Parenthetically speaking

[RP is dead]

[Yeah, I know, it's not new news, just a re-confirmation of old news]

((You see, I've been back in the MMO space lately))

((And after a few days, I've come to realize that being on an RP server doesn't mean that you'll actually see people roleplaying))

{it means that when players chat on public channels, they go through the extra effort of signaling that they are OOC}

{that's "out of character" for you non-gamers}

(Usually, this signal is a parenthetical device such as {} or ())

{It says: anything I say inside these lines should not represent as being from my character}

{Because you know, my character has no idea what the Super Bowl is or why Borat should win an Oscar, nor does yours. So just ignore everything in here. I'm speaking to you, the dude at the keyboard.}

((When you think about it, it's an interesting phenomenon. The community has found a way to break character while at least showing that you're giving the whole RP thing an earnest effort. Combine this with an avatar's animated ability to sit down and you've got yourself a truly immersive realm.))

((::sarcasm::))

{Damn, these {} things are annoying.}