Role-playing is the act of changing ones behavior to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role or consciously to act out an adopted role. Role-playing exercises give students the opportunity to assume the role of a person or act out a given situation, which can be performed by individual students, in pairs, or in groups. Role plays engage students in real-life situations or scenarios that can be “stressful, unfamiliar, complex, or controversial” which requires them to examine personal feelings toward others and their circumstances. Role-playing can be effectively used in the classroom to provide real-world scenarios to help students learn, to mirror career-related scenarios, and to help students understand the use of role-playing sessions.

Role-playing games are games in which the participants assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create stories. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. Role-playing games may also refer to role training where people rehearse situations in preparation for a future performance and to improve their abilities within a role.

Role-playing can also be used in business settings to prepare for difficult conversations and situations. In this context, role-playing involves imagining the perspective of another person and/or a specific situation, then speaking and behaving as one would imagine or would hope. Scenarios in role-playing may include exchanges between businesses and customers, employers and employees, spouses/domestic partners, parents and children, opposing political sides, neighbors/friends, healthcare providers and patients, and competitors.