Google has an experimental feature this month only in their webmaster Search Console called content suggestions that suggests content for websites based on their subject. Under the "Role-playing" category, it suggested a topic about "Does role playing count as cheating?" which I thought was an interesting question. As roleplayers on Star Army, most of whom are very seasoned at this point, we're usually pretty good at keeping IC and OOC separate - so within our community we don't have too many issues about confusing our thoughts with the character's actions and thoughts. But I guess this question is within the context of relationships with your significant other. Is it "cheating" to engage your character in NFSW ERP with the character of another roleplayer that's not your partner?
My first reaction is the highbrow thought is that the player behind the character isn't important in the context of RP, like it doesn't matter if the person playing my character girlfriend is male or female RP, and that because it's strictly in-character, it's not a real-world thing and isn't going to damage your relationship IRL. But then I think, or is it? And I think on the days I used to run the raunchy YSS Sakura plot with its explicit dare lottery parties and so on, and then after I met my wife I basically stopped all ERP. Why did I stop? Was it because I had access to physical intimacy in the non-imaginary world? Or did I just grow out of it? I think it's probably because I didn't really ask my wife if she was alright with doing ERPs because the subject is a little embarrassing. I also think of there's been a couple of times were an NSFW scene would have be great, but I didn't want to make things weird OOC.
Overall, it's not the approval of other RPers here we need to ask but rather the approval of our partners. At some point you gotta define what is and isn't considered cheating in your relationship, delineate the boundaries clearly and then adhere to those. So if anyone who found this by Google is reading this, that's my opinion and I'm sure there will be some great replies below to read as well.
What do you guys think about it?
My first reaction is the highbrow thought is that the player behind the character isn't important in the context of RP, like it doesn't matter if the person playing my character girlfriend is male or female RP, and that because it's strictly in-character, it's not a real-world thing and isn't going to damage your relationship IRL. But then I think, or is it? And I think on the days I used to run the raunchy YSS Sakura plot with its explicit dare lottery parties and so on, and then after I met my wife I basically stopped all ERP. Why did I stop? Was it because I had access to physical intimacy in the non-imaginary world? Or did I just grow out of it? I think it's probably because I didn't really ask my wife if she was alright with doing ERPs because the subject is a little embarrassing. I also think of there's been a couple of times were an NSFW scene would have be great, but I didn't want to make things weird OOC.
Overall, it's not the approval of other RPers here we need to ask but rather the approval of our partners. At some point you gotta define what is and isn't considered cheating in your relationship, delineate the boundaries clearly and then adhere to those. So if anyone who found this by Google is reading this, that's my opinion and I'm sure there will be some great replies below to read as well.
What do you guys think about it?