Roleplaying For Happiness

I’m a fan of roleplaying games. The most basic question that I never seemed to have satisfactorily answered is, “Why do you play roleplaying games?”

That’s a big question. I mean, huge! What do you say when someone asks that one?

The first answer that pops into mind is “because it’s fun.”
Sh!t, that’s a crappy reason to do anything. I hate that reason.

“Fun” as a reason is crappy because it’s incredibly vague. It’s a wet and woolly answer that tells you nothing. In fact, the idea of games as “fun” is about as reductive as you can get. There’s a tyranny of “fun” in the gaming hobby and I hate it. Yeah, I know you’re probably reacting to that one. Slow down. Bear with me.

My Hobby Is Not “Fun”

What is “fun”?

Dictionaries use phrases such as, “enjoyment, amusement, or light-hearted pleasure” (the noun) and, “amusing, entertaining, or enjoyable” (the verb).

Let me say this up-front: there is nothing light-hearted, amusing, or merely entertaining about roleplaying games. As the Games Master, it can generate a lot of hard work and worry combined with deeply felt emotion and creative energy; as a Player, roleplaying can result in deep-hearted pleasure and engagement with character paired with imagination and the fear of failure.

Roleplaying is immersive and powerful. Certainly, we do this hobby because we enjoy those states of being but, please, don’t reduce my passion for creative story-telling using games to “fun”.

Our Hobby Contains Happiness

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the topic of “happiness” recently. My favourite books on this right now are from the pen of Andy Cope, the self-appointed Doctor of Happiness here in the UK and founder of Art of Brilliance. I also enjoy his colleague, Andy Whittaker, who recently made me laugh at work when he came to speak – like REALLY laugh out loud for an hour – while he convinced me of the need to stop looking for happiness.

It strikes me that when I am sitting the Games Master’s chair, gamers in front of me, I can enjoy some pretty happy times. In fact, watching those players and just taking a moment to sit back, I can tap into the purest form of happiness there is: joy. But only if I take the time to notice.

That’s the thing about happiness: it’s already there. You just have to take the time to notice it.

The Mistake Of Not Noticing

Like I said, this is a recent revelation to me. Certainly I’ve had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments at the gaming table and the word “fun” gets bandied around from time to time. BUT…

But it’s easy to get caught up in the serious “work” of gaming. Doing it right. Being prepped. Coming to the table ready. Actually, that stuff can make you happy too but we tend not to notice.

The next game looms like a deadline (which it kind of is) on that endless list of “To Do” busyness that we all take such social pride in owning. For many years, being “game ready” has been a goal, a target, a chore. B@l*&$£s to that!

I’ve been mulling over some new ideas (and a few old ones) for an SF game that I’d like to write and run. It’s a cool premise for a setting. The difference is that I noticed how this mulling made me feel. It generates happiness. It’s a cool feeling: creating, imagining, thinking about the scenes that might fit, picturing how the players might react.

And that’s the key, right there: the greatest joy in gaming arises from providing moments that other people can enjoy. You notice and then you feel happy to have provided that moment.

From a load of b*lls&$£ made-up fantastic ideas in your addled gamer mind arises some structured entertainment and, because it’s immersive and interactive entertainment, it generates engagement. When the players play in role, making decisions and asking questions, they experience good times. That, my friends, is happiness.

Did you notice?

More Than “Fun”

“Fun” is the emotional equivalent of instant coffee. It might be ok but it’s not very satisfying – making a proper cup of coffee in a proper cup of coffee cup is infinitely preferable… even if it takes a little more effort. Fun is short-lived and just about socially acceptable. Happiness occurs when we pay attention… but it’s not very fashionable.

Fun is not the goal. Happiness is not “out there”. It’s right here, the pot of gold at THIS end of the rainbow. All you have to do is notice and enjoy it. Take the time to enjoy it.

As you prep and as you play, make time for noticing. As you’re creating new content, enjoy it. As you conjure encounters or adventures, notice how you feel when the ideas come together. When you get stuck, or when you’re at the table, ask yourself: “What would the best Games Master (or player) in the world do right now?”

Notice the happy. Bring your best self to the table. Game on!