When I started roleplaying alot of my friends were part of story-writing communities. I loved reading their stories and I loved writing, but I felt they were on another skill level to me and didn't feel comfortable writing entire chapters/novels and then getting feedback on them.... [i]seemed spooky[/i].

When I found roleplaying I was super pumped. All these people writing cool stories [i]together[/i] with a little more leeway, fun and less pressure? Plus throwing unexpected plot twists in? Seemed great. I loved acting and improvising too and it seemed like a nice way to express that [s]in a less uncool way[/s]. Hey, I was a teenager ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My reasons now are pretty much the same. I really like how unexpected roleplay can be compared to writing by yourself. I also like seeing other people's writing styles as well as how they present ideas. Mostly I like it when I [i]feel[/i] something towards the setting or the characters or the relationships. I like the excitement an adventure can create or exploring the tension between two OCs. A good roleplay stays with you for a long time, sometimes I still catch myself reminiscing about roleplays from pre-guildfall.

I still play games and read alot. They're slightly different mediums though. With a roleplay, the character you've created starts to think for themselves, do their own thing, you feel like you've created something that comes alive by itself and you just slip into it's shoes now and then (writer's block allowing). For a character you've played a long time it can almost feel weirdly... comforting?

 With games I rarely feel that level of connection to something, though I have played many games that have moved me in one way or another, it still feels like I'm taking more a passive role. Books illicet a very similar feeling to roleplay for me, providing it's a book I can sink into, anyway. I'll have to think more about... the difference I experience between books and roleplays, because when I get a roleplay craving a book isn't a good substitute, and vice versa. That being said, I've been doing alot more reading then rping recently, and the way I roleplay has changed substantially from when I started. hum, food for thought for me :P

TL:DR I guess it's a visceral, tactile thing.