ERP (Erotic Roleplay)

About

ERP is an acronym for Erotic Roleplay, a form of specifically sexual online roleplay performed through online video games, chatrooms, forums, etc. The slang term has been used on the internet since as early as the 2000s, particularly alongside the rise of online gaming, and became increasingly popularized over the years with the introduction of apps like VRChat.

Origin

ERP is particularly prevalent in online MMORPG games like World of Warcraft. One of the earliest known notable mentions of ERP online is a September 17th, 2007, article from Engadget^[1] reporting on Blizzard Entertainment disbanding an "extreme erotic roleplaying guild" on World of Warcraft called "Abhorrent Taboo." The article claims that the ERP group defended pedophilia and engaged in "extreme sexual situations without any way to verify that their members are above the age of 18," with the admin of the group defending the group because quote, "Even if you are role-playing something that would be considered deplorable and highly illegal IRL, it's still just role-playing." On September 20th, virtuallyblind^[2] published a piece about the guild including an alleged screenshot showing a chatlog from the group discussing the situation, which included a I Put on My Robe and Wizard Hat reference (shown below).

On December 29th, 2007, the term "ERP" was defined on Urban Dictionary^[3] as, "ERP stands for Erotic Role-Play. Role-Play in this definition refers to the typing RP done in video games, chatrooms and forums. ERP is a role-play with little plot besides the quick sex scene between characters. There is no consequence and no long term story behind it," garnering over 1,100 likes in 16 years.

Spread

ERP has remained prevalent online throughout the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, particularly in online forums and games like VRChat Roblox. ^[4] ERP is often frowned upon and punished in games like Roblox that have a large user base of minors.

VRChat ERP / Phantom Touch

VRChat became one of the more prominent avenues for ERP throughout the 2020s, with videos alluding to ERP in VRChat becoming popularized on sites including TikTok and YouTube. On April 26th, 2020, YouTuber^[5] General Resh posted a documentary-style video about ERP in VRChat, garnering over 40,000 views in three years (shown below, left). On November 16th, 2021 YouTuber^[6] The Dapper Saint posted a video explaining how ERP works in VRChat, garnering over 265,000 views in just over a year (shown below, right).

Some VRChat ERPers claim to experience a phenomenon known as "phantom touch" or "phantom sense"^[7] when engaging in ERP, defined as the ability to actually feel someone's touch while doing ERP (examples shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References