Stop Storytelling, Start Playing

 We're spending too much on trying to translate this medium into others as justification for playing pretend as adults. If you want to tell stories you can simply do that. But that's not what makes TTRPGs unique and, because of how we quite literally function as pattern-finding flesh mechs, it's something you're gonna do in the process of forming/recalling memories anyways.

 What makes TTRPGs different¹ from other artistic mediums is direct mechanical restriction/interaction as a means to convey their associated concept. i.e. Engaging the game is itself the roleplaying.

I'll Breed Your Creativity

 Inherently a game restricts the boundaries which you operate within. That's not bad, something to be fought against, or in requirement of a half-assed nothing patch² which burdens the user with a designer's failings/laziness. In fact that's great! Working as intended!
 Last week I proposed:

 Consider each RPG is establishing a reality who's "physics" are the provided rules.

 When you then play directly within those rules you by extension take on a role of someone existing in said reality (albeit maintaining a self-awareness during) and therefore embody the character(s) more fully. Because those game decisions are ones you couldn't and wouldn't make within our own reality or when beholden to the idea of narrative structure.

 You can tell stories all you please after or even amidst this but that's not a replacement for the process itself. And if you buck against this due to feeling judged (you're not, I think pretend is fun too) look at it another way: You'll have more, significantly unique stories to tell from worlds much different than our own if you let the game be your guide.

Praxis Makes Progress

 I'll expand on this in the future (possibly as the next post) but for the moment have a shorter example using a favourite game of mine: Roll For Shoes.

 Looking over these rules you can see an immediate truth about its reality: Everyone begins equally capable of every possible action. "Do anything" further implies that literally any action can be a challenge, which may sound tedious at first but then you only get mechanical benefits from rolls: XP if you roll lower than the opposed, and a new skill at +1 if you rolled all 6s. Plus you can only spend XP on actions you rolled for.
 There is already so much to unpack here.

 People in this world, and by extension you the player, are incentivized to take actions and be challenged by them. Simple tasks we take for granted? Absolutely included! But there's nothing stopping you from trying what we would otherwise consider impossible either. There's no mechanical detriment created by a failed telekinesis or jumping 40ft directly upwards. Oh what's the worst result? Yeah.. I think I will try kickflipping a semi-truck! It'll be either really fucking cool or really fucking funny.

 And this doesn't even cover it's emergent gameplay of actions snowballing into further actions and ridiculous scenarios, creating weird & interesting characters you'd otherwise not make. Even the All 6s and XP on Failure rules aren't mutually exclusive!

 Now we're topping some tables!!

¹arguably board games and LARPs too but one fish fry at a time
²see upcoming article, "Mrs. Gamelove or: How I Learned To Stop Ruling and Love the Rules."