer and found something I'd done.

I was just like 0o And embarassed for ages.
Ended up that the only way I could keep him from falling asleep during class was to promise that I'd update him on what was going on.
So - it worked out for the best?
I suppose I could say RPing helped a friend of mine keep from failing 9th grade.
Not that, you know, I run around telling everyone it's something I do. Though, really, the fact that I'm a nerd isn't debatable - people just assumed I'm a music nerd, and leave it at that.

Meh, if people ask "what's that freaky site you're accessing during computer science class?" (and they sometimes do) I just answer that it's an RPG site. Their eyebrows go skyhigh and then they start another conversation, about 'the important things', like Coldplay's new album. Oh yay.

My parents are annoying in that respect, though. This just happened. Like as I was writing above. Mom randomly pops up and goes: "Who're you talking to?"
"No one."
"No, you're writing something... So who're you talking to?"
"I'm RPing"
"...?"
"<millionth time explanation as to the nature of Role Playing Games>"
"Right. Stop fooling around. Go do your homework."
"... IT'S THE FRIGGIN HOLIDAYS!!!!"
"Then go read a book or something."
"... ... ..."

Yeah... But embarrassed? Not really. I'm aware that I'm doing something intellectual (crazy and stupid though I may act, heh). Can't say I'm particularly proud of it either. It's just something that I'm happy about, something I really enjoy. *shrugs*

Why be embarrasssed? It's not like we're talking about playing Magic: The Gathering or something really ridiculous, right?

Don't ask; don't tell?

I've gotten some weird looks for admitting to roleplaying, but that's okay. ;] I chose the second option: I'll admit to it, but I'm not going around and announcing it.

I really don't care much. It's fun, I do it, and that's just about it. I reply if people ask, but I don't advertise it, like most of the things I do.

I've told two of my friends about RPing - one because she also RP's (though I can't remember who made the first move) and the other because he's A. my best mate and B. occasionally judgemental but we always talk it through and it's fine. He didn't even care.

My parents would flip about it being unsafe and then find ways to prevent me from doing it (or try to - and yes I am eighteen).

My other friends would probably rag the shit out of me so I try and keep it on the lowdown.

I used to try to explain it to my parents back when I first started RPing and they wanted to know why I had become such a computer addict. I was 14 though, and didn't really know/care if it was weird or not.

About a year later, my friend was over at my house, and I had to get on the computer to check if someone had replied to a thread, and she came in the room and wondered what I was doing. I explained it to her, and she joined the site. She ended up posting... twice, I think? And then it was never mentioned again.

I haven't talked to anyone about it much since then. It never really comes up in conversation... Though last year, somehow horror movie talk got me to bring up a horror RP I was to the two friend I ate lunch with. I explained the whole set up to them (It was an RP where one of the members' characters was the killer, but no one knew whose it was becasue someone outside the RP picked and told the person they were it, then they had a special "Murderer" account that they signed into and killed off characters) and I told them about the characters I played on it. They seemed amused, but not weirded out or anything. After that, I'd give them little updates everyday about if my character got killed or not. The site came to an end, and then I didn't really bring it up anymore, and neither did they.

So, if something in the conversation makes me bring it up, I'll talk about it, but otherwise I just keep it to myself.

When my friends think of 'RPG' they think 'Dragons and Swords', which obviously isn't true. If someone asks, I tell them. I'm not ashamed of RP'ing. It's my major hobby and outlet.

I'm with Sunday as far as being a closet nerd. Only my boyfriend and a couple of very close, very old friends get to see the nerdiness (there's more than just roleplaying). And for the most part, I'm pretty good and pretending to be.... well, normal.

My boyfriend knows (and he's the only one who knows about my roleplaying), but I'd kill him if he ever told anyone.

I'm not embarrassed at all. xD Maybe it's my age (24) but not a lot embarasses me and I'm proud to be a geek. I display my geekiness pretty much everywhere... *shrug* If people have a problem with it, I just can't be bothered. I'm shameless like that.

I guess it helps that some of my friends also RP. x3 Just recently a group of us were hanging out together and discussing our plots and stuff quite openly in restaurants and malls and stuff, and it was pretty hilarious seeing some of the looks people gave us. xD Because when we get really deep into our discussions, we sorta just start talking about the characters as though they're people we know...which can be really weird when you're talking quite animatedly about death and dragons and weird fantasy and sci-fi politics or cracking jokes about characters' sex lives or lack thereof...

Even my friends who don't RP are at least writers, so they understand it and think it's cool. My folks also know about it. Hell, when I was 12 and playing on wolf RPGs, my dad actuallky tried it! xD It was the cutest thing. He joined as a wolf to be my character's dad. *cracks up* Didn't go anywhere, he sorta forgot to post, but it was absolutely adorable and still amuses me to this day.

I find all of your answers so interesting as a community. I know a lot of people that I used to RP with, for the most part, have the same Don't Ask, Don't Tell mentality.

As for me, I'm generally a really private person and I sort of compartmentalize my life and friends. My internet stuffs are one thing and day-to-day things are another. And then within internet stuffs, there is more separation between rpgs, different forums and other games. No one has ever asked me if I roleplayed, but if they did, I see no point in denying it. But like others, I didn't start the 'RP IZ FUN LOL' group on Facebook.

:p

Honestly it's never really bothered me.

I've been role-playing for nearly five years now and even at the start I never hesitated to tell my friends why I was on the computer alot.

Then again I have the whole 'you get what you get', 'take it or leave it', 'i don't give a shit what you think' type attitude. It's not that I'm bitchy but if you think I'm weird and don't like me just cause I role-play then sucks for you cause it's certainly something I enjoy and I'm not giving it up cause you think it's lame or nerdy.

And actually I've even gotten one of my best friends interested.

All my friends know I role-play and at first they were just like 'what's role-playing' and I just told them it's like writing a book with partner. Odd way to put it maybe but they were just like, 'oh cool' and left it at that.

I see no reason to be ashamed if it's something you enjoy ;]

None of my IRL friends know, for the the simple reason that they don't know that this sort of RPG exists. Or at least, I don't think they don't ;) I always have a funny feeling they would find it weird though. But if they asked, I would tell them, really.

My mum knows. Don't ask me how, cause I don't know either. She just said to me one day 'So, you do those play-by-post rpgs?' and I was shocked! I told her yes and she asked me about my charactesr! xD It was quite cool actually.

I tend to try and keep quiet about them. I always just say "my site" or "a site" rather than go into detail. People kind of look at me weird when I tell them I roleplay.

A few of my friends get it, but some people (ex friends) tell me its lame and I waste my time online.

A Site? Hah. I have a T-shirt that advertises an RP site I belong to.