Character Creation as Narrative gaming

Be forewarned, my thoughts here are not complete, and I amy be guilty of rambling and excessive use of commas.

I love to create characters. I l-o-v-e it. I find it is just as rewarding and fun as actually participating in the roleplaying itself. My question is one of game theory and opinion. Do you think that character creation is as valid a form of gaming as the playing is in itself?

I will say that I sometimes make characters for the sake of themselves. Maybe I will play them, (I hope too, anyway) and maybe not, but sometimes does not really matter to me. I find the creation of a fictional person, with a background that will impact the roleplaying, and a real "life" to it, to be a valid form of storytelling. But so many questions seem to arise!

Is the act of charcater creation too passive to be considered Narrative storytelling? Maybe passive is the wrong word, maybe static is a better one. After all, the history never changes, only the future does. The character generation certainly contributes to the story, but does it qualify as narrative storytelling (or gamist or simulationist gaming, too, I guess)?

Character generation can be a one-person thing as well. While players may choose to cooperate when constructing their players, they do not have to, and they can create their characters by themselves. Actual roleplaying, however, requires interaction between at least two people. It is a cooperative effort between players, if not characters. Maybe that is a requirement for Narrative gaming to occur.

I do not think they are the same act per se. Perhaps they only are separate but equal parts of roleplaying, but if that is so then character creation is NOT a form of gaming, but rather it is a part of the process of roleplaying.

If you made it this far, thank you! How do you view it? Is character creation, the act of breathing life into a fictional creation, as valid a form of gaming as the the roleplaying is itself? Is it part of the process of roleplaying? Is it just a static necessity to get to the "real" Narrative gaming? None of the above?

-Angelo