[MUD-Dev] story vs. screenplay

[Sean K]

On Tue, 5 Feb 2002, Nicholas E. Walker wrote:

> Continuing in the vein of previous posts, I'm just kind of tossing
> this idea out there.  I've been reading the "Advanced use of ..." 
> posts, and it reminded me of this thought I had about roleplaying
> specifically in terms of MUDs.
 
> Most people seem to roleplay in the style of a narrated story.
> They emote what they are feeling, but often try to limit the
> autonomy of the response of others.  Speech emits are embedded in
> lines of descriptive text.

Really?  I've never seen anyone roleplay this way.

> A lot of people consider this real or good roleplaying.

Those that roleplay this way do, I presume.

> But people don't talk like that.  People don't compose their
> thoughts and emotions in that way, and the only way people have to
> influence the thoughts/emotions of other people is through the way
> they act.. not through how they write prose.  Does this make any
> sense?

Certainly.  You're saying that people roleplay as if they are
writing a novel, when the descriptive text should be implicit in the
roleplaying experience (aside from emotive description, of course).

> I've come to enjoy reading screenplays as much as any other form
> of writing.  Reading them is almost a refreshing difference from
> reading story-prose.  It requires directing the movie in one's own
> mind.

But screenplays geenerally work better acted than read.
"Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead," for example.  The dialogue in
that is really more effective performed than read.

> Any thoughts on this?

Just that I'm not sure where you've been MUDding to find these
people, but I'm glad I haven't stumbled across them :)

Sean

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