The Elfish Gene - Another attack on gamers

Young Boy: Mom! Billy said I was being a jerk.

Mother: Well then, stop being a jerk.

(That's the sort of stuff Mom pulled on us all the time. )

Am I the only person who didn't "hide his gaming hobby" while in school in the 80's? Actually, I know I'm not. There were more than two dozen of us who gamed and talked gaming at school, in public, and didn't get the crap kicked out of us. Then again, some of us were on the football team and could punch back... I'd also like to note that most of the gamers I knew in school had female relations with girls who knew we gamed (including a few who gamed with us). OMG!

The only person who could get offended by a book showcasing an authors nerdly obsession with D&D is someone who has some latent shame about the fact that they play D&D.

GET OVER IT! Last time I checked, WE WON -- the geeks inherited the earth!

• Lord of the Rings on fiilm as a blockbuster series? Check.
• Comic book stories being played out dramatically on one of the big 3 networks? Check. (Heroes)
• Comic book franchies being worth more on film than film franchises? Check (who made more? Spiderman or the latest Bond?)
• Fantasy and SciFi novels being all over the NYT Bestsellers list? Check (Heck, Salvatore alone...)
• World of Warcraft tripping into the mainstream? Check.

Hi, my name's Craig. I'm a geek. I'm a gamer. I have a beautiful wife, three children that are mine genetically, lots of awesome friends who game, and a job in the video gaming industry. I owe who I am to guys named "Gary, Dave, J.R.R., and Issac." They inspired me to imagine, explore new worlds, never give up my curiosity and sense of fun, and to dare to do more than push buttons in the local factory like everyone else where I grew up. I have no shame. I'm damn proud of it. When I bump into someone from high school at random and tell them what I'm up to, they are geeked. Even the hardcore jocks who didn't game have a PS2 and played GTA at the least.

In short, thanks for pointing me to a book I'm going to buy, read, laugh with, and love. You just made the author more money than you cost him I'd imagine. Sorry that I'm being a little edgy, but if this game is ever going to 'explode into the mainstream with a comeback' we are all going to need to get over any sense of shame about rolling dice and pretending that we can tumble through combat (let alone open space!)

It's a pity the book isn't coming out in the U.S., at least right away. I'd buy it. Don't know if I'd pay to have it shipped from the UK though.

Humorous books about gamers are great... when they're actually funny. Of course you can't judge a book by its cover (esp when no cover image is available), and humor is often in the ear of the beholder, but the blurb for the book makes it sound horribly unfunny. Chalk me up as "not interested". I'll watch Mazes & Monsters again, thank you very much.

For real gamer humor, I much prefer Knights of the Dinner Table and Order of the Stick.

Later!
Ozmar the Humor Afficionado

Fishbone said:

Jesus Christ, just Dungeons and Dragons related merchandise is a 30 million dollar a year money maker, it isn't going anywhere.

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There's the very real possibility that D&D is moribund. It's not obvious because it's happening very slowly but it is happening. The average age of gamers is increasing and we're not going to live forever. If we don't find new players, the game will eventually fade. Negative publicity such as this book can only discourage new D&D gamers.

Contrary to numerous posts above, the author hasn't struck a nerve in me. I'm just tired of having the hobby I enjoy demeaned to its detriment.

And I'm not called Jesus Christ.

To whom is this book most likely to appeal, if not gamers or perhaps ex-gamers? If so, then the joke really is on us. Three thoughts spring immediately to mind:

1. I grew up with D&D and its ilk in the seventies and eighties, hid it from no one and didn't have a problem with girls or socialising.

2. It looks like a cheap shot.

3. "The Elfish Gene" - that is funny.

4. I lied about there being three thoughts; Coventry is a grim place. Playing D&D to escape from it when you're stuck in your teens sounds like great advice.

Mystery Man said:

Stop wandering the earth looking for things to be offended about.

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I'll gladly offend anyone *for free*. It will save you the time and effort it takes to actually look for things to offend you.

I can make disparaging remarks about anyone's parentage, recreational activities of your sisters, daughters or mothers, personal hygeine and, as part of a holiday special I'm running I'll throw in some remarks about besiality.

My holiday gift to my fellow gamers!

Zander said:

If we don't find new players, the game will eventually fade.

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Ooh! Ooh! I'm of the new crowd, Well, I'm 20, but that's still relatively young. I'm pushing my sister (16) to get interested in it. In my neck of the woods, everything still seems A-OK.

I can understand your concern, but the problem isn't as bad as you think. While I personally think that D&D is changing, it's not going away. If you compare it the way it is now to back when I first started (AD&D), there is a huge variety of choices, and people can play pretty much any way they want to. Most of the younger crowd, (unfortunately, IMO,) leans more toward the 'video game' side. They use whatever resources are possible to make the 'best' character. But I'm pretty certain that as they grow older, they'll come to realize the true intent of D&D, and it will be them who are concerned about Dungeons and Dragons going down the toilet in the hands of the new generation.

The new generation is fine, and some book written by a gamer with possible bad publicity isn't going to discourage them in the least. If a kid enjoys playing football, why would s/he stop? No matter what sort of bad publicity is shown on the air, s/he still likes playing. More likely, a gamer is going to pick up the book, not some random person who might be interested in gaming. We can sympathize with the author, and probably find humor in it. Wizards of the Coast aren't going anywhere. D&D isn't as fragile as you think,

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BadMojo said:

I'll gladly offend anyone *for free*. It will save you the time and effort it takes to actually look for things to offend you.

I can make disparaging remarks about anyone's parentage, recreational activities of your sisters, daughters or mothers, personal hygeine and, as part of a holiday special I'm running I'll throw in some remarks about besiality.

My holiday gift to my fellow gamers!

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I'd like to order some gift certificates please. Boy, you just saved me a bunch of time X-mas shopping!

Ah, people can write books about anything.

For example, I just released my autobiographical memoirs about fighting in the Vietnam War. In it, I talk about how my platoon (that is what they're called, right? Platoons?) adopted a little Vietnamese Boy we named Ralph. We did a big fundraiser to send Ralph off to an American College, and eventually, we raffled off a nurse.

Oh, wait. That was an episode of M*A*S*H*

In any case, one book ain't gonna hurt anything.