Anonymous 
Hey everyone! I’ve been browsing the forums reading through some old posts about being a kid in CD and wanted to add my 2 cents. I’ve been playing in CD for 3 months now, so I’m a newbie compared to many of the kid and adult characters who have been in CD since its inception. As I read through the forums I got the feeling that there was some contention about kids in CD especially in Hathian proper and about the quality of the kid rp. I want to share my experiences on coming to CD as kid and as a relatively new Rper compared to most people in CD (I’ve been rping for 5 months – 3months in CD). Also maybe my experiences and what I’ve learned from those experiences can help new kid characters in CD. Below are a few of my thoughts:
1. Playing a child is hard. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, this is some very challenging RP. When I created Sunhi, a 16 year old kid who was abandoned by her parents, I had no idea what I was getting into. Even a teen is so very different from an adult that you really have to understand how a child thinks and sees the world. Teens are not adults; they don’t act like adults and they don’t think like adults. So that I could improve my rp I decided to do some research on human development so that I could find out how the teen mind works. That research has paid off tremendously and has allowed me to develop better storylines while playing in CD.
2. When I first arrived in CD it was a lonely place. It was very difficult to create relationships and sustain storylines with other players. Because of the challenges of playing a child and having difficulty finding others who were willing to rp with me on a consistent basis, I nearly stopped playing my character in CD and would often be on other sims. Thanks to players like Vlad, Buffy, Paige, Berry, Sarah and others, I was able to move my storyline forward and start to get involved more. A matter of fact, if it wasn’t for Berry hiring me to sell drugs I would probably not be in CD right now, because that one storyline allowed me a wide range of interaction with others. Also, one of the things that I discovered was that getting involved with the hospital rp was very beneficial in establishing relationships. That’s actually how I met Paige, Sarah and Dr. Cross and although I am not as involved in their storylines I was able to use that rp to jumpstart other relationships. But many new players just give up and leave CD because while the sim is filled with people it is very difficult to get into the club so to speak. I had two friends come to CD as adults and they left shortly thereafter because they said it was difficult to find others willing to rp with them. That takes me to my next experience.
3. It’s all about relationships. One of the most important things that I have learned in CD is that roleplaying is not just about story plot lines, it is about your character’s relationship with other characters in CD. Establishing and maintaining IC relationships in CD has been vital to creating a myriad of story possibilities for my character. I have been very fortunate to be involved in a family rp with two very experienced long-time rpers. It is because of Lake and Tony that I have been able to take my character in directions that I did not imagine when I first arrived in CD. For kid characters new to CD it is absolutely necessary to establish relationships with other characters that are complex and in-depth. Failure to do this will limit your rp possibilities.
4. If you’re a kid, your character’s personality development will be impacted by other characters and your character’s experience. According to my research, even teenagers do not have a fully developed personality. When I first arrived in CD, Sun was a timid sweet kid even though she often said things that were inappropriate. A matter of fact Sun was a pacifist. But after certain types of experiences she developed into someone who could be nasty, mean and even started selling drugs to support herself. She even got into fights which was against what she believed before. But because of her environment she had to toughen up. It was only after she was taken in by Tony that she began to slowly change and her new relationship with Lake is changing her further. My point is that my IC relationships are changing my character and that is bringing even more fun to the game.
5. It takes time and effort. It took me 2 months before I could begin to really develop relationships with others that were more than just seeing them twice a month. So many IC relationships fell by the wayside because players had become busy on other sims so I would find myself looking to create new relationships all the time in the beginning. I have found that in order to really have the opportunity to have some good quality and sustained rp, you have to establish at least a few IC relationships with players who are in CD at least a few times a week. And you really need at least a few storylines going at the same time. That’s been my experience. (side note, this freaking post is really long lol I didn’t mean for it to be this long – one last point)
6. Boredom is a part of RL and SL, when it happens, just log off. Playing a kid can become boring sometimes, it’s just a fact. That’s why I have an adult alt that I play when not much is happening with Sun. The reality is that it’s simply not possible to have drama going on all day, everyday with any character. A matter of fact if there is drama all day everyday with your character it might become boring or even draining.
And since my little note has become a freaking dissertation, I am going to shut up now. LoL I would love to hear what others have to say about their experiences playing a kid in CD.
