Forums » RP Discussion » Is sci-fi dead?

...None of that is what I was saying, so I'll also retract from this. My point has been missed.

One amendment: Keep in mind, saying someone is uneducated in an area is different than calling them "stupid". Their level of education and their IQ are distinctly separate, especially when talking in a singular field of intelligence. Nobody was called stupid. Under-education = / = Stupid. We have a world full of Educated Idiots. Yes, I did say it was easier to be lazy in the area, but that was off of words everyone else was already inferring.

... and then I had an epiphany of sorts. Sci-fi is not a dying genre. Here is why we're probably seeing so many fantasy RPs compared to sci-fi ones here, however:

The RPR, for the most part, seems to get traffic from three distinct areas-- Furcadia, being the biggest of the three I will mention, World of Warcraft, and The Elder Scrolls fandom. Now then, I'll hazard to guess that the Furcadians hail from The Golden Tether dream or Imaginarium-- or both. These two distinct places do, from what I've inferred, predominantly house fantasy-based settings with very little in the way of science-fiction. There ARE some Sci-fi dreams in Imagin, along with some modern ones, but a lot of the dreams there are fantasy.

As for the TGT, although I have only been there once, I presume it is rather fantasy-based from the characters I've seen that belong to that guild that are hosted here.


As for World of Warcraft, which I have only seen but not played, it is ALSO rather fantasy based. I understand that there may be things like canons and fantasy-esque guns (and apparently some alien races?), but it isn't heavy-science-fiction either. Fantasy still prevails there.


And then we have TES, which is also HIGHLY fantasy-based in races and culture and as popular on here as Furcadia and WoW.


Thus we have a high influx of fantasy-based characters, players who love that sort of setting, and people who want to roleplay in them. I wouldn't quite say any of this is a matter of "lazy players who like lazy or not-have-to-think-as-hard-settings" or "which setting is easier to play" or anything like that. We just have that high influx, and that's probably why there are fewer sci-fi topics than fantasy ones in the Roleplay boards.

To add onto Copper's comment, some of us are also from tK and CC. Those settings are really different from anything you guys have here, we're basically an 'anything goes' type of crowd. We take what people throw at us and work with it. I think this attitude fits in with more of the fantasy threads, which might be why you're not seeing a lot of posts in the sci fi ones.

I don't really think it's a dead genre, several people on here have spoken about how much they like sci fi. Maybe it's just because I'm not very picky, but I don't really have a problem with having a demi god, an alien and a werewolf all interacting with each other in the same place. I enjoy that sort of 'just go with it' type of rp, but it seems like a lot of people prefer things to be more structured.

I think that might be where the divide really is, people that prefer structured rp where everything is set up and the world setting has rules (for lack of a better word) and people who just want to play fast and loose. You can have both types in either fantasy or sci fi.

I don't think it makes either style lazy, just different. If we were all the same rp would be boring

Also Minerva, I know what a Karura Ebon is. Do I get a cookie?

I'm sorry Minerva, you say what Kim pointed out - that in your eyes we're stupid or lazy - isn't your point, but I'm unable to read anything else in your post. You make assumptions that none of us put effort into our settings because we want to throw something together quickly, or that we're intimidated by something that is out of boxes. I'd like to correct you on that.

I'm not lazy for wanting to put together a simple fantasy setting. I want my roleplay to be accessible for a larger audience, who can easily relate to it, where the setting doesn't require reading up and studying 5 pages of text before they can even begin to think of which character could possibly fit in the setting. Players involved in my roleplay need to feel like they can join and relax, rather than doing a chore of studying something they aren't even sure of will fit with their wants. Every time they type up a post, it needs to be able to flow without having to take breaks to look up references or double check if it's possible. This is not laziness, to me roleplay should not be a chore but something fun that doesn't always require a novel of information on a setting.

Being unfamiliar with the common traditions, objects and so forth in a Sci-Fi setting can really ruin it. Do you enjoy being thrown into the deep without information, or with a thick book of technical jargon that doesn't make sense to you, feels alien to you? Does that enable you to participate in the roleplay with 100% enthusiasm? I hope that if it does, you can manage to understand that you're an exception as most people seem very turned off by it, rather than intimidated. Again, it would become a chore rather than fun.

I like simple fantasy settings because it helps me focus on my characters. Starting with a simple setting allows me to work from a base where my character can dynamically develop and grow, discover new things that make the setting more complex and adding to it at later points to match what has been happening. I can take existing references from medieval times, such as jobs, buildings, communities, stereotypes and either incorporate them into my setting, or give them a twist while doing so. Simple does not equal lazy.

I'm really not uneducated or too slow to understand most of the things in the realm of Sci-Fi. I'm also not intimidated by it. It's unfamiliar territory though, because I've never been overly immersed in the whole genre and I have a hard time figuring out what is normal in related settings, what kind of pieces the setting exists of. To me it's just a vague idea that hasn't taken a firm shape. Sci-Fi doesn't draw me in as much as it should for me to justify spending precious time studying it. If Sci-Fi was my kind of thing, don't you think I would have worked really hard to get into the setting? My interest in it is low, therefore my motivation to get to know it is low as well. It being largely unknown is what makes it difficult to learn it, but I wouldn't call that intimidation.

