How "real" do you consider the Cantr world to be?

[Cdls]

Reality is quite subjective, and I am curious as to how "real" the players view the Cantr world to be. Considering the connection many have with their characters (emotionally) there is certainly argument to show there is something there.

Anyways, I am interested to hear what everyone has to say before throwing anything out myself. So go for it, discuss!

[Diego]

Not at all real, but it makes sense that I think that, seeing how I view reality as quite objective, and I view emotional connections as having the legitimacy of, say, butterscotch.

[Indigo]

For me, Cantr is as real as an interesting book. While I'm reading, my mind doves deeply in the story, feeling it as if it was real. Words dissapear in front of my eyes, and I can see the images in my mind. But when I close the book, the story is just that... a story.
Cantr works in the same way for me. When I'm playing, I'm totally dived in what's happening. I can even feel what my chars are feeling. But when I stop playing, my chars are only that.... chars.

It wasn't always that way, though. I learnt it after some... hurting experiences, getting too attached to my chars.

But that's just my point of view.

[Doug R.]

What Indigo said, verbatim.

[SekoETC]

It kinda feels as if the characters were going on with their lives even when the game was locked. I probably know Cantr better than I know my home country. IRL you only get one life to live so you can't explore as much. Sometimes it helps in real life if I think about one of my characters who would deal with a situation better than me. I sort of absorb the role and it might change the way I carry myself or how I talk or my facial expressions.

[EchoMan]

Not at all earth-like, but non the less real. From my years of pen & paper RPG's I have kind of a vivid imagination, and I kind of play all my characters events as a movie in my head.

[nateflory]

What Indigo said, verbatim.

Ditto, what Doug refered to, and Indigo said far better than I would have. In the midst of awesome times, the green fades away and the words are mental images. Then, I'm back to real-life to appreciate the story-journey my characters are taking.

[Addicted]

Not at all earth-like, but non the less real. From my years of pen & paper RPG's I have kind of a vivid imagination, and I kind of play all my characters events as a movie in my head.

Same. The cantr world is nothing like my own world, yet in one sense it's very real to me, but with it's own idiosyncrasies and textures. It doesn't translate to my own life. But with my imagination running on full, everyone has a voice, a walk and a look. One town in particular, I know the layout, the shape and size of the buildings, even the number of steps between them. The road is over on a hill, with long grass on the far side. The well, the fields, everything is in my minds eye. I see my characters carrying out the work in detail, but sometimes it's hard as I have no idea how to in real life, so I find out. I can smell the popcorn and grilling meat and hear the waves. Every now and then I look up from my computer and think - I'm deaf, the sounds have stopped. Then I get caught up again and hear the voices in my head....

Um, do I need an intervention?

[mojomuppet]

No, I know several towns this well. Even what some of the vehicles look like.

[masterekat]

What Indigo said, verbatim.

I third this. There's so much more freedom when playing Cantr than in real life, and that makes it almost more "real" to me than Earth. I plan these goals out for my characters, but I don't have to worry about what society thinks about them or about fitting into the mold or about having money and paying bills.

Its like I can live life, yet not be constrained by my body. I still need to look through the eyes of my character when playing each one individually, but as a player I can experience this world without being constrained to one single place or set of friends and goals. I really like that about Cantr. I think playing Cantr (among other things) helps me see outside of myself and my own perceptions and be more open-minded and willing to experience new things in real life.

[Alladinsane]

Its almost a crime to follow such a detailed post with:

"Exactly what Indigo said"


Hopefully I can resume my life of crime shortly

[Chaos]

Almost exactly what Indigo said?

I do see Cantr very much the way she described it, but at the same time, I'm always considering the options. The 'what if's' if you will, and the ways that different reactions would inspire different reactions. The first character that I really enjoyed playing was quite manipulative, so I learned to look at the game in terms of what a character's responses could achieve. And with that particular character- it was simple, she did what she had to do to get what she wanted.

With most of my other characters, it doesn't work out the same way. If I play Character Two, sometimes the reaction that would give Two what he wants (and thus make my role playing incredibly interesting) isn't a very Two-ish thing to do. In those cases.. I sort of write them down- I'll write a page of what I imagine would come to follow Two not acting quite like himself. Once I've satisfied my own curiosity on the matter with my assumptions on how things would go- I role play Two having the reaction that does actually suit his character, though it may be the less interesting one from my playing perspective. I suppose it helps me keep my characters true to themselves while indulging my curiosity.

So I suppose I see cantr quite a bit like a script, and improvising happens.

[Abe]

I fifth or sixth Indigo. Not too diverse opinions in this thread.
I have to say though that local interpersonal drama is not my cup of tea. I (but not necessarily my characters) tend to find history and global events much more interesting.

[Arenti]

Wasn't there a thread like this one already?

[Cdls]

Wasn't there a thread like this one already?

I tried a search, didn't come up with anything. And if you are gonna post something like that, it would be appreciated if you would bother to actually post a link to where it may be....

Anywas, BOT...

Seems there are a couple differing POV's but that the general consensus (thus far) is that Cantr is real enough in the players mind while they are playing?


My personal thoughts on this are as follows:

The Cantr world is real enough, not like our own physical world, but real nonetheless. I would liken it to the movie Avatar, where Jake (that was his name?) had his consciousness placed in the alien being. He experienced what that being experienced and lived life through that perspective. For those who saw the movie, the results were quite clear. (I tried to keep it as generalized as possible to avoid spoilers)

As in that movie, we give consciousness to our characters, some more so than others (and some not at all) but the link is still there.

The fact that we cannot visit this world, the fact that it does not physically exist...does it make it any less real?