Scurvy_Platypus said:
Even if you're annoyed at Snyder for his attitude towards some gamers and his belief that the hobby is treated more as a lifestyle than an activity by a significant portion of its participants... tell _him_ you disagree and why. Prove him wrong.
I did. For any that are interested, here's what I wrote:
Chris
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
I’m going to try to avoid rambling here, as I’ve got a lot of thoughts on your original post rattling around in my brain. I’ll try to keep it coherent (no guarantees).
First off, I’d have to agree with those that point out that if you didn’t mean to be condescending and inflammatory, you did a poor job of representing your intent. Pointing out how you and your brother shared a joke over the man’s obituary, and mocking the idea that D&D is a social activity, came across very badly. From what I gathered from your post, you want RPGs to go beyond the insular, esoteric sub-cultural lifestyle. It seems to me that those that are claiming it as a social hobby are trying to make it more than a life-crutch for social misfits. Belittling that is counter to your argument. Belittling the obituary of the man who invented the game is shoddy and callous.
You also came across as broad-brushing any who expressed sentiment over Gary’s passing as “Clinging to Gary so you, the self-conscious gamer, can avoid feeling alone and awkward in your nerd shame…” That’s making an awfully large assumption about the source of people’s emotions. Frankly, when Gary passed I reflected on how he changed my life. I realized I’d be pretty much in exactly the same situation in life (which I’m happy with), and would have almost the same friends. But the fact still is that the man invented a game that I’ve enjoyed playing more than any other, and has brought a lot of wonderful shared experiences to me. For that, I was very thankful, and I was expressing that. I was two when John Lennon died, and I still feel anger and sadness when I think about his passing. I love his music, but it hasn’t really changed my life. Does that invalidate the way I feel about him? No, it doesn’t.
Further, you seem to resent the idea that the gamer sub-culture would tell you how to feel, but you come across as trying very hard to convince people that what they are thinking is wrong, in some way. I mean, isn’t that the crux of your crusade? To convince people to stop viewing gaming as a lifestyle rather than an activity? Speaking as someone who has cried that very thing to his friends who take the *game* far to seriously (at times), I can appreciate that point. But linking that point to Gary’s death, and within days of his passing, was in poor taste.
You defend your right to state your opinion in your own blog, and that’s certainly correct. However, to me, it would have been in better taste to at least wait some time before doing so, or to separate your point about gamer culture from Gary’s death. He meant something to many people, and it really isn’t your place to question that. By linking your views on a *game* to the death of a *person*, you are loading the issue with more importance than it deserves — which is ironic considering what your point seems to be. You stated that you knew the reaction your post would generate, and you still chose to do so to make your point. If you agree that RPGs are just games, then does it not seem irresponsible to take issue with people’s feelings over Gary to point that out? Would you not be upset if someone used the death of someone you knew as an opportunity to say that people get too worked up when playing Monopoly?
I’ve never claimed that Gary Gygax saved my life. But if some do feel that way, do they really need you to point out that he didn’t, that they were responsible for it themselves? Maybe they already know what they did for themselves. Maybe they can be thankful to the man that provided a catalyst for their self-improvement. That doesn’t mean they ”formed a lifestyle around it.” Your post seemed incredibly presumptive to me, and that is where a lot of people are seeing condescension and judgement. You didn’t mean it to come across that way, and that’s fine. But it did to a lot of people and they are reacting accordingly. That’s the thing about opinions, I guess.
Ultimately, as far as I can tell you used the death of Gary Gygax as an opportunity to state your opinion on a game. In *my* opinion that was in poor taste. You seem to disagree, or at least feel that people are reading your post incorrectly. Whether they are or not, you chose to represent yourself in a public medium in a particular fashion. You say you are ok with that, and that’s great. I personally feel you are going a long way to make a point that doesn’t need to be made, or at the least isn’t as important as you think it is. In the long run, this flurry of reaction to your post will blow over and be forgotten. Gary’s contribution, whether it was just to the clinging nerd sub-culture or to mainstream culture, won’t be forgotten. And *that* is why so many people are expressing their sadness over his passing.
If that is still baffling to you, then fine. It makes perfect sense to me.
