Interesting criticism I found about us "RPG guys".

[billd91]

I can say that and I do say that. I follow politics pretty closely; given the forum rules, I won't post specific examples, but this exact kind of thing happens ALL THE TIME--very public disputes over very stupid and trivial stuff, among the people who govern entire nations*.

We're just a microcosm, and a fairly benign one at that.

I was going to say, the gaming sniping has nothing on the flamewars that erupt over presidential politics. Just look at any news website that allows comments on articles. You'll see it with anything with political implications from electoral politics, to tax policy, to crime and punishment.

 

[airwalkrr]

The clear problem with "us RPG guys" IMHO is that a lot of the fanbois these days seem to be 13 year olds shrouded by the anonymity of the internet and thinking it somehow gives them license to act like a jackass. The video gaming industry is full of these (particularly MMOs) and the teens plague forums for those as well. But the video gaming industry is doing just fine.

 

[ggroy]

The clear problem with "us RPG guys" IMHO is that a lot of the fanbois these days seem to be 13 year olds shrouded by the anonymity of the internet and thinking it somehow gives them license to act like a jackass. The video gaming industry is full of these (particularly MMOs) and the teens plague forums for those as well. But the video gaming industry is doing just fine.

For that matter, it's differs very little when it is a 30 or 40 year old guy with the mindset of a 13 year old kid.

The cloak of anonymity is the online equivalent of alcoholic "liquid courage".

Urban Dictionary: liquid courage

 

[Wolf1066]

Urban Dictionary: liquid courage

I'm old enough to remember it having a rather less "PC" name...

 

[Haltherrion]

I'm all for sensible discussions and one of the things I like about Enworld is that it doesn't get too rude here (I'm thinking of rec.games.frp.dnd where it used to get outright vile).

But I can certainly see why people are more passionate about their rpg hobby. People invest a lot of time in it and especially for referees, their world and their decisions are very much a creative expression. It's not that different from telling an author his book sucks. He might take it with good grace but after spending all those months writing and baring his soul on paper, he might get irate, too.

I'm not encouraging or condoning bad behavior but I don't find it very surprising. It's not the same as arguing about a movie you've seen a few times.

 

[jbear]

A couple of points:

1) Movies (and most other consumer media) are not equivalent to RPGs in terms of criticism. A single session of an RPG usually takes up more of our time than watching a couple of movies, and we do it week after week. We've got a whole lot more invested in our games than a typical moviegoer does in their favorite movie.

2) Big 10 college football sometimes has people burnings sofas in the streets. Riots fairly regularly break out at soccer games in Europe and South America. We are hardly rank as aggressive by comparison.

Remember that "fan" comes from the term "fanatic".

I agree with the sentiment. I don't get the personal emotional attachment to a game system. Like I don't get the attachment to a car. It's just a vehicle I use to get places.

I also don't get football fanatics. In Spain people will cheer for an english team if it is playing their rival spanish national team in the finals of the Champions League. They'd prefer anyone else to win, just as long as the enemy fails.

In NZ, when any New Zealand rugby team makes it into the finals, club colours are forgotten. It's a NZ team, who cares which one! And if we lose, we might sink a beer or three in sorrow and moan about the referees, but we certainly don't burn sofas.

I have my preferences, but I don't begrudge anyone else theirs.

 

[nedjer]

I agree with the sentiment. I don't get the personal emotional attachment to a game system. Like I don't get the attachment to a car. It's just a vehicle I use to get places.

I also don't get football fanatics. In Spain people will cheer for an english team if it is playing their rival spanish national team in the finals of the Champions League. They'd prefer anyone else to win, just as long as the enemy fails.

In NZ, when any New Zealand rugby team makes it into the finals, club colours are forgotten. It's a NZ team, who cares which one! And if we lose, we might sink a beer or three in sorrow and moan about the referees, but we certainly don't burn sofas.

I have my preferences, but I don't begrudge anyone else theirs.

Football I can kind of understand, because whole communities are caught up in historical, political, territorial, traditional 'mindsets' which go beyond football.

It's also possible to see how homebrewy RPG players who've invested loads of time can end up taking 'ownership' of a system they've 'shaped'. Where I get lost is when 'ownership' is linked to little more than consumerism. This seems at it's craziest with gadgets. Last week's E3 game show had the usual choreographed whooping and cheering about games kit which was mainly refined, branded and styled 1950's - 80s technology. Not long before I saw a crowd of whooping and cheering tablet purchasers elated to be first in line at a shop for an ever so slightly overpriced piece of kit.

Quite how a particular logo stuck on multiple versions of almost identical devices, made in exactly the same factory, results in a sense of ownership ? ? ?

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

Well

The night before last, 5 blocks from my loft in downtown Los Angeles, a mob yanked a cab driver out of his car, beat him, then set his taxi on fire....because they were celebrating the fact that the Lakers won.

So no, as far as fans go, I don't think we're particularly rabid. And I echo the sentiments of those who say that RPG system flamewars have nothing on a heated political discussion.

Ken

 

[nedjer]

The night before last, 5 blocks from my loft in downtown Los Angeles, a mob yanked a cab driver out of his car, beat him, then set his taxi on fire....because they were celebrating the fact that the Lakers won.

So no, as far as fans go, I don't think we're particularly rabid. And I echo the sentiments of those who say that RPG system flamewars have nothing on a heated political discussion.

Ken

Got to wonder what happens when they lose?

 

[ggroy]

Got to wonder what happens when they lose?

They ritually burn their rpg books?