Anyone have effective closet gamer detection methods?
- Thread starter DM_Matt
- Start date
KnowTheToe
First Post
Alcamtar said:
I have to agree with this one. I never tell people I game until I take them thru a transition of other games first. you know, board games, wargames and then RPG. My wife tells anyone and she does not game. She went with her mom to a wedding once and brought me back 3 phone numbers of gamers she met there. 100 to 1 odds, if I had gone, I would never have gotton those phone numbers.
Sanackranib
First Post
D&D
I just look for the steriotypes, often you can get a feeling for other serious gamers by the way they look, speak or the other intrests that they have. I have found gamers at work, college and even in my old appartment buliding! the best way is to ask, if you feel that they could be then perhaps they are.
I just look for the steriotypes, often you can get a feeling for other serious gamers by the way they look, speak or the other intrests that they have. I have found gamers at work, college and even in my old appartment buliding! the best way is to ask, if you feel that they could be then perhaps they are.
Silver Moon
Adventurer
If you are in a school setting I'd vote for taking a more obvious approach. When I was in Grad. school I considered putting up some flyers to start up a group on campus, but talked myself out of it, thinking that a serious business school wouldn't have too many of the creative over-imaginative types that I was used to gaming with. A few years later I found out that PirateCat was also attending then.
buzz
Adventurer
Psychotic Dreamer said:
To a certain extent, I have to say: "So what?"
Isn't it better to proudly proclaim that you're a gamer, and then work to shatter people's stereotypes by being just as normal or cool (or moreso!) as the next person?
This thread is really entertaining, but I wonder how much good it does to promote "game-dar" and all of this "stealth-invitation" stuff. Aren't we just reinforcing the stereotype that gaming is a "bad" thing that we need to be ashamed of?
When I got back into gaming (thanks to 3e! Woo!), I took some flak from some of my non-gaming friends. They would ask me about a session I had that weekend or something, expecting (playfully, mind you) that I would get all flustered and bashful about it.
Eventually, I made a concerted decision to *not* act this way. If they ask, I tell them point blank: "It was pretty cool; we were trying to retrieve this crucible blah, blah..." And now the taunting kind of doesn't happen. They know that I do this, and it's just who I am. Heck, the other gamer in our circle hosts an annual "vintage RPG night" that we get *all* of our pals to participate in (next up: TSR's Indiana Jones RPG!). We haven't converted anyone yet, but at least they have fun.
I guess I realized that, for the most part, the only person making me feel bad about gaming was *me*. I decided to stop, because life is just too short, and, dangit, MORE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT WE EXIST.
buzz
Adventurer
Psychotic Dreamer said:
Not to mention, even the mocking can conceivably "spread the word." I met a guy at my last job this way.
Friend: "Yeah, Joe is a serious dork."
Me: "Really?" Heads off to talk to Joe.
We didn't get to game together, but we had many cool conversations around the ol' water cooler.
Shapermc
First Post
I have found many people that use to play by some of the tactics mentioned here.
But I must say Big Props to the Military on who RPG's. If you want to constantly game and save money join the NAVY. Granted I joined the coastguard but when you are working a 72 hour shift your 3 month in and a BM3 comes up to you and says "Know how to play D&D?" You know that you are in for a long night of fun
Of the 2.5 years that I was at the unit I had a campeign that lasted 11 months and average of 20 hours a week. this was on top of 1 or 2 pick upgames. Loads of fun
From what I understand the NAVY has 3X as many D&D adicts.
But I must say Big Props to the Military on who RPG's. If you want to constantly game and save money join the NAVY. Granted I joined the coastguard but when you are working a 72 hour shift your 3 month in and a BM3 comes up to you and says "Know how to play D&D?" You know that you are in for a long night of fun
Of the 2.5 years that I was at the unit I had a campeign that lasted 11 months and average of 20 hours a week. this was on top of 1 or 2 pick upgames. Loads of fun
From what I understand the NAVY has 3X as many D&D adicts.
Guilt Puppy
First Post
One word: "d6"
Throw it into conversation at some point, just slightly... If they understand perfectly, zing.
If you're too embarrassed to admit gaming, and they ask what a "d6" is, just make up something about doing some statistics work at some point, and claim that the whole dice naming scheme comes from there.
Putting up flyers is surprisingly ineffective. My DM freshman year spread them all around campus, and we only got two new people... One of whom he knew already.
Throw it into conversation at some point, just slightly... If they understand perfectly, zing.
If you're too embarrassed to admit gaming, and they ask what a "d6" is, just make up something about doing some statistics work at some point, and claim that the whole dice naming scheme comes from there.
Putting up flyers is surprisingly ineffective. My DM freshman year spread them all around campus, and we only got two new people... One of whom he knew already.
Nightstorm
First Post
I'll get flack for what Im about to say, but in my experiance, it's hard to tell. Being gay, I pick up gamers on the same "gaydar" frequency.
