Out of Character
Out of Character (OOC) is a roleplaying term, referring to the world of the players, rather than the world of the characters. A classic example of OOC action in the tabletop genre would be going to get a soda.
OOC can also have almost moral connotations, when it is said to be unrealistically interfering with IC factors. For instance, some players are criticized for interfering with their character's actions and psychology to produce a desirable OOC effect. These players are often believed to be treating the roleplay as a "game" rather than as storytelling. While the term game is often used to describe roleplay, purists observe that important traits distinguish it. For instance, in a traditional game, whatever character or symbol representing the character (e.g., the chosen character in Street Fighter) is merely an extension of the player, whereas in roleplay, the player attempts to become the character and "realistically" portray him or her, as an actor might.
"IC/OOC Separation" is an accepted tenet of many roleplaying systems.
Out of Character (OOC) is also used to refer to fan-written literature when a character is portrayed as doing something that the character would not normally do (or something the character would do at all). Examples include writing a normally docile character as regularly violent and brutish, because the literary portrayal of the character is not consistent with canon establishment of the character's thoughts or actions.