Do you keep GTA World a secret from your friends / family?

[KFN]

I've played voice rp with my friends and we've gotten banned on all 4 servers we tried, needless to say I don't need them coming over here.

[Stiggz]

My sister has recently been watching twitch streams of people roleplaying in GTA, voice RP exclusively, and asked me if I did it. I explained GTA world for a bit, she said she thought it sounded boring. I guess I can totally understand though, when I first found roleplaying I thought it was boring until I started getting more into it. 

[Pillsbury]

Ill be honest;

I use to be super embarrassed throughout my childhood, worrying some of my classmates to find my YouTube channel. Even had one of my closest friends at the time, when I uploaded a video go, "No one wants to see those crap kind of videos" - it ruined me, made me feel like I couldn't express the games I actually like to play. I've never been a COD Kid, or random kind of games - frankly, my entire childhood has involved around going to school and then coming back home and playing either SAMP/Now GTA V. 

My family always knew I played online and RP'ed as a police officer, they didn't mind much - I was just the kid in the family playing video games. However after years of hiding and not wanting to show anyone, or tell anyone what I play - just going "GTA Online" - i've become open with it and after years I realized how much RP did for me- built me as a person and made me be responsible for things, if I wasn't responsible? Couldn't do what I wanted - i;e, RP a cop. When I realized a lot of these "Management" skills I had and built over the years, came from these RP Communities? I started to embrace it. My first "real" job per say - I used a lot of the skills I learned over time administrating servers, owning my own FiveM server and then the skills from GTA World - to work better for myself and show others what I can do. I started being able to properly write, read, studying law, started slowing things down and opening my eyes to a bigger picture of life. 

Once I realized that these skills I was learning from a VIDEO GAME was helping me in real life? I've become open as ever for it. I don't go around and brag to random people that I play a GTA RP Community and am the Head of Admins, but my friends occasionally ask how things are going - and are supportive and open to the idea of why I like to play this game.

My overall tldr? Don't feel embarrassed or "stupid" because you play a game only a small majority of the world plays. We all know GTA RP is not Call of Duty, nor Battlefield with millions and millions of players - however we are a group of players and "gamers" that want to enjoy ourselves and feel comfortable with what we are doing. If someone asks what you do on GTA? Be honest, flex on it if you can - make it seem like the coolest thing in the world, because frankly? The things we can do on these servers, are something a lot of people wish they could be doing. A lot of people hate GTA Online, but never knew there was something like what we have to be able to actually have fun. 

Not a lot of people are going to understand, and it's going to be okay. A lot of my friends that use to pick on me for the things I do online, are now begging for me to show them on how to play, get involved and now want me to teach them all of what I know and my experiences over these years. 

People don't realize it, but because we keep our standards so high, people actually learn off this game - people physically gain knowledge they never knew before. Think of the guys who run Government? Judicial? They gain such a vast knowledge of the United States Judicial System and how our law works - some of those people? I guarantee never would of thought they could learn that much, in such a short amount of time. 

I've also embraced over time that the people online here have always had the same worries as me, some of us never want to speak about this stuff over embarrassment - over the worry of being judged, looked frowned upon - but honestly? You should all be proud of yourselves for the work and dedication you put into something, you have the heart to do it, the mindset to do it - and I honestly say this with passion; a lot of us are smarter then you perceive yourself or of what people think of you. Think of everything you have done for RP communities - the vast knowledge and facts that you have obtained and now are able to speak for;

Thanks for listening to my rant. 
 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Pillsbury

[Tennplugg]

7 hours ago, Pillsbury said:

Ill be honest;

I use to be super embarrassed throughout my childhood, worrying some of my classmates to find my YouTube channel. Even had one of my closest friends at the time, when I uploaded a video go, "No one wants to see those crap kind of videos" - it ruined me, made me feel like I couldn't express the games I actually like to play. I've never been a COD Kid, or random kind of games - frankly, my entire childhood has involved around going to school and then coming back home and playing either SAMP/Now GTA V. 

My family always knew I played online and RP'ed as a police officer, they didn't mind much - I was just the kid in the family playing video games. However after years of hiding and not wanting to show anyone, or tell anyone what I play - just going "GTA Online" - i've become open with it and after years I realized how much RP did for me- built me as a person and made me be responsible for things, if I wasn't responsible? Couldn't do what I wanted - i;e, RP a cop. When I realized a lot of these "Management" skills I had and built over the years, came from these RP Communities? I started to embrace it. My first "real" job per say - I used a lot of the skills I learned over time administrating servers, owning my own FiveM server and then the skills from GTA World - to work better for myself and show others what I can do. I started being able to properly write, read, studying law, started slowing things down and opening my eyes to a bigger picture of life. 

