The Elfish Gene - Another attack on gamers

[Sound of Azure]

Criminey, it's a MEMIOR! Not a JOKE BOOK!

I take most memoirs with the same tone as this one about as seriously as a joke book.

I probably typed that in haste, due to exasperation at the tone of the OP (not the OPer, mind). I find it tiresome to see people stress out over stuff like that, that's all.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I don't really think it's insulting. It's describing some guy's real experience with real social goons. I'm sure we ALL have had these experiences, to one degree or another. Here's a guy who's just making an honest buck out of it.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Yes, I agree. I don't feel demeaned or insulted by anything like this book. I just worry when some of my fellow gamers are too thin-skinned and jump up and down over trivialities.

Then again, they're not me...and it doesn't affect me at all if they want to carry on. Maybe I should relax a little, myself.

 

[BadMojo]

Yes, I agree. I don't feel demeaned or insulted by anything like this book. I just worry when some of my fellow gamers are too thin-skinned and jump up and down over trivialities.

Don't worry about them. Just laugh at them like I do.

Maybe it's a side effect of the number of socially crippled RPG players around, but as a group we sure seem easy to offend. Just play the games, enjoy them and don't worry about what other people think. No point losing sleep about this kind of stuff.

 

[houndstooth]

The Elfish Gene - A note from the author

Hello
Mark Barrowcliffe here, I wrote The Elfish Gene.
The blurb on Amazon was not written by me, in fact it was written by someone who has since left my publishers. I'm getting it changed.
My intention in writing this book wasn't to attack gamers at all. I was a gamer and still hold a great deal of affection for that period of my life, something that comes over in the book. In fact, if anyone is attacked or made fun of in The Elfish Gene then it's me. I was an idiot, I was a gamer. That doesn't mean all gamers are idiots.
It's a personal memoir about an obsessional way of playing RPGs. It makes no mention of the majority of perfectly normal gamers, just freaks like me.
Anyway, I'm not going to go into what the book is about - we should be able to get sample chapters up on websites soon so you can judge for yourselves. But please, don't think it's an attack on D&D, or on gamers. My publishers wouldn't have paid me to produce something that cliched.
Much of the book stands up for RPGs. Of course, I do give the myths that D&D leads to the occult or that it involves casting spells a good kick in the head.
Anyway, if anyone has any idea where I could post a few sample chapters I'd be grateful. I think then you'll see that this is no different in intent to a lot of comic biographies on golf, chess, football, whatever. And mods, I don't think this breaks any rules on advertising as I'm replying to an established thread. If it does, er, sorry.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Hello
Mark Barrowcliffe here, I wrote The Elfish Gene.
The blurb on Amazon was not written by me, in fact it was written by someone who has since left my publishers. I'm getting it changed.
My intention in writing this book wasn't to attack gamers at all. I was a gamer and still hold a great deal of affection for that period of my life, something that comes over in the book. In fact, if anyone is attacked or made fun of in The Elfish Gene then it's me. I was an idiot, I was a gamer. That doesn't mean all gamers are idiots.
It's a personal memoir about an obsessional way of playing RPGs. It makes no mention of the majority of perfectly normal gamers, just freaks like me.
Anyway, I'm not going to go into what the book is about - we should be able to get sample chapters up on websites soon so you can judge for yourselves. But please, don't think it's an attack on D&D, or on gamers. My publishers wouldn't have paid me to produce something that cliched.
Much of the book stands up for RPGs. Of course, I do give the myths that D&D leads to the occult or that it involves casting spells a good kick in the head.
Anyway, if anyone has any idea where I could post a few sample chapters I'd be grateful. I think then you'll see that this is no different in intent to a lot of comic biographies on golf, chess, football, whatever. And mods, I don't think this breaks any rules on advertising as I'm replying to an established thread. If it does, er, sorry.

Dude, don't sweat it -- we've got your back.

Welcome to EN World! You should find it a friendly place ... I wouldn't judge by the original post.

 

[nyrfherdr]

HEY HOUNDSTOOTH! Welcome to the boards!!!!

You should pick up D&D again. It's still fun.
Anyway, I hope the gang lets you link sample chapters somewhere here on the boards.

Game ON!

 

[BlackMoria]

Self-Depreciation has always been a mainstay of humor or comedy. Just go to see almost any comedy show. A book about growing up a geek and a D&D geek at that is not a threat to gamers.

A bigger threat to the image of RPGers is, well - without putting fine a point on it, it's the certain elements of the hobby who show up at conventions and basically validate the ultra-geeky, bad hygiene, wouldn't know what to do with a woman, total nerd, just visiting the planet stereotype image that the hobby has picked up over the years.
The types who really aren't representative of the hobby as a whole, yet if there is reporter around -who does he end up interviewing?

 

[TarionzCousin]

Hello
Mark Barrowcliffe here, I wrote The Elfish Gene.

I think you've made a dozen or so sales because of this thread. I hope so.


...and I want a copy of Wik's Vietnam for Dummies. Funniest reply I've read in weeks.

 

[Agamon]

Yep, sounds like an interesting read, I'll have to pick it up.