Do you admit to being a gamer?

[KnowTheToe]

I am a complete closet gamer. I even hate it when my close friends (that know I play but don't play themselves) tell other people that I play DnD. It's just....something I like to keep secret.

Yep same here, but my wife does tell lots of people that I game and i have met a few new people because of it. I have had to tell her to keep it low key. First I introduce war gaming or military board games and get a general feel of the persons reaction. After a few of those style games, I will casually bring up RPing.

Now, my bookshelf has so much material, one trip in to my "office" and you will have to know I am a gamer. I have tried to be more upfront with it, but have failed.

 

[Voadam]

Only in my freelance gaming writing. For instance, pyramid asks for a little cover letter about yourself before submitting articles so I can put down things like:

Published freelance rpg writing contributing author credits:
GURPS Magic Items 3, Relics and Rituals II, Penumbra Bestiary, Gaming Frontiers Monsters.

Wrote d20 product reviews for d20 weekly.

But I wouldn't put them down on my resume for a day time position just as my J.D. and bar membership doesn't go on my pyramid application.

 

[buzz]

I once included "Roleplaying games" in the "hobbies" section of an application to volunteer for a Teen Mentoring program.

In the follow-up interview, they told me not to ever bring it up near the kids.

Ah, more fodder for my festering misanthropy.

Anyway...

On a resume: Nope. Like others have said, it's simply not relevant (unless it is). In this job market, employers don't give a rat's booty about your hobbies.

In life: When I was an impressionable teen and mistakenly cared about such things, I stayed "in the closet". In hindsight, all it served to do was help me miss out on countless opportunities to meet new people and game. Now that I've rejoined the hobby full-force, I'm "out." Consequently, I've been to cons for the first time in my life, made a lot of new friends, and even (ironically for this thread) got a really high-paying consulting gig... because the guy who hired me is in my Saturday night group. Not to mention other poeple who've hooked me up with Web design gigs.

Tanget coming up...

One thing that I think makes it "easier" these days is that the hobby has matured so much. Compared to when I started (1980), I think that the gaming populace is more diverse as well as having gotten older, generally. Not to slag the younger folk (love ya, baby!), but I think it's easier to poroudly say that I'm a gamer when most of the gamers I know are responsible adults with normal social skills... as opposed to all the smelly teenagers that could scare off pretty girls at twenty paces that I knew when I was a kid.

Regardless, even if I did not think this, I just thing it's stupid to be ashamed. It's a hobby, and it's no mopre or less wacky than a jillion other niche hobbies.

 

[Silver Moon]

I don't list gaming on my resume, and haven't since I actually worked as a game designer. In most industries it's not considered a plus.

Really? What good timing. I was just updating my resume in hopes of landing a faculty position at a business college. Does that meant that in the "Publications" section I should only list my peer-reviewed journal articles, and leave off the RGPA distributed Marvel Superheroes module as well as the published letters in the Marvel Team-up and Avengers comic books?

 

[Christian Walker]

If people ask me about my hobbies, I won't omit rpgs. Gaming really helped me out when I was a young lad, keeping me out of trouble and what not, so I'm not afraid to talk about it. Then again, I'm a teacher and lots of us are/have been gamers. Kind of a safe crowd to be "outed" in.



If anyone laughs at me, though, I'll kill them and take their stuff.

 

[Angcuru]

I don't advertise the fact that I'm a gamer, just the way I don't advertise the fact that I'm Polish, and both form my identity to some extent. If asked if I game, I reply: "Why, yes I do, on occasion."

I don't like the idea of having to 'admit' to being a gamer. One 'admits' to being a drunk, a stoner, a wifebeater, an ex-con, a Magic player...because those are not things to be proud of. The idea of having to 'admit' to being a gamer implies that there is something inherently wrong with said hobby. One would 'admit' to being one of these guys, but not to being a guy/gal who plays RPGs.

 

[Renocide]

I admit to being a gamer but I keep the wife beating stuff on the down low...JUST KIDDING DEAR!!!

I remember keeping it from my wife(then girlfriend) for a longggg time. Maybe 6 or 8 months even. She being the girly girl cheerleader type, I was just assuming she would laugh and call me names. She just looked at me pretty funny for a bit and asked what it was about. After a brief explanation she just said "Ummm, ok. Where do you want to go eat at?" and that was that. I leave on Wed. nights to get my game on and she stays home and catches up on the latest Lifetime movie. Works out pretty well.
I dont really hide it but I hate going threw the whole explaining of what it is to someone that dosent care anyway. So I pretty much dont discuss it with non-gamers.

 

[KidCthulhu]

Wow. Sounds like the concensus is no. That's my feeling too. I lead a very segmented life. My friends who game or who are open to it know that I train dogs and sing, but my dog friends and my singing friends don't know I game. I'm just sensitive to it, I guess.

Once, we were singing a great piece by Giancarlo Menotti, "The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore". I spoken up several times to clarify some point in the text, defining Cabalism, explaining the difference between Greek Gorgons and Persian Gorgons (snakes versus bulls), and several of my chorusmates turned around and asked how I knew so much about this stuff. I kept mum. But gaming does make you smart, if you let it.

 

[glincaelin]

well, since you asked....

I put on my last resume the fact that I worked as a freelance miniature sculptor... and it helped me get the job. Proved that I can work independently and meet deadlines and such. However, outside of a professional and relevant context I would never bring it up. Although it is unfortunate, we seem to be part of a subculture – a good, supportive and positive subculture, but a subculture that the masses consider deviant. Until that changes (I'm not holding my breath), I'm keeping quiet.

 

[heimdall]

Like many, it's not on my resume because it's not relevant to what I do. With that said, I pretty much keep my private life completely separate from my work life. There are a few people at work who know I game, but it's not something I advertise. But then again, I don't go advertising I'm a big soccer fan, either. The few at work who know are also fans (one of 'em helped me coach my son's team). There's no real reason to bring it up at work.