Vampire

1.

Vampires are a roleplaying phenomenon, being the most popular kind of monster in the entire gaming world. Vampire style is close to that of the popular Goth movement, and many roleplayers wear long hair, dark glasses, and black clothing. The tendancy of roleplayers to be people who spend a lot of time indoors or awake at night (typical students) only helps spread the Vampire image.

In all probability the popularity of Vampire style is just another manifistation of the teenage obsession with death and doom that is also seen in the popularity of Cyberpunk, which postulates an unwelcoming future.

2.

Most of the popularity of Vampires in roleplaying circles can be attributed to the popularity of the Vampire roleplaying game, the first, and still most popular, of the World of Darkness series of games. Another influence are the books of Anne Rice, especially 'Interview With the Vampire', which was made into a succesful film cashing in on the Vampire craze.