alt="Header" />

Roleplaying, the changing of one's

behaviour to assume a role. While roleplaying may seem a little

strange for those who stumble upon it without having experienced it

before, the reality is that it is just another way for players to

enjoy the game. Unfortunately, in World of Warcraft, roleplaying is

usually scorned by those who don't take part in it themselves.

However, by clearing up a few misconceptions perhaps much of this

scorn can be washed away.

Below you will find the top 5 WoW

roleplaying misconceptions and the actualities behind them. Enjoy!

Top 5 WoW Roleplaying Misconceptions

Girls? What Girls?

We've all heard the line about there

being no real girls on the internet, especially when it comes to playing

games. Of course we know that this is simply not true. There

are plenty of the female gender on the internet and more than a few

of them are part of the gaming world. However, for some reason this

same stigma of no real girls gets applied to roleplaying in WoW as

well. People are often convinced that any female roleplayers are guys

acting.

The reality is yes, some female

characters may be guys playing the part. That is part of roleplaying.

However, there are just as many actual females out there roleplaying

as male characters. Why? Because they can. Roleplaying is all about

being creative, creating a really cool character and making them come

alive. For some this character may not be the same gender as they

are. There are no ulterior motives here, roleplayers are just looking

to tell a good story.

Roleplaying is an exercise in creative

thinking and both males and females take part in and enjoy it

equally. Check the forums and ask questions of roleplayers you

stumble across and you will be surprised to find how many roleplayers

are of the female persuasion. SO the next time you stumble across

that group of roleplayers and assume they are all male, you may want

to think again.

Rated X



If you have been playing World of

Warcraft for any extended period of time you have probably had that

one awkward moment where you have stumbled across roleplayers taking

part in some x-rated action. If you haven't experienced it yourself,

you've probably heard stories. While this type of roleplaying does

take place, the mistake most people make is to assume that this is

what roleplaying is all about.

alt="Goldshire Inn" />

This is simply not the case. Sure there

are roleplayers who do take part in this kind of thing, however,

there are many more who don't. I'll say it many times during this

article, roleplaying is all about creating a character and telling a

story. Some players feel that being intimate in their roleplaying is

essential to this, but others don't. Roleplayers are a diverse group

of people, just like everybody else and lumping them all into one

category is just bad juju. You never know what someone is actually

doing behind that keyboard and making assumptions is a dangerous

business.

No Other Skills

Another common misconception about

roleplayers is that they have no idea how to do anything besides

roleplay. They can't raid, they can't PvP, and they certainlly don't

know anything about their class. This is so far from the truth that

it is not even funny. While those that roleplay may not place as

heavy a focus on these things, they likely still enjoy doing them.

Just like you may prefer raiding, but still do a bit of PvP in your

spare time, roleplayers just enjoy another aspect of the game. Just

because someone roleplays does not mean they have given up every

other aspect of the game.

Elitist Jerks

One of the most unusual misconceptions

about roleplaying and those that take part in it is the idea that it

is a small circle that cannot be infiltrated. Somehow the idea has

blossomed that roleplayers are the snobs of World of Warcraft

admitting none but a small few. This, like the other misconceptions

listed here, is simply not true. While roleplayers may have their

preferred groups of friends, much like you may have your preferred

raid group or PvP group, anyone is really welcome. Log onto the

forums and jump right in or apply for a roleplaying based guild, you

will be pleasantly surprised to find most people very welcoming.

While there are of course a few bad apples in every bunch,

roleplayers are usually pretty pleased to take new people into the

fold. Each new person is just one step closer to being more widely

accepted in the WoW community.

Roleplaying Servers = Roleplaying Only

Roleplaying servers. Only good for one

thing....roleplaying. I mean, no one does anything else on themexcept

engage in hour after hour of roleplaying right? Wrong! After

so many years of World of Warcraft I am surprised this stigma isstill

alive and kicking, but it is. While roleplaying servers are a

great place for roleplaying and often don't tend to have as hardcoreof a

PvP or raiding community, these things still take place.

alt="Roleplaying Realm List" />

The communities on these servers are

just as excited about wiping out new bosses, experiencing newcontent, and

winning that PvP title as anyone else. How do I know

this? I play on a roleplaying server with many of my main toons and Idon't

roleplay. I am part of a raiding guild and also partake in some

mild PvP from time to time.

Also keep in mind, that roleplaying is

not just restricted to roleplaying servers. There are likely groupsof

roleplayers on just about every server out there. A roleplaying

realm just means that you are more likely to see it taking place outin the

open.

That wraps up our list of top 5 WoW

roleplaying misconceptions. There are many more assumptions players

make about roleplayers, most of which simply aren't true. In the end,

roleplaying is just about players enjoying the game, the same as

everyone else and that is ultimatly what WoW is all about. How do you

feel about roleplaying? Do you roleplay? What are some other common

misconceptions other players tend to have about roleplaying in World

of Warcraft? Share your thoughts with us using the comment section

below!