Things we get out of roleplaying

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by Kromm

The top thing I get, whether I'm a player or the GM, is an excuse to take a block of x hours away from work, household tasks, working out, formal social obligations, paying bills, visiting the doctor, shopping, etc. to sit in a room and be casually social with friends.

It's certainly not the way I work. I like to socialise, certainly, and I don't want to be in games with people I don't like, but when I'm gaming the game comes first. I also do boardgaming, and wargaming, and record a podcast, and host barbecues, with many of the same people I role-play with -- and perhaps as a result of that I don't feel such a strong need for a social component within the game session. (And yes, I'm quite likely to be the guy who says "let's get back to the game" when the chat has diverged a bit.)

To put it another way: if socialisation came first, I wouldn't be role-playing as much, because I can get more socialisation per unit time with other types of activity.