Role-playing is acting out an imaginary situation. The intent is to manufacture an experience. The experience could be familiar to you, and you aim to reproduce it. It may also be a completely unfamiliar experience that you would have never otherwise known except through pretending and mental excercises.

As a game, role-playing acts as a structured way for getting together with friends to step into your favorite genres. It can be a lot of fun because your imagination is the limit!

As an interpersonal technique, role-playing can be used to confront aspects of the self or difficult situations. It is useful for counseling, teaching, and exploring.