Gamer Law

[moritheil]

It is a truism of the Rules board (and indeed of any discussion of rules interpretation) that proper interpretation of DnD rules often requires legal-style textual analysis. Our society already has offshoots of civil law: military law, canon law, rabbinic law, etc. Several of these are lifestyle-related.

Could gamer law be next? If so, what would the implications be? When and why would gamer law become its own specialization? What events might need to first happen for this to become reality?

 

[jdrakeh]

What events might need to first happen for this to become reality?

If you have nit-picky, sucktastic, players. . . it's already a reality. That term "rules lawyer" didn't come 'round by accident.

 

[moritheil]

If you have nit-picky, sucktastic, players. . . it's already a reality. That term "rules lawyer" didn't come 'round by accident.

It has yet to become a profession in the way that canon law or rabbinic law is.

 

[howandwhy99]

Mr. Moritheil.

The first rule of Gamer Law is: Do not talk about Gamer Law.

 

[Nifft]

What events might need to first happen for this to become reality?

There would need to be money changing hands, and that means there would need to be money at stake. When you stand to earn or lose a chunk of change based on a game rules ruling, then you might pay someone to defend your interpretation -- and only when you're willing to pay someone to do something does that thing become a profession.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I trieg Gamer Law, but there were just too many charts.

 

[Galethorn]

If professional gaming (e.g. PC and Console games, like Halo and Counterstrike) becomes more mainstream, I can definitely see 'Gaming Law' becoming a legitimate field, but that doesn't really translate to pen-and-paper gaming, and associated, well, rules-lawyering, which is the OP references.

As a future astrogeologist, I'm hardly one to make conjecture about law, of course.

 

[Vegepygmy]

It has yet to become a profession in the way that canon law or rabbinic law is.

Perhaps, but I have been proudly introduced at conventions by other members of my local group as "our" rules lawyer, as if I were retained to represent them in the event a dispute should arise.

Luckily for them, so far I have billed only in beer.

 

[jmucchiello]

As a future astrogeologist, I'm hardly one to make conjecture about law, of course.

At first I read that as astrologist and couldn't understand why an astrologer would not want to predict something.

Off to bed....

 

[moritheil]

If professional gaming (e.g. PC and Console games, like Halo and Counterstrike) becomes more mainstream, I can definitely see 'Gaming Law' becoming a legitimate field, but that doesn't really translate to pen-and-paper gaming, and associated, well, rules-lawyering, which is the OP references.

So you see Gaming Law arising as an offshoot of mainstream law that deals with what is or is not proper or legally binding in games? Interesting.