Cosmolien
Dreamer
I do not think that i helps because you do not actually imagine or think up any of the ideas
I do not think that i helps because you do not actually imagine or think up any of the ideas
I guess it depends on the type of gaming. If it's a computer game, maybe not. If it's a pencil and paper RPG, for example, where characters are role played and a game moderator creates the world and adventure and runs it, I think that imagination and thinking up actions and ideas is very much a part of the game.
Do people actually do that? Write a story that is basically a game log, I mean. *shakes head*
How did playing D&D online help you with your writing? And in what ways do you think World of Warcraft could hurt someone's writing ability - or helping, for that matter? (Aside from spending every waking moment playing WoW instead of writing, I mean, which would be bad for a writer anyway.)
Take from that what you will. I agree that it helps in many creative processes, but it definitely is not something to have based everything you create upon.[it] Depends on what you take from it and how you use it.
Playing Dragon Egg (Steerpike's D&D-ish game on this site) is giving me some fun writing experience, as did Endless Hunt, Second Hand, Shenoka Shadows and other games I've played here. Someday, I'll run a D&D type game. Can you believe I just turned 40, and NOW I'm playing D&D for the first time?
For D&D, we played differently, I understand, than most people do. For instance, as a DM I recruited mostly random players, asked them to write a background which left a few details vague (don't name the city, leave a few characters unnamed, so on), then created a game with a storyline that tied them all together. One player's villain was another player's uncle, that kind of thing. There was a real story that developed over time.
I let players pick their own stats, with just a cap in Strength, and I told them from the getgo - "Make characters that can do lots of things, not ones with big damage numbers. I love my NPCs too much for you to kill them." I gave exp only for roleplaying, and sometimes gave random challenges, like "800 exp to the person who describes the best watch." A better example, I gave one cleric an exp bonus for conducting a wedding.
So what am I getting at?
The thing about gaming that way was writing right in front of your audience, seeing their reactions in real time, and getting the adrenaline rush that helped to make that writing better and more interesting. And I stepped it up as much as I possibly could. That's how it helped me become a better writer.
I liked your Endless Hunt posts. But I know what you mean. In Dragon's Egg, we all want to know each other's moves so our moves make sense, so yeah, I read every post in detail. (I will confess that I skim Steerpike's beautifully written posts until I see the name "Baldhart," but then, once I find out how my turn turned out, I read everything.)
I enjoyed my second banana role in that game because I could focus on making my own character interesting and not worry about in-game logistics. As a player, I didn't have that sense of fear that I might get myself killed, and I didn't have the pressure of running the game like Phil did.
Someday, I'll run a D&D type game. Can you believe I just turned 40, and NOW I'm playing D&D for the first time?