Gatekeeping in RP

[cmohr]

I have been a long time roleplayer. From D&D to Ark to DayZ, I've done it all. One thing I've noticed in my time while playing these games, is that, without fail, there is always a select few that gate-keeps any sort of meaningful roleplay. The biggest example I can think of is in streaming. The RP community always follows the streamers, and they pick and choose the games that they play. Many of these servers require you to be a streamer or within some inner circle to play. This is understandable to a certain degree, especially when you're streaming you would want to regulate the type of people that you interact with, but I believe it is a part of a bigger problem. Even in servers like this, and many other smaller communities, if you aren't a veteran of the server then you aren't included in RP. On this server alone I've had multiple run ins with people that will either straight up ignore you or try to make the interaction as short as possible. Half of my interactions on this server are the typical "Hey, my name is *blank*, do you need anything? No? Okay well I better be on my way". To me, this is the biggest problem in the online RP community. If you aren't apart of someone's inner circle or ideal storyline, they will do everything in their power to exclude you. I'm not saying everyone does this, I've had some great interactions with people that are very inclusive and are great roleplayers, but regardless I think it's still a problem. There isn't really a great solution that I can think of to fix things like this, but I think it's a good point of discussion. 

[Brayces]

Don't stream when you play DayZRP unless you're a LM or above doing events. Why? Because it always leads to salt, and meta. Like ALWAYS. If not, then people will meta where you are to show up and do silly things just to get on stream. Seen it happen a lot of times, specially to bigger streamers. *Sighs in PsiSyn situation*

Record and edit your gameplay for YouTube instead. More organic and less hassle that way!

In saying that, since barely anyone streams DayZRP that isn't a LM or above we don't have issues where people follow streamers in order to be in their inner circle but I have seen this happen in other communities though. People will interject themselves or float around a streamer in order to get noticed and included in the narrative and push away people they don't care for. But, I don't think the people you are running into IG are streamers that are ignoring you. Judging by the IG Climate, they're just wary of newcomers who they don't know and don't want to get caught up in a robbery or hostile situation perhaps. Can't say for sure though! But if someone is actively ignoring you, or runs off to log out that can be considered Avoiding RP and you may wanna send them a DM nicely asking if they were in a rush or perhaps there was some other reason to why they didn't want to RP.

[Para]

Cliques are in fact an issue in dayzrp and lead to a lot of OOC tension between groups. Sadly, it's something difficult to actually deal with without drowning it out as people will naturally gravitate to RP'ing with those they consider friends or those that their group goals directly influence.

[Blakeh08]

I agree to this to an extent.

If you are not a veteran in this server or have any RP storyline with them or friends with them oocly, some of the avoiding RP situations do prove it on this server and I do have to say after my years of rping game to game, community to community this one is based on luck if you can get decent RP from being solo and branch your storyline, but I am talking from experience here some people will either be the same boat as me or another boat.

For an average solo player who is either new or is just the average player here normally goes like: Log on, walk around either deep into the map or the coast, see people, talk with them, they either say they need to get going, ask to follow along, 50/50 if they say yes or no. 

I do agree on some people should be more inclusive cause you can have good RP and possibly be great friends oocly, that is a reason why I don't want base building back is well but that is another topic for another day.