The game industry is no stranger to roleplay. MMORPGs and other multiplayer games have always had a habit of developing communities of fans who like to play the game as their characters. Tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons are another great example of roleplay serving as a key component in enjoying games. Today, however, roleplay gets handled really differently. Grand Theft Auto Online's NoPixel server is a really famous server where Twitch streamers and casual players get together to roleplay characters in Los Santos, but NoPixel is only one installation in a sea of servers of the same kind.
Even though roleplay pervades the games industry, nobody quite expected Grand Theft Auto 5's online multiplayer component to become best known for roleplay servers. Roleplay has existed for a while, but it was always a relatively fringe part of online multiplayer games of Grand Theft Auto Online's breed. It seems that roleplay is getting more and more popular in the gaming community; after all, these Grand Theft Auto RP servers are only one of a few examples of how common roleplay is now. Maybe the video game industry needs to pay attention to this and start catering to a newfound mainstream love to roleplay in gaming.
Grand Theft Auto Exemplifies Roleplay's Rise
The popularity of Grand Theft Auto Online RP streams can't be understated. Some of Twitch's most popular streamers, including famed Among Us streamer Sykkuno or controversial retired Overwatch pro xQc, are spending tons of time on the NoPixel RP server, attracting tens of thousands of viewers. The popularity is still on the rise, too. Streamers like Disguised Toast, who didn't join NoPixel at the start, are getting in on the game. The popularity of GTA Online's NoPixel server suggests that streamers and viewers alike are really interested in roleplay and the character dynamics that streamers come up with.
Roleplay's increasing online popularity isn't limited to NoPixel, though. The aforementioned Dungeons and Dragons deserves a lot of credit for making roleplay very mainstream. Although Dungeons and Dragons has famously been successful for many years, its modern popularity has a lot to do with platforms like Twitch. Critical Role is a great example of people coming together to play RP-heavy Dungeons and Dragons on-camera. While that's gone a long way to attracting players to the tabletop campaign in general, it's important to note that lots of viewers follow Critical Role not for the game, but for the story.
There's other instances of RP becoming more popular. Other multiplayer games like No Man's Sky have developed roleplay components, and the famous Dream SMP led by Minecraft streamer Dream attracts tons of viewers to a Minecraft roleplay series. All of this adds up to an overwhelming amount of evidence that roleplay isn't fringe anymore. People enjoy it a lot, actually, and are constantly finding new games that are suitable for roleplay. If this is an important part of what the gaming community looks like now, then game developers need to take notice.
Developers Should Follow Grand Theft Auto NoPixel's Footsteps
It should be noted that RP servers like NoPixel haven't been achieved using just Grand Theft Auto Online. The people that run servers like NoPixel are modders who work hard to come up with new mechanics that give players ways to engage with the world just like their characters would engage with the real world; everything from crimes with skill checks to expanded smartphones. The depth of the modding that goes into servers like NoPixel should give game developers a clue on how to support the roleplay community. If a game like Grand Theft Auto allows for private multiplayer servers, maybe developers can offer plugins and mods that make roleplay possible.
Of course, that's a lot of work for targeting a specific demographic. There's still less intensive ways that RP can be supported as well. For example, an MMO like No Man's Sky or World of Warcraft can run in-game events that find ways to reward roleplay instead. Small additions to the game acknowledging big RP moments or events, encouraging fans to share character backstories or RP with the developers, can go a long way to making the roleplay community feel welcome.
Roleplay-centric tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons might encourage roleplay with supplemental books that help players anxious about but interested in roleplay learn more about it. If developers foster a positive roleplay environment like this, it can attract a ton of players to the game, being a boon to the game's sales and bolstering the community.
Grand Theft Auto's Bond with NoPixel
It's so fascinating to see how NoPixel has completely changed perception of Grand Theft Auto and roleplay in general. It's much harder to find a Twitch streamer playing singleplayer GTA 5 or playing on a normal GTA Online server than it is to find someone playing on a GTA roleplay server, which would've been strange and surprising a few years ago. Roleplay is becoming mainstream in a fascinating way. NoPixel probably owes a lot to Dungeons and Dragons for making roleplay popular, but NoPixel is doing a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to making roleplay mainstream in video games. It's a big transition that most people probably didn't see coming.
Many Grand Theft Auto fans wonder when Rockstar is going to released Grand Theft Auto 6, but the surge in popularity that Grand Theft Auto Online is experiencing might actually mean Rockstar decides to take its time with GTA 6, even more than it already has. Some players might ultimately resent NoPixel and its peers for that, but overall, NoPixel is doing a good thing.
Servers like NoPixel are offering a new way to enjoy a game that lots of people already enjoyed, which is a rare and beautiful thing. Since GTA Online roleplay is shaping Twitch viewership so much, it's probably going to impact the gaming community in a similarly heavy way. Fans will have to wait and see to find out how NoPixel will affect gaming long-term.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will release on November 11, 2021.