Should you use .gifs in your RPs?

I think I'd have to agree with many of those who have already added. At least for the style of RPG that I participate in, I think the gifs would be distracting and not actually add much if anything to the post, especially if the point is to write a story.

Gif away in ooc posts, but I don't think they would work in the in-character side of things - at least for me.

 

I rarely see GIFs in roleplaying posts, but when I do, they're usually very limited (say, around a couple at max). But I can imagine how distracting having several GIFs in a single post can be.

 

I've got a strong anti-gif agenda I'm afraid... I just personally find them really distracting/kind of annoying. Not that I would ever try to harsh someone's mellow on a site I'm just a player on, but I admit I have flexed my admin muscles to forbid them on my own site. I'm an illustrator/comic artist, so I do understand the value of aesthetics and visual appeal and how it can enhance the fun! But I just... don't like them... That's probably just me being old and cranky though, ahaha.

 

I don't see a problem with using gifs in character applications, but I don't see the point in using gifs in roleplay posts. I don't think it actually adds to anything. I think a truly skilled roleplayer can paint a picture with their words.

 

I used to be the person who added images to my posts. However, now with Discord, I feel like images and gifs are better placed in Discord channels, freeing up posts to be just that, a post. As for Avatars and Signatures or IC post templates with images, I don't mind those.

 

In the area where the character's icon/expression goes at the top of the post, I don't mind if it's animated. I enjoy seeing the visual representation of the character and it's (usually) very easy to scroll down to block out the animated image while I'm posting, if need be. When it comes to the actual body of the post, I think I wouldn't mind it in moderation. Admittedly, I've never really seen this done before. But, I wouldn't mind if the person I was RPing with found an animated gif that really showcased the environment or a character's action, or what have you, and placed it in for fun. I wouldn't want an animated picture to be put into the body of the post every reply, though. (❁´◡`❁)

 

I like them for the purposes of avatars and such or for character development posts where if you want to view you can but you don't have to. But I do not like having to find 17 different gifs just for my characters profile. 1 or 2 is more than plenty imo.

 

It might work in an opener. Anywhere else... well if the picture is worth a thousand words, those are 1000 words you should be writing because you can make it something new, not something there is already a GIF for.

 

I don't mind gifs if they are relevant to the roleplay. I understand that a play-by doesn't need to be an exact representation of a character, but if someone is using five gifs of their play-by sitting at a desk and wearing a school uniform, and their character is actually an adult and the thread doesn't even take place in a classroom, those gifs are more distracting than helpful.

 

I think they're fine to add aesthetic to a post, but probably only one GIF per post. They can get excessive real quick

 

I looooove gifs personally. I use them a lot in my thread templates/posts.

 

I have a very slow connection so a lot of images and gifs just does not work for me, even though I really like them. I'm okay with like a last post avatar gif or a small gif, but not multiples.

 

I think it's ok for things like character profiles/tables but as for the actual RP/writing, I tend to avoid it. It just becomes a distraction at that point in my opinion, unless it truly fits with both the current scene and is relevent for moving the scene forward.

 

I have to be honest, I am a fan of gifs or images in posts. If they fit the scenario taking place in the story being told in that particular thread. Ones that do not fit and are just there for thirsts sake, I am not a fan of.

 

i don't like to stifle anyone's creativity, but all the rp with gifs i have seen has been more about the gifs and the aesthetic than the writing. i may be biased because i've never taken part in that kind of rp style. i've noticed that gifs tend to be used when the player is using a "faceclaim" of a celebrity/character from a show, and i'm not really a fan of that either. i find the gifs in those cases to be very distracting. i think part of the fun of rp is the imagination aspect, and if it's just all presented to me in images, it really waters down the content and takes away the imagination aspect for me. i definitely prefer to read about a character and what they're doing. half the time, when a book or any kind of written work gives a restrictive description of a character, it just breaks the immersion for me because i've already got an image of them in my head, and i'm not going to try to force my imagination to follow what the book says the character is physically supposed to look like. i'm not saying that i never give any physical description of my characters, but i try to keep it limited and only include it when it adds something. i just feel like using gifs every post comes across as more about thirsting over the person in the gif than adding anything to the writing. i wouldn't mind it occasionally in an rp, but i would prefer everyone's writing speak for itself

 

At most I could see allowing a gif as an avatar, but inserted in the posts themselves I can only imagine being grossly distracting. I prefer things to be as visually simplistic as possible or my brain just slides over screen without absorbing anything.

 

Not a fan of gifs, they are very distracting so my answer would be no.

 

As someone with sensitivity to flickering lights, GIFS are sometimes genuinely painful to look at depending on how fast they move. I prefer not to use them because of it.

 

I think as long as they are edited to not be super fast and fit the aesthetic of the site, gifs can bring a lot of life to RP forums.

 

i feel like this should be up to the roleplayer. a lot of sites in my preferred genre go overboard with gifs honestly! we have one that you upload and that is it, the only other gifs are ones that are used for when you are posting and that is if you pick a template that has a image spot.