Once I realized that these skills I was learning from a VIDEO GAME was helping me in real life? I've become open as ever for it. I don't go around and brag to random people that I play a GTA RP Community and am the Head of Admins, but my friends occasionally ask how things are going - and are supportive and open to the idea of why I like to play this game.

My overall tldr? Don't feel embarrassed or "stupid" because you play a game only a small majority of the world plays. We all know GTA RP is not Call of Duty, nor Battlefield with millions and millions of players - however we are a group of players and "gamers" that want to enjoy ourselves and feel comfortable with what we are doing. If someone asks what you do on GTA? Be honest, flex on it if you can - make it seem like the coolest thing in the world, because frankly? The things we can do on these servers, are something a lot of people wish they could be doing. A lot of people hate GTA Online, but never knew there was something like what we have to be able to actually have fun. 

Not a lot of people are going to understand, and it's going to be okay. A lot of my friends that use to pick on me for the things I do online, are now begging for me to show them on how to play, get involved and now want me to teach them all of what I know and my experiences over these years. 

People don't realize it, but because we keep our standards so high, people actually learn off this game - people physically gain knowledge they never knew before. Think of the guys who run Government? Judicial? They gain such a vast knowledge of the United States Judicial System and how our law works - some of those people? I guarantee never would of thought they could learn that much, in such a short amount of time. 

I've also embraced over time that the people online here have always had the same worries as me, some of us never want to speak about this stuff over embarrassment - over the worry of being judged, looked frowned upon - but honestly? You should all be proud of yourselves for the work and dedication you put into something, you have the heart to do it, the mindset to do it - and I honestly say this with passion; a lot of us are smarter then you perceive yourself or of what people think of you. Think of everything you have done for RP communities - the vast knowledge and facts that you have obtained and now are able to speak for;

Thanks for listening to my rant. 
 

Perfectly written. 

 

[lux]

11 hours ago, Pillsbury said:

pills speech
 

 

Honestly, this was really heart-warming to read. I think the important thing is.. the people who actually care about you will show an interest in your hobby or at least not care enough to judge.

 

For me, GTA:W has been such a comfort during an illness, giving me the chance of living some normality - I think it's actually aided my recovery massively. If I hadn't had the drive to do something with my time, I think I'd still be in a bad spot.

 

Sure, we all complain about things here - no community is perfect. But GTA:W is the best of them all and I'll be eternally grateful for being the one consistent thing I had in my life during two really, really bad years. My room mates know about it, often pop in to see what my character is up to or what mod I'm working on next - I've never really felt embarassed.

 

It can be a struggle to tell them exactly what is going on, especially as non-gamers. But they show an interest and discuss with me - which is enough for me to feel comfortable talking about my characters troubles and goals.

 

When I was learning to mod - my room mate sat with me from 7am til around 11pm when I got my first mod actually working in-game. We both celebrated as if our football team had won a trophy. That'll always be a memory I take with me.

 

ily gta:w

[Troopstah]

I’ve endured many years of abuse & persecution at the hands of my family and friends due to roleplay... I haven’t spoken with my parents since december last year because of it. 

[Yoak]

20 minutes ago, Troopstah said:

I’ve endured many years of abuse & persecution at the hands of my family and friends due to roleplay... I haven’t spoken with my parents since december last year because of it. 

That’s deep brother, dms are always open!

[Adv]

I feel like RP made me who I am. 

 

Sure, I missed the 'partying' element of my teens - I made up for that in my early 20s, and I came back to RP during lockdown. 

 

l've always been a tech enthusiast but it was only because I wanted to help RP communities stay up that I eventually taught myself development, server infrastructure, a bit of cybersecurity, and as of 3 days ago, i'm now 10 years into my career in Software Development.

 

I wouldn't have it any other way. It shaped who I am, and I love being who I am, where I am. Being back involved in RP has been good fun, too. 

[Cocaine Capital]

I keep it hidden from those general friends or acquaintances that I am not too comfortable around. It just feels weird when someone asks me what one of my hobbies is and I say "roleplaying a cop or a gang member". But I do not keep it a secret from my wife or any of my closest friends. 

[Raymond]

Mann I'll tell my kids about this game lol see 'em play with me and shit in a couple of years.