From here:
I'm curious to hear what my fellow RPG guys p) think about this. As for me, I can understand feeling insulted by another insulting what you like. But it seems (to me at least) that it runs somewhat deeper with "geek" hobbies. <armchair-psychologist> Maybe it has something to do with incorporating a separate entity into our identity. Thus, an attack against [It] is an attack against [Me]. And we weren't exactly... guh, if I keep going I'll sound like a pretentious nozzle throwing around words like "unpopular" and "mainstream" and "beaten up by jocks", I'm sure you all know what I'm getting at so I'll just leave it unsaid. </armchair-psychologist>
Or maybe you believe the guy quoted is full of bunk. I'd love to hear the opposing viewpoints! Mostly because the whole "gamers are a bunch of fat, thin-skinned rageoholics" paradigm leaves a foul taste in my mouth.
I think this man has a point. This is something I've noticed and has perplexed me for some time. I've seen the same inexplicable behavior about music preference (OMG I HAET BRITNAY SPAERZ [Wait, is she good and buried now, and no longer a good reference for the "typical popslut" archetype? All I know is she was ragingly popular when I was a high schooler, and after graduating I've been {thankfully} cut off from pop culture so I don't know what's what these days... get off my lawn.] METALIKA R TEH GAWDZ). With certain subjects and not others, people for some reason tend to "internalize" someone else's work, acting like they've planted a flag of patriotism or joined a religion. I admit I used to sort of act like that, but I grew out of it. Mostly.With all due respect, I don't get something about you RPG guys.
I don't get how criticism of a system constitutes "flaming."
I go on line, I criticize movies, etc. People argue. But people are not so wrapped up in their personal consumer choices that they take criticism of their preferred products to be "flaming."
But you RPG guys... someone says a bad word about d20 and Hero (two systems I like, on the whole, but which I find fault with), and it's a "flamewar."
I've said it before, I'll say it again:
This hobby will never grow if the people currently in it do not exhibit more of the traits of mature, well-developed, non Simpons-Comic-Book-Guy adults.
I'm curious to hear what my fellow RPG guys p) think about this. As for me, I can understand feeling insulted by another insulting what you like. But it seems (to me at least) that it runs somewhat deeper with "geek" hobbies. <armchair-psychologist> Maybe it has something to do with incorporating a separate entity into our identity. Thus, an attack against [It] is an attack against [Me]. And we weren't exactly... guh, if I keep going I'll sound like a pretentious nozzle throwing around words like "unpopular" and "mainstream" and "beaten up by jocks", I'm sure you all know what I'm getting at so I'll just leave it unsaid. </armchair-psychologist>
Or maybe you believe the guy quoted is full of bunk. I'd love to hear the opposing viewpoints! Mostly because the whole "gamers are a bunch of fat, thin-skinned rageoholics" paradigm leaves a foul taste in my mouth.