I haven't seen anybody say or imply they're lazy or intimidated. Something being easier and choosing that does not mean you're a couch potato who doesn't want to put effort into anything else, and choosing not to spend time on learning new things when it doesn't interest you doesn't equal intimidation. That is the conclusion you drew from it, but not what anyone here means.

Honestly, I really had to reign my temper as well while reading your post as well. You make an awful lot of assumptions about what people are implying in their posts, creating a chain reaction where people retaliate your arguments by defending themselves as they feel insulted or targeted. It wasn't really necessary for the discussion to take this turn and have multiple people withdraw because of misinterpretations.

I really, really urge everyone to never assume someone's intention and base arguments on them. There is a huge difference between saying "People were implying in other posts they are lazy or intimidated" and "It was my perception that people were saying they are lazy or intimidated". The former causes frictions, the latter causes corrections. Even if you intended for the latter's meaning, it's not perceived as such.

Be wary with statements like "sci-fi always intimidates lazy people easier than it does the devout." as well. Don't present it as a fact, present it as an opinion because that's what it is. "In my observations it seems like lazy people are more easily intimidated than the devout" sounds a whole lot better, doesn't it?

The discussion was very fun until now, and I want to make clear to everyone, not just you Minerva, that one's phrasing can really turn things for the worst by presenting your arguments in a wrong light. I considered sending you the last part of this post in a PM, but I feel it's important for everyone to know how you can debate without causing conflict. You're a very fun person to talk to and debate with, and I don't think less of you, but your phrasing leaves me frustrated and unsure whether I was just insulted or not. I'd like to have discussions with you in the future and I want you to feel comfortable expressing yourself, positive or negative thoughts, but if it will be a repeat of this thread it won't be fun for anyone.

So... yeah. I don't intend to cause more conflict, but if this post angers people let me know and I'll delete it.

...Okay, now it is the first time I've experienced real disappointment with this site's management. Thus far I've been repeatedly misquoted for calling people "stupid" (the statement was undereducated in a specific area--and every single person is undereducated in some area of life), by the moderators and one in particular is continuing on it. Nor did I target anyone specific on this site, I spoke in the general terms of RPers; if anyone felt themselves guilty that wasn't directed at them. I named no names and pointed no fingers. Worse, this individual stood up for someone saying they were sick of werewolves for being cliche and this that and the other thing with clearly meanspirited intent, even joined in on the thread, and then later said "Well it can be hard to construe tone through text". ...And now I'm badgered by quoting things that I never even said, as if I said them that harshly.

...And I'm ostracized for making a thread unfun for being misunderstood and misquoted? =/ I understand my views conflict with yours, but in as much you weren't the only ones offended. The very idea that fantasy is that much easier by default because of your perception of fantasy ruffled my feathers too.

That's my last post on this thread. Period. Probably last post on much of anything for a while, if again.

And therein lies the rub, with communicating like this. Eighty percent of human communications are tone of voice, body language, and facial expression. What one says in jest could be taken wrongly by five people. What one says angrily could be taken in jest by ten people. This format of communications only sees the phrasing and actual words, not tone of voice, body language, and facial expression.

I'm extremely well read in history and literature. Could I sit and try to work out astro-physics without wanting stab something? Not at all. But could an astro-physicist sit and want to read a book about Waterloo or Yorktown without getting extremely frustrated? I think probably not. Could an average roleplayer sit and read fifteen articles about the kind of limitations there are on faster than light travel, rather than knowing they could find fifteen about how fast a horse can move at a forced march?

I don't think it's about stupidity or laziness at all. "Work smarter, not harder." Is how I work, in school and whenever I can find a job involving physicality. Why sit and read through fifteen articles about space travel, full of hard to understand terms, leading to more articles, when one could find three or four articles about horses?

I'm not taking sides, as arguing over the Internet is like fighting a war. Even if you win, you still lose. But both sides have legitimate points in their favor, and that's what makes participating worth it, if one can refrain from getting angry. Seeing what other people think, in clear and defined terms. It's better than reading an article and then the comments along the lines of "lol u suk", or "no u suk".

You made me wish there was a "like" button on here for that statement. This thread became less and less about whether sci-fi was dead or not and more about arguing. I don't think sci-fi is dead, but if you look at the trend in genres right now it's not the "cool" thing to do for those that are younger and newer to rp. There aren't a ton of "sci-fi" anything right now. But there are still some of us who would love a good sci-fi rp, currently I have no created character for one so while I read and enjoy the forums I can't participate. In time all things tend to trend back around, for those frustrated with lack of participation or simply worried about the genre give it a bit more time. You'll see.