Are gamers really that pathetic?

[Thornir Alekeg]

OK, I'll try this again...hopefully won't timeout this time.

Regarding the original point of this thread: I think there is a difference between RPGers and computer gamers. RPGers for the most part play in a direct social environment. Computer gamers for the most part play in a virtual social environment. I suspect that there are a larger number of diehard fanatic computer gamers who are highly introverted and maybe have never had the nerve to speak directly/touch a woman than is the case for diehard fanatic RPGers.

Regarding the rather ugly turn of this thread into one of bashing people who don't meet social norms; I would rather see the RPG hobby (or game or pasttime or whatever you want to call it) be one of inclusion than exclusion. I have met some very interesting and wonderful people through gaming that do not fit into my ideals of possessing social graces. Sure I've met others I would rather not associate with, but then again I've met people like that at work, at school, at the supermarket, on the bus...

 

[Jim Hague]

*snip*

Nice to know that, indeed, it's not just limited to the smelly, annoying sorts. There's also the ones that like to give us our opinions. :\

Look, you're going to run into the maladjusted sorts anytime you're in a gathering for any hobby. I've seen them at sports events, car shows, gun shows, model shows, model railroad shows...

You get the picture. If it's a niche, you have people who get into it for whatever reason, and get into it at the expense of social niceties such as shaving, bathing or social skills. It's no more prevalent in our hobby than any other. We seem 'weird' to many because there's folks who, when speaking on RPGs, descend into arcane language that makes no sense to Joe Schmo. We wear funny clothes. The mainstream generally doesn't see the appeal of the hobby. As has been pointed out time and again, and bears repeating: the 'normal' folks in our hobby don't make good press.

 

[Desdichado]

Being unable to move out of your parents' home is also a complex situation more dealing with inflation, our use of fossil fuels, and the national economy. Believe me, I know.

Blaming inflation (which we have never been without since the history of modern economics) the use of fossil fuels (!) or the national economy as the major factors in gamers being unable to leave their parent's homes?

To put it politely; that's extremely dodgy logic.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

I will say that I find this to be a valid point. We can exile them from our groups, but we can't really keep them from existing. And there is also the fact that the "exile point" varies from person to person. So there really is no solution. However we can take solace in the fact that most other hobbies (even sports fans, who I will point out have conventions a lot regularly then we do) have thier undesireable segments also.

Arguably, the sports guys can be a LOT worse. They smell AND they have a penchant for trying to give you noogies. At least smelly gamers generally don't try to touch you.

Also, for the record, my notion of "undesirables" has nothing to do with someone's shyness or virginity. Heck, I was a virgin until substantially later than the national average. My notion of "undesirables" is based on boorish, smelly, rude, piggish people who cause people to flee the building.

Nisarg may be overstating the case, but he has a point. I'm not saying we need to "purge" people from the hobby, but maybe we could try educating them. I failed miserably most of the time at that, but I did introduce one guy to deodorant successfully, and after my impassioned variations on "Dude! It is NOT cool to leer at the 16 year old!" were ignored for three sessions, I got the pleasure of witnessing an education when she slapped him so hard it left a welt.

Actually, I think that was educational for both of them.

So my success rate was 2 out of about 15, but I was working alone. No one else in any group I was ever in would in any way comment on these elephants in the gaming room. That was what finally put me over the edge. Had the entire group brought a little social pressure on some of these behaviors, things might have changed.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Are so many gamers *really* so pathetically socially withdrawn that the first time they've touched a girl would be a booth babe at a gaming convention? Or are the guys these women are referring to 13 year-olds? Is that situation so exciting as to make gamer guys shake?

Quasqueton

Yes, yes they are.

I understand that the government is working on some type of drug to turn these social misfits into a new legion of meta mutants and take over the military.

 

[Agamemnon]

you didn't understand what I meant, did you?

No, it appears that I didn't. I assume that my being a foreigner and not a native English speaker has led me to misunderstand your point so utterly. It is to be expected, of course, but I'm afraid I cannot do any better.

I still stand by my conclusions. When I play, or DM, or design worlds or monsters or whatever, I'm escaping. In the world of my imagination, I'm free. Whenever I'm forced back into the real, I'm sad because I prefer the illusion. If something bad happens in-game, I can always think "it has to work out in the end, it's a story and that's what stories do".

