3 million Americans are (by definition) 99th percentile IQ.
We could also say that 1% of our users are in the 99th percentile IQ by definition. Which means that 99% of them are not.
Tabletop Gaming and Intellectual Conceit
We could also say that 1% of our users are in the 99th percentile IQ by definition. Which means that 99% of them are not.
Grogg of the North
Adventurer
Occupy ENWorld!
Demographics for my 3 gaming groups are similar.
To me, the obvious demographically unusual characteristics are: only 1 in 16 is female, 14 in 16 are white, and all are currently employed. But most of them being smarter than average is also clear, to me at least.
None of us are 1%ers in the "Occupy" sense (99th percentile income). Not even the entrepreneur (all the money goes back into the business) and probably not the surgeon.
Group 1 (email, I'm the DM):
-- Player 1: Never finished college. Works as a repairman/janitor at his church. Deeply interested in history. Navy veteran, tested as 99th percentile IQ on ASVAP (US military test). Married, no kids.
-- Player 2: #'1s wife. MBA, works in HR consulting. Studies the Civil War for fun.
-- Player 3: Computer consultant, former minor league baseball player. Married twice, two kids.
-- Player 4: IT guy working on a government research project that just got national TV coverage. Graduate of the top rated US college. Married, no kids.
-- Player 5: Co-founder of a 200-person software company. Expert on military history. Graduate of the top rated US college. Married, one kid.
-- Player 6: Math PhD student. Writes novels (unpublished) for fun. Graduate of the top rated US college. Unmarried.
-- Player 7: Surgeon. Graduate of the top rated US college. Married, two kids.
Group 2 (live, I'm the DM):
-- Player 1: Tech company recruiter. Graduate of the top state university in his state. Formerly jobs: managed a GameStop, PeaceCorps volunteer twice, inner city teacher, President of the Green Party at his university. Married, two kids.
-- Player 2: IT manager. Graduate of the top state university in his state. Brilliant at any mechanical task. Married, two kids.
-- Player 3: HR guy. Ivy Leaguer, but moved around to several schools. Married, two kids.
-- Player 4: Works at his parents' deli. Graduate of the top state university in his state. Married, no kids.
-- Player 5: Contractor doing paperwork at an aerospace company. Ivy League MBA. Unmarried. Much younger than the rest of us, economically hosed by the Great Recession, but at least he has a job now.
Group 3 (live, I'm a player, and I'll leave myself out):
-- DM: Software Engineer. Married, one kid.
-- Player 1: Project manager at the state university's housing department. Married, no kids.
-- Player 2: Finance analyst. Tank commander in the 1991 Iraq War. Married, no kids.
-- Player 3: IT guy. Married, two kids.
-- Player 4: Pharmacist. Medic in the 1991 Iraq War. Unmarried.
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Not 99th percentile of the general population.
Unless your users are actually close to the normal distribution of IQ in the general population, which was the original question.
Both of our posts are pretty irrelevant, really, but I think we're all smart enough to see that.
Argyle King
Legend
I always find the word sociopath somewhat interesting. I get the meaning it has. However, at the same time, I think a lot of the "problem" comes from trying to impart the mentality of today's society onto situations in which it wouldn't make sense to have that mentality if you honestly hoped to survive.
I make that comment because I reflect upon what my mentality was like while in a war zone. By many respects, if I were to be taken straight from there and plopped onto a psych couch, I'd probably have been locked up. There are a lot of views which helped me to survive in that situation which generally seem to be frowned upon in so called civilized society.
I relate that to rpgs because -if we're talking the stereotypical fantasy game- adventurers are people who are quite often in mortal danger. Add to that that certain systems encourage a certain style of problem solving by virtue of the PCs being so much stronger (in a combat sense) than the world around them, and I imagine it's not that unusual to view the value of a NPC's life as being somewhat low unless that NPC has information or something else of value which means they need to be around. Keep in mind, I'm talking somewhat generally and stereotypically here. There are most certainly games and game situations I've played in which would not fit that mold.
I make that comment because I reflect upon what my mentality was like while in a war zone. By many respects, if I were to be taken straight from there and plopped onto a psych couch, I'd probably have been locked up. There are a lot of views which helped me to survive in that situation which generally seem to be frowned upon in so called civilized society.
I relate that to rpgs because -if we're talking the stereotypical fantasy game- adventurers are people who are quite often in mortal danger. Add to that that certain systems encourage a certain style of problem solving by virtue of the PCs being so much stronger (in a combat sense) than the world around them, and I imagine it's not that unusual to view the value of a NPC's life as being somewhat low unless that NPC has information or something else of value which means they need to be around. Keep in mind, I'm talking somewhat generally and stereotypically here. There are most certainly games and game situations I've played in which would not fit that mold.
Not 99th percentile of the general population.
Unless your users are actually close to the normal distribution of IQ in the general population, which was the original question.
Both of our posts are pretty irrelevant, really, but I think we're all smart enough to see that.
Americans are no more the general population than EN World is, though - which was mainly my point. I don't think we lucky Westerners are a good sample!
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