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In asking this question I realized something that I never have before: my players aren't interested in each other's characters. How can I, as DM but also game session organizer and facilitator, help my players be interested in other players' characters?

Note: this question is heavily related but from a player and that player is interested in other characters and wants to help them be fleshed out, so it's not quite what I'm looking for. I have tried some of the things mentioned in the answers like asking the players to describe (make something up) to answer a "Remember that one time?"-esque prompt.

In asking this question I realized something that I never have before: my players aren't interested in each other's characters. How can I, as DM but also game session organizer and facilitator, help my players be interested in other players' characters?

Note: this question is heavily related but from a player and that player is interested in other characters and wants to help them be fleshed out, so it's not quite what I'm looking for. I have tried some of the things mentioned in the answers like asking the players to describe (make something up) to answer a "Remember that one time?"-esque prompt.

• I feel like it will give the group better cohesion. We (the players) are friends in real life, and I intend for my characters to be friends as well (some of our players don't handle interparty conflict well). As friends, we are interested in each other's lives, I'd like my players to feel the same for each other's characters.
• It will allow me to spotlight characters for brief periods of time every now and again without the rest of the players becoming bored and detached from the game.
• Character backgrounds will be played out at the table more because everyone will be aware of them. Currently, we tell each other about our characters at the start of each campaign and then everyone forgets about everyone else's background.

We were taught RPGs at about the same time around 2 years ago in a combat-heavy, minimal-story campaign which is what I feel is largely the root of the problem. I just don't know how to fix it. A couple of us have matured past that mentality but the majority of the group has not. I have talked to the players about this before and while everyone agrees that it would be cool and fun and make the game better to take interest in each other's characters it never seems to happen at the game table. It's like everyone forgets or doesn't know how to do it or actually doesn't want to even though they say they do.

• I feel like it will give the group better cohesion. We (the players) are friends in real life, and I intend for my characters to be friends as well (some of our players don't handle intraparty conflict well). As friends, we are interested in each other's lives, I'd like my players to feel the same for each other's characters.
• It will allow me to spotlight characters for brief periods of time every now and again without the rest of the players becoming bored and detached from the game.
• Character backgrounds will be played out at the table more because everyone will be aware of them. Currently, we tell each other about our characters at the start of each campaign and then everyone forgets about everyone else's background.

We were taught RPGs at about the same time around 2 years ago in a combat-heavy, minimal-story campaign which—I feel—is largely the root of the problem. I just don't know how to fix it. A couple of us have matured past that mentality but the majority of the group has not. I have talked to the players about this before and while everyone agrees that it would be cool and fun and make the game better to take interest in each other's characters it never seems to happen at the game table. It's like everyone forgets or doesn't know how to do it or actually doesn't want to even though they say they do.

We were taught RPGs at about the same time around 2 years ago in a combat-heavy, minimal-story campaign which is what I feel is largely the root of the problem. I just don't know how to fix it. A couple of us have matured past that mentality but the majority of the group has not. I have talked to the players about this before and while everyone agrees that it would be cool and fun and make the game better to take interest in each other's characters it never seems to happen at the game table. It's like everyone forgets or doesn't know how to do it or actually doesn't want to even though they say they do.

Additionally, here are some reasons on why I think it's important that my players care about each other's characters:

• I feel like it will give the group better cohesion. We (the players) are friends in real life, and I intend for my characters to be friends as well (some of our players don't handle interparty conflict well). As friends, we are interested in each other's lives, I'd like my players to feel the same for each other's characters.
• It will allow me to spotlight characters for brief periods of time every now and again without the rest of the players becoming bored and detached from the game.
• Character backgrounds will be played out at the table more because everyone will be aware of them. Currently, we tell each other about our characters at the start of each campaign and then everyone forgets about everyone else's background.

We were taught RPGs at about the same time around 2 years ago in a combat-heavy, minimal-story campaign which is what I feel is largely the root of the problem. I just don't know how to fix it. A couple of us have matured past that mentality but the majority of the group has not. I have talked to the players about this before and while everyone agrees that it would be cool and fun and make the game better to take interest in each other's characters it never seems to happen at the game table. It's like everyone forgets or doesn't know how to do it or actually doesn't want to even though they say they do.