Games I can work with. They have rules, they have patterns that can be interpreted and taken advantage of. Good gets rewarded, evil punished. Real life has nothing of the sort. In reality, everything is in flux and there are no rerolls and happy endings. That's why I play, and I am certain I am not alone in this reasoning. After all, not being exceptional in any other aspect leads to me not being exceptional in this one, either. Therefore, we must out there.

 

[Agamemnon]

double post

 

[Sir Elton]

Blaming inflation (which we have never been without since the history of modern economics) the use of fossil fuels (!) or the national economy as the major factors in gamers being unable to leave their parent's homes?

To put it politely; that's extremely dodgy logic.

Obviously, you haven't followed the housing market in Salt Lake City for the past 29 years. Dodge logic? Hardly. Follow my life for the past 29 years.

 

[James Heard]

Things I've learned from this thread:

1. At least as much as the concept of bashing North American gamers as 'smelling like catpiss', I don't want to ever risk playing with any intolerant foreigners. So since I've already banned the local German from my table I'll now include everyone who isn't exactly like me including all foreigners. Except for Italians and Thais, because I like pasta and I'd be in big trouble with the other. Noodles are cool.

2. People hate themselves all over, but in some places they use that as an excuse to hate others. This explains global warfare and booth girls in general.

3. Asian girls are hot, but other girls are hot too until you hear them talk derisively about the people around them. Apparently one should consider renting booth girls from someplace called Illinois Street. I'm not sure if that still allows for free pictures.

4. When the booth girls aren't looking down on their customers the owners of the booths are perfectly willing to look down on booth girls. Really, noodles are very excellent and I like them very much.

5. There is no spoon.


Seriously, if you've only met creepy smelly people in gaming then you're a lucky person. Some of those booth girls are much more insane than anyone I've ever known that pulled the wide-eyed stare from me for showing up at a Con in Trek constume. Every gamer I've ever met is better adjusted than any of the people I used to do drugs with, yet the druggies are supposed to be more mainstream. They smell better too. Not every gamer I've ever met was capable of intelligent conversation at a Con, but after a night out drinking and passing out in a linen closet once or twice I assure you that neither have I.

 

[Incenjucar]

So you just happened to be there? Yeah right...

What was your costume?

M.

Heh, I was on there on purpose. Further Confusion 2002 I think. Wanted to see what conventions were like, and I was mostly involved in furry-based roleplaying back then. I noticed -most- of the people there were somewhat dirty-looking or otherwise just looked awkward. And, of course, there was the infamous-in-furry RoxyKat (however you spell it), a guy in a buxom latex pink cat girl suit, whom I couldn't even bring myself to focus my vision on. I knew one person there from a MUCK, but was so nervous due to the creep-factor of the place that I never really looked at him (we were both on computers right next to each other playing the MUCK between events, heh). Also accidentally walked in to the 'adult art room'. The buggers didn't mark it, and the beard I had at the time made me look too old to card, I'm guessing. I just saw endless 'pink' and backed away with blurry vision. Heh.

Great ego boost though; I was in the top 10% of attractiveness at the con, easily.

--

Roman

Absolutely nothing bad about being a virgin; the risks can be nasty, and, frankly, the cuddling was more fun than the nekkid stuff, for me at least.

Besides, if you ever -do- get in a situation, some women will get very very very aggressive about trying to be your first, and it's one huge ego boost, and a good laugh, too. Having a girl get mad at your pants and saying really really bad cliche` porno lines which I won't repeat here has got to be the funniest thing in the world. As I always say, if you run, they chase.

--

Joe

They actually have that drug on TV that's supposed to make you all 'social', so, heh. My mother used to try to get me to use it, even, before my ex showed up to visit.

--

This all just makes me think that we really need to have outdoor gaming meets in parks, with a dress code. (the following is humor. Kinda.) That or we need to hire hookers for all of these fellas (and jigalos for the ladies, I wager -- they can't ALL be guys), so they know what they're missing at might try to bathe once in awhile in hopes of getting another chance at it.