Bringing RP to Google+
Originally published at The Preternatural Post. Please leave any comments there.
You may have heard that users are more satisfied with the Google+ experience than with Facebook. That may be true for the “real” user. We wondered if it also applied to RPers using Google+.
As we initially reported, Google+ was not any more friendly to role players than Facebook was. Many characters had their Google+ profiles deleted and, while the outcry from folks like William Shatner and other celebrities with well-known and recognized pseudonyms forced Google to rethink their policy, the damage may have been done. Many RPers declined to get overly involved on the fledgling social network.
Time, as the say, heals all wounds and the simple fact that so many role play characters use Gmail made us curious…is there RP happening on Google+? And if there is, what form is it taking?
What you can’t do on Google+
As outlined in the Google+ Policies & Principles, there are some things you can’t do on Google+ that role players should be aware of. These include: impersonation or deceptive behavior, sharing sexually explicit material, violent or bullying behavior and anything that exploits children. Unfortunately for those who do not role play or understand what RP is these restrictions leave a lot of room for RPers to get into trouble with Google+.
What you can do with Google+
Aside from the “not Facebook” angle why would a role player want to consider Google+ as a platform for their RP
Hangouts are a big draw for many Google+ users. They aren’t quite as popular among RPers simply because we don’t look or sound like the characters we play, particularly if we are playing a canon character from a film of television series. Older role players and those who came of age playing Dungeons and Dragons with dice will point out that generations have participated in RPGs without looking or sounding like their characters. Similarly those involved with LARPS will point out you don’t have to be a canon character to have fun. Both are correct. Yet for many role players online their character is tied to a playby not their own.
Of course you don’t have to use a Hangout to RP. In fact, many role players connect in chats and via instant messengers to discuss SLs and other issues. Hangouts could be very useful for those types of discussions presuming, of course that you don’t mind having other people see and hear the real you. And that is the risk inherent with all Google+ Hangouts.
Google+, like Facebook, allows users to create both Pages and Circles (groups). their Page categories are somewhat broader and not as well-defined as Facebook’s, however the Pages appear to have functionality very similar to that of individual profiles on Google+ Circles are far more intuitive and easy to use than Facebook’s Groups. In fact, Circles may be the most useful Google+ feature for role players because it allows them to create a Circle for individuals involved in a particular RP family or SL and fans.
As great (or not great) as Google+ and Facebook are (or could be) they share one common flaw. Neither was designed or developed with RP and role players in mind. This isn’t a bad thing. Real people need places to be real together. If you are going to role play on them you are going to face issues and challenges, be they adapting your character and SLs to the environment or risk losing everything and all the connections you’ve made because you aren’t “real” by some large company’s definition. Only you, and your characters, can decide.