NCD INDEX | SEARCH | AMS | MY PROFILE | FORUM FAQ | THE DREAM RULES! | LOGIN | MEMBERS | PA INDEX | TECH HELP The Napping Cat's Dream (Archived Forums) >> DEBATE Reply Main New Thread Flat Threaded Lee Member #2465 Posts: 368 Re: Roleplaying, First or third person       Tue Jul 13 2004 01:20 PM Edit Reply Quote My personal preference is for third person. My first reason is that it's more clear who precisely is speaking; if a thread was filled with people who narrated in the first person, it would probably get fairly confusing. My second reason is that narrating one's avatar in the first person can lead to too much identification with the narrator and the avatar; it should be remembered that a character is not the main character in a game, but rather a character in a collaborative story. As such, an avatar is supposed to make mistakes on occasion, to miss things despite the fact that the player god is aware of them; in short, not to play to win, but to play to contribute. I don't claim that it's necessarily a given that someone who refers to their avatar in the first person is giving up that distance, but I do believe that referring to them in the third person makes it easier to keep that essential distance. Also, in my opinion, first person narrative tends to lend a certain emphasis on a given avatar; in a book, if a story is written from a first person perspective, that character is usually the main character, or an observer of the main character. In the Dream, all characters carry, more or less, the same weight, though of course skilled RPers, well-written profiles, and steady contributions will add weight to certain characters, and deservedly so, in my opinion. Nevertheless, the illusion of one avatar being more important than another avatar due to a small narrative trick should, in my opinion, be avoided if possible. Still, in the end, it's up to the role-player to decide. And there's my two cents on the subject.     Entire thread Thread Name Posted by Posted on Roleplaying, First or third person Kuzma Kahn Tue Jul 13 2004 10:56 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Lee   Tue Jul 13 2004 01:20 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person David Atheos&Goliath   Tue Jul 13 2004 06:12 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Klondike   Tue Jul 13 2004 05:53 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Yao Chi   Wed Jul 14 2004 12:51 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person David Atheos&Goliath   Wed Jul 14 2004 05:19 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Candylegs   Wed Jul 14 2004 12:57 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person The Narrative Voice   Wed Jul 14 2004 01:03 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Ilya Pas de la Serna   Wed Jul 14 2004 08:03 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Haiku   Wed Jul 14 2004 02:57 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Yastiah Senner   Thu Jul 15 2004 08:56 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Yao Chi   Thu Jul 15 2004 11:16 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Thalamasa   Fri Jul 16 2004 01:38 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Ceera Darkwynde   Fri Jul 16 2004 07:33 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Dr Kaylo Epsilon   Fri Jul 16 2004 08:49 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Thalamasa   Wed Jul 28 2004 11:43 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Kuzma Kahn   Fri Jul 16 2004 01:39 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person David Atheos&Goliath   Sat Jul 24 2004 02:34 PM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Felabba   Wed Jul 28 2004 02:41 AM Re: Roleplaying, First or third person Angus Weaver   Tue Jul 20 2004 07:14 PM Artwork by The Psychedelic Artists | Web Design by Karol Luis & Furilius Pitch | Flash by Bart "DatBan" Barnes Hosted By American Data Technology, Inc. (great service!) | Powered by InfoPop Ubb.threads 6.2.3 Comics © 1999-2010 Master Zen-Dao Meow | Characters © by their respective players | E-Mail MZDM