Millions of people have had a chuckle at the short YouTube video about the guy outraged on the internet that other people like the thing he doesn't like. Probably all gamers will identify with this in one way or another, either because they have felt those feelings or they've been targeted by the rage of those who feel those feelings.
"Your games are bad! My games are good!"
This is not a new phenomenon, of course.
Along these lines, already in 1983 Gary Alan Fine had an interesting observation in his book Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds of 1983, on the sociology of RPG players. The passage deserves attention on its own (p. 154):
"Your games are bad! My games are good!"
This is not a new phenomenon, of course.
Along these lines, already in 1983 Gary Alan Fine had an interesting observation in his book Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds of 1983, on the sociology of RPG players. The passage deserves attention on its own (p. 154):
Even though this is a relatively small social scene, considerable fragmentation exists. Although the number of hard-core fantasy role-play gamers probably does not exceed 5,000 persons, schisms are common. … The gaming world is not made up of individuals who love and respect each other. Gamers have their own styles of playing and their own moral standards; those who cross these boundaries may be attacked in the gaming press. I do not intend, however, to analyze the national politics of committed gamers, other than to suggest that what is found locally is duplicated nationally.
This is from 1983, now more than forty years ago, less than ten years after D&D was published. It's still true. The only thing that has changed in this statement is the number of hard-core fantasy role-play gamers.
the establishment needs to sow division among us because if we were unified we'd be the most powerful single political group in human history. we could take what we're owed without blinking. aren't you tired of living your life squirming under the
ReplyDeleteheel of the non-gamer's boot? don't you think it's time we set aside our differences in the face of our common enemy?
gamers rise up. we live in a society.
Readers, look! A demonstration of the relevance of this blog entry showed up. This internet troll, stung by analysis he doesn’t understand, looks for an avenue to lash back against the sting. Misinterpreting my blog post as liberal handwringing, he can’t resist taking the bait he laid for himself, uses a sock puppet identity to attempt a parody of a point that wasn’t there to begin with, and is not even slightly funny, but unintentionally illustrates the blog post and strengthens its argument. He’s like a man who hates vegetarians, so he paints a jagged stone to look like meat and then swallows the stone to spite them, only to be mocked by the doctor. A perfect illustration of the blog entry title.
DeleteMy last gaming group was incredibly diverse—ideologically and otherwise. We had a communist, two socialists, two center-right capitalists, and me as the DM, an alt-right libertarian. We played together for years and had an absolute blast. The group was also evenly split between men and women. Beyond TTRPGs, we often hung out to eat, talk, and geek out over all sorts of nerdy stuff. Even after I moved, I’ve stayed in touch with some of them through online games.
ReplyDeleteWhen I returned to the online TTRPG scene last year, it felt like I’d suddenly been labeled a fascist or worse. I’ve been enjoying discovering new games and DMing insights from the OSR community, but honestly, the online side of the hobby has gotten so toxic that I’ll probably step away from it soon.
Stepping away from online anything is probably good for one's well-being. Good luck!
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