[devbent]

The other major difference is that table top gaming is a constrained environment where one is allowed to act socially different than normal, and mistakes at the table are left at the table.

Players are allowed to play someone with a completely different personality, and spend extended amounts of time stepping into someone else's head and thinking how someone different would act.

There aren't any other situations in life where you can take someone socially awkward and say "ok now act really charismatic" and then, w/o judgement, that person spends 2 or 3 hours a week for months on end trying to figure out what a charismatic person would say and do.

[voltaireodactyl]

Acting is very similar and has a similarly motivated crowd fwiw.