D&D 5E Dungeons and Dragons and the RPG Stigma

[Rygar]

A curious thing happened to me today that I'm guessing has happened around a dozen times ove the last year. I work at a hospital essentially as a unit clerk, and as such I have quite a bit of time on my hands. Recently, I've taken to bringing my 5E books to prepare for material for upcoming sessions, and generally work on my campaign setting. I've recieved a few comments on it, generally curiosity, with very little of it being negative (in fact, a coworker recently has wanted to start playing, which I found extremely pleasing.). But today, a doctor approached who I hold in high regard, someone whom I hope will write a recommendation for me for medical school. The second he saw the book, he seemed incredulous that I would play it. Contempt was dripping from his voice, and he warned me to not bring up this hobby to the admissions boards under any circumstances. Not only that, but he went on, speaking in a stereotypical nasally nerd drawl, to the laughter of many of the nurses around.

This isn't something entirely new to me. I've had to deal with prejudice against nerds all my life. But in all those cases, it was children or teenagers doing the teasing, not adults, and it floored me how derisive he ws towards a simple hobby. With a resurgence of nerd culture into the mainstream, comic books and sci if action films being the highest grossing films, Skyrim and World of Warcraft being incredibly popular, I had thought maybe some of the stigma attached to D&D might have disappeared. It made my blood boil, and I truly had to take a moment to collect myself before I said something unprofessional.

has anyone else had similar issues recently? Any stories of good? I'm sincerely hoping that this is an isolated incident, but it doesnt make me hopeful for the brand or for RPGs In general.

How did this thread on this topic with this OP make it this many pages without anyone mentioning the two medical doctors that founded Bioware and was later sold to EA for $860 million dollars after having made a ridiculous amount of money selling RPGs?

 

[Mr Fixit]

How did this thread on this topic with this OP make it this many pages without anyone mentioning the two medical doctors that founded Bioware and was later sold to EA for $860 million dollars after having made a ridiculous amount of money selling RPGs?

Because everything is allowed when there's money involved.

 

[miniaturehoarder]

I think you just met a jerk.

He had enough concern for the OP to warn them about the board's potential biases.

 

[hector the hobbit]

M m

 

[GameOgre]

I have found the opposite. All my friends and I discriminate against the non-gamers. It's really the only way to help them.

When talking to colleges with PHD's I will often chide them about their lack of gaming experience. If I see someone reading a non-fiction book I will frown and ask them" Do you really have nothing better to do with your time?".

Once during a professors lecture on the Honeybee I just flat out rolled initiative and a friend and I had a Dragon Fight(miniatures and all) right there on the podium.

If I am doing a interview I will often stop, stare at them and demand to see there last three character sheets. If they don't have them I will ask them to describe their last character death in the first person with extra points given for emotional turmoil and believability.

Once when running into a burning building to save some people I grabbed a dude and was running out with him when I saw this other guy crawling for the door with a Players Handbook in his hand. So I dumped the older dude on the floor, grabbed the crawling guy (and his Players Handbook) and made for the door.

In my younger days I was a costumed vigilante and when my arch-villain figured out my secret identity he kidnapped my non-gamer girlfriend and a busload of kids. I way very high up over the city fighting him when he activated his trap and both my non-gaming girlfriend and that busload of kids went hurling in opposite directions towards the ground.

I only had a second to decide what to do but when I saw one of the kids had the Rifts book clutched in his little hands I took off like a bolt of lightning for him.

I managed to pull him through the window on a line and save him. It turns out he was a Friggin Game Master! My Glitter Boy made 9th level!

I could go on and on.

So you see people, it's up to you to turn the tide and add a little hate and mistrust in the world for non-gamers. I know you all know someone who doesn't game. Give them a swirly!

 

[hector the hobbit]

That last post was me being muzzled. I am a 52 year old business owner who does the yearly hiring from the local tech schools. I always ask what outside hobbies a potential hiree may have, most say outdoorsy stuff (they are being hired for a land surveying co so maybe they may think it's relevant) but never gaming. Ever.
I don't discuss plying much at the office. One or two out of 15 know I play but we don't talk about it mainly because they are not interested and not because of any stigma against it. My lunch hour trips to my FLGS is always alone, however.
My biggest problem is finding a group to join. I stopped gaming for about 30 years and all my old nerdy friends are only seen on Facebook (live in a different province). Because of my professional status in the small community I live in, I find it difficult to bring up the topic.... I think many of us nerds just do not have the confidence to bring up the gaming side of our lives.

