Some of the comments made here in this thread about getting a "better show at a strip joint" and such are a tad inappropriate. Reading the article, it doesn't look like the booth workers are too down on attendees. The most negative stuff had to do with theft.
To be blunt, this is one area where everyone points the finger at everyone except for themselves and whatever region/group/clique they go for. I'd say about 90% of this in game to game situations comes from the fact that it's customary for lots of gamers to game with people they aren't friends with and sometimes, don't even like. 10% comes from the fact that RPGs are a marginal hobby and thus, the fringe stands out all the more.
Another issue is the way large conventions deal with events. The smelliest area of Gen Con last year was the CCG room/hangar. It stunk because there were a thousand people in it, playing CCGs. This is pretty much unavoidable at large cons, though.
But I've met poorly adjusted gamers from all over the world. All of them like to complain about how awful gamers who aren't them are a little more than most. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, since gamers who accept the sense of shame and self-loathing they unconsciously feel their hobby deserves will tend to fit the bill, since they end up feeling they have little to lose. They may not say it (and will protest that they aren't part of the problem the whole way), but they do it.
In short, it's the folks who are most self-righteous about Cat-Piss Men who tend to *be* them. Everyone else just takes a second to go somewhere else and game with people they actually like.
To be blunt, this is one area where everyone points the finger at everyone except for themselves and whatever region/group/clique they go for. I'd say about 90% of this in game to game situations comes from the fact that it's customary for lots of gamers to game with people they aren't friends with and sometimes, don't even like. 10% comes from the fact that RPGs are a marginal hobby and thus, the fringe stands out all the more.
Another issue is the way large conventions deal with events. The smelliest area of Gen Con last year was the CCG room/hangar. It stunk because there were a thousand people in it, playing CCGs. This is pretty much unavoidable at large cons, though.
But I've met poorly adjusted gamers from all over the world. All of them like to complain about how awful gamers who aren't them are a little more than most. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, since gamers who accept the sense of shame and self-loathing they unconsciously feel their hobby deserves will tend to fit the bill, since they end up feeling they have little to lose. They may not say it (and will protest that they aren't part of the problem the whole way), but they do it.
In short, it's the folks who are most self-righteous about Cat-Piss Men who tend to *be* them. Everyone else just takes a second to go somewhere else and game with people they actually like.
