Glad to be part of the discussion. :)
I've been an on-and-off RPG player for a long time. I played 1st edition D&D with a neighbor when I was a kid, and then multiple distinct D&D games in college. In the last 5 years, I have been part of a steady group that has played D&D 3.5, Vampire Requiem, and now Pathfinder. My favorite part of any RPG is getting a new character started... backstory and all. After that, a well set-up character is definitely easier and more fun to role-play.