 

[hector the hobbit]

Oh, may be the stigma is slowly going away... The game made last weeks NY times Sunday crossword.....

 

[Bayonet]

Oh, may be the stigma is slowly going away... The game made last weeks NY times Sunday crossword.....

I honestly think it's becoming more mainstream. Not long after the PHB came out, I was in bar in downtown Ottawa, and overheard at least three separate conversations mentioning "5th edition" and "D&D". Granted, this was a trendy dive with a youthful clientele, but I'm not sure how much that would affect it; people of that age are usually more guarded about their personalities, more desperate to appear "cool".

There's always going to be some sort of stigma, but any hobby has this; If you're a car guy, you're going to be chirped about being nothing but a "boy with a toy", if you're a shooter or hunter you're " a redneck murderer, likely compensating for something! (wink, nudge), if you're into fighting sports, you're an "unevolved thug", and on and on.

There's a certain segment of the population that does nothing but work, watch tv, and buy stuff, and see anyone with a life outside of that as some weirdo, possibly a threat to their worldview. You can't do anything to please these people, and you shouldn't try. Just do what you love and own it.

Hec, if you can't find anyone to game with, just ask around the FLGS or try out some of the online gaming websites. (Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, etc.) I put off doing that for years, and I regret it. Just find a game and jump in.

 

[Li Shenron]

A curious thing happened to me today that I'm guessing has happened around a dozen times ove the last year. I work at a hospital essentially as a unit clerk, and as such I have quite a bit of time on my hands. Recently, I've taken to bringing my 5E books to prepare for material for upcoming sessions, and generally work on my campaign setting. I've recieved a few comments on it, generally curiosity, with very little of it being negative (in fact, a coworker recently has wanted to start playing, which I found extremely pleasing.). But today, a doctor approached who I hold in high regard, someone whom I hope will write a recommendation for me for medical school. The second he saw the book, he seemed incredulous that I would play it. Contempt was dripping from his voice, and he warned me to not bring up this hobby to the admissions boards under any circumstances. Not only that, but he went on, speaking in a stereotypical nasally nerd drawl, to the laughter of many of the nurses around.

This isn't something entirely new to me. I've had to deal with prejudice against nerds all my life. But in all those cases, it was children or teenagers doing the teasing, not adults, and it floored me how derisive he ws towards a simple hobby. With a resurgence of nerd culture into the mainstream, comic books and sci if action films being the highest grossing films, Skyrim and World of Warcraft being incredibly popular, I had thought maybe some of the stigma attached to D&D might have disappeared. It made my blood boil, and I truly had to take a moment to collect myself before I said something unprofessional.

has anyone else had similar issues recently? Any stories of good? I'm sincerely hoping that this is an isolated incident, but it doesnt make me hopeful for the brand or for RPGs In general.

Good luck with your case! If your admission might be affected by your hobby, just don't bring it up until after you're admitted.

But that's said, I totally utterly hate people who behave like your superior. This is clearly a discrimination. My belief is that in professional matters, people should be judged solely on their professional skills, not on stuff that don't directly affect their profession (not just hobbies, but you know... the more frequent stuff like gender, race, orientation...). If someone really takes your hobby negatively for making a decision related to your professional career, instead of focusing at your skills and potential, IMHO they are behaving seriously unprofessionally. And I would like to know where such people work and make career decisions on others, so that I can avoid their business, because if they ever deny your admission or slow your career because of your hobby, and they would have admitted you otherwise, it simply means that they have admitted someone else with inferior skills, and that means their business is flawed, or at least not as good as it could be.

 

[Edgewood]

I stopped hiding my love of RPGs once I hit my 40's and now speak of it openly with my coworkers (I'm a police officer). There have been those who would look at me in an odd sort of way but for the most part, they have accepted it. Mainly because I don't really don't place too much weight on what others think anymore (when I was 25 years old it was a different story). In fact, since I have been open about it, (or as my wife refers to it, "coming out of the basement"), I found there were more gamers in my profession than I was led to believe in the first place.