I had a conversation about that last week with @LunaticLeviTheSecond , I think @Madilnel, @sunflower.flow and a few other radlads in the lime grove rp chat
So I got intrigued and it got me wondering, what do the rest of you think?
I see it more as writing with other people 
Every character moves the story along
I would almost see it as written acting. You could call it ‘playing pretent’ but I also think there is more to it than just playing
yes, i think brooke made a thread similar to this one
When you generally think of roleplaying, that’s basically what it is, but there’s so much more to it. I consider it as writing, just like writing a story except it isn’t one person that calls the shots.
It’s building the skill of writing and learning how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It strengthens our passion for creating a story and our motivation. It’s so much more than playing pretend.
I agree with @Meekepeek, it does seem more like acting… which can be tied to playing pretend; however, I consider it as just plain writing. For me, it’s being able to create a story for one character and develop them with others. “Playing pretend” doesn’t really seem like it for me because when I’m writing, I don’t even notice I’m pretending and it’s more like giving life to my own creation.
You put it so beautifully I can’t add more to make it correct for me or most RPers
it’s almost like acting with words. just like acting, you can do a ‘one men/women show’ (solo writing) or you can have opponents which is what rp’ing is really in my eyes. it’s like acting with other people or writing with other people, which gives it a more natural- and dynamic feeling.
which one’s which
Open for interpretation 
Sort of. It’s more like writing though. You sorta go into the mindset of your character and goes through certain situations you might not have before. I feel like it could be acting in a way but without a script. It’s just like improv acting.
In a way, I would say yes. I see RPing like how I would play with dolls with a friend, which could be considered playing pretend. Its like playing pretend in a way and acting, along with writing. You have to get into your character’s mindset, and as a situation occurs come up with their reaction on the spot. So in a way, yes it is. Its not just playing pretend, but it is an element of it.
Added tags too
I mean, isn’t it? Essentially? Like what’s playing pretend if it isn’t assuming a role of a character and then acting out what they would do in the world that you placed them in? And like isn’t Rping exactly that, except you act it out through writing? (I mean live action roleplaying does exist, which is essentially exactly playing pretend) So yeah, if anything, RPing is just an extension of playing pretend
I don’t know. I don’t think it is unless you’re writing in the first person. Whereas, writing in the third, for me it’s writing their story.
I suppose the difference between my view and yours would be that your characters are separate entities in your head, (which reminds me i needa repsond to your response to the ftd chat thread but the total replies are over 1000 and i have no motivation to read all o that :’) ) and so you view it as telling their story whilst in my case, sure they’re separate people, but it’s more so like I put on a mask to become them, rather than them telling me how their story will play out or me being an onlooker
That’s a really good way to explain it, because that’s pretty much like how it feels to me.
Ooh good, I didn’t know if it really made any sense or not 
but yeah idk the line between the character and me isn’t as separate as it seems to be with Cali and that’s all I’m sure of