The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.

Role-playing games are contests in which the players usually cooperate as a group to achieve a common goal rather than compete to eliminate one another from play.... Role games ... bring players together in a mutual effort.

When AI approximates Machine Intelligence, then many online and computer-run RPGs will move towards actual RPG activity. Nonetheless, that will not replace the experience of 'being there,' any more than seeing a theatrical motion picture can replace the stage play.

Of course as children, we all, in all cultures and societies, learn behavior from observation, imitation, and encouragement of various kinds. So by the suggestion made, we all 'pretend' most of the time.

When you master role-playing [gaming], you become immersed in an activity that is peerless among leisure-time pursuits.

I hated school, didn't like the discipline.

There's a call to adventure. It's something in the inner psyche of humanity, particularly males.