New Faces (Forked: Its the terminology that kills me...)

[Thunderfoot]

I have been playing on and off since 1980, and I have in all that time seen way, way more positive energy, great ideas, enthusiasm, innovation, and just plain good table-mates among "those damn kids" of all the "new kids who'll ruin the hobby" waves than I have among the guys (and they're always guys, for some reason) who figured out the Right Way when they were 15 and never, ever want anything or anything that isn't Just Like Them in Their Personal, Private Hobby.

I am 40 years old, and the day I look at the 12-year-old kids in my hobby and scowl and sneer is the day I should hang up the dice bag for good. I have a lot to learn from them, just like (I hope) they have things to learn from us old dinosaurs.

Good point, I started playing at the age of 8 in 1978. If the 'old folks' had treated me like the proposed treatment of new players. I never would have been in the hobby to start with. Remember, you came into the hobby from a different place than role-player (for the most part). Whether you read fantasy fiction, liked sci-fi movies or were a history or miniatures gamer. We all came from different places and adapted to create a hobby worth playing. In the ensuing years we've added anime junkies, video gamers, goths, etc and have managed to fold them in just fine. WoW is not and will not destroy the hobby (think about the number of DnD players that played WoW because it was the only thing close to playing when they couldn't). And if it alters the game a bit, so be it, you can always choose not to play with them or the current version of the game (ask diaglo). But the get off my lawn you whipper-snappers attitude is just plain wrong.

 

[Eric Tolle]

For me, personally? They are a "nothing" - new faces in the hobby are completely irrelevant to me, my friends, and our particular game.

But then again, since I'm only interested in gaming with close personal friends as one thing among many others that we do, new faces are more than likely not all that welcome.

As for the "healthier hobby" concept? Don't give a rat's patutie about that, either.

How about if we get your group to disappear, and keep the Industry and healthy hobby?

 

[RFisher]

Games need regular support.

<sarcasm>
Right. My copy of Monopoly spontaneously imploded the other day because of lack of support.

Likewise, I haven’t in recent years played successful Marvel SuperHeroes, classic Traveller, or classic D&D campaigns due to their lack of support.

Might as well include that I didn’t have a recent Lord of the Rings campaign either since its support got cut short.
</sarcasm>

(^_^)

We like new stuff. Ok? We do. I know some of the people on ENWorld TOTALLY DO NOT GET THIS, but new stuff is fun.

Oh, I get that. I feel the appeal of new stuff too. I’m just not convinced that it is vital to the hobby.

I honestly think that we seriously DO need an evangalistic movement bringing in people to the hobby. I want D&D to be mainstream. I want D&D to be this massive, worldwide hit because that means I could get to play anytime I wanted, with whomever I wanted. I would mean that I no longer have any gamer shame to worry about. It would mean that game designers would be treated like rock stars in Korea.

Realize that no amount of evangelism is going to make everyone enjoy this hobby. You are never going to be able to play with whomever you want. And trust me that—no matter how much you want to play with someone—playing with someone who doesn’t enjoy the hobby is not a good time.

Realize that any shame you worry about is all you. Hardly anyone actually looks down on you for playing role-playing games. Most people understand that their hobby is just as geeky as yours.

Good grief, why is staying a small, niche hobby a good thing?

Why is it a bad thing? Small, niche hobbies have, do, and will continue to enrich the lives of countless people.

 

[RFisher]

I’m not saying new gamers are a bad thing at all. When I see a point that I think is questionable, I’m simply...er...questioning it. (^_^)

 

[Hussar]

Why is it a bad thing? Small, niche hobbies have, do, and will continue to enrich the lives of countless people.

Well, I would question the "countless" part of that quote. Hobbies, large or small enrich the lives of people. The larger the hobby, the more people it enriches. Being a small hobby does not make it any more enriching than being a large hobby. It's not like its some sort of zero sum game where the total amount of enrichment is divided among the total number of participants.

In fact, the more participants, the better the hobby is usually. More participants injects new ideas, more money, more opportunities for doing the hobby while less participants makes the hobby more insular, stagnant and difficult to engage in.

 

[hong]

Realize that no amount of evangelism is going to make everyone enjoy this hobby.

But the right product could do that. Just look at WoW.

 

[Cadfan]

<sarcasm>
Right. My copy of Monopoly spontaneously imploded the other day because of lack of support.

Ok, let me restate.

Hobby games need support. What's the point of a stagnant hobby? Even FLY FISHERS are constantly buying new stuff and creating new things. Fish don't change, so they've created a whole edifice to their hobby that does change, to keep themselves interested.

 

[Arnwyn]

How about if we get your group to disappear, and keep the Industry and healthy hobby?

I have no idea what you're talking about (and I don't think you do, either). Isn't that sort of the situation right now?

Could you possibly be less clear?

 

[Ganders]

There's a difference between "what's good for the hobby" and "what's good for the industry". There's even a third category if you want to get real picky: "what's good for the publishers". WotC really wants us to believe they're synonymous, but we don't have to.

 

[RFisher]

But the right product could do that. Just look at WoW.

<shrug> I don’t know a lot about it. What I do know, is that among the people I know, more don’t play it than do.

Ok, let me restate.

Hobby games need support. What's the point of a stagnant hobby? Even FLY FISHERS are constantly buying new stuff and creating new things. Fish don't change, so they've created a whole edifice to their hobby that does change, to keep themselves interested.

Odd example that. Last time I fished, it was no different than the first time. Bamboo pole, line, sinker, bobber, and worm. And I certainly enjoyed it more.

Plenty of fishermen are happy doing it the way they always have. Some people actually don’t have attention deficit disorder, and ADD is probably even less prevalent among fishermen than the population at large.

Anyway, I don’t think we’re going to come to any agreement along these lines.

There's a difference between "what's good for the hobby" and "what's good for the industry". There's even a third category if you want to get real picky: "what's good for the publishers". WotC really wants us to believe they're synonymous, but we don't have to.

Yeah. For me, I think I’ve learned that my energy is better spent worrying about what is good for my group rather that what is good for Wizards, the industry, or the hobby. In fact, ironically, I think that ends up being better for the hobby.