Illustration by Ronja Polzin — roevardotter.de/

What is it & Why is it important

• Out of Character (OOC) is a practice space to experiment with breaking social expectations
• Trying out different ways of being often feels too risky in our real social lives
• Players re-evaluate and overcome social fears that can otherwise keep them un-grounded
• People often pressure themselves to conform to images of what is socially "acceptable" and "desirable". They want to fit in so other people like them, and that's perfectly fine. Unfortunately, people often don't recognize when internalized social pressures are holding them back from ways of being that they would find inspiring and inherently worthwhile
• OOC allows you to make social fears explicit, question them, test their legitimacy, and re-calibrate your approach to socializing and internalized expectations

How to use it / The Rules.

Overview. Each player finds ways they are afraid of being seen, socially. The group then agrees to support each other in trying out those »out of character« selves, and reflecting on the experience.

• ← Click here for Step 1 — A brainstorm

• ← Click here for Step 2 — Find the »scary opposites« of the list above

• ← Click here for Step 3 — Play the game

• ← Click here for Step 4 — Journal and Share