I'm too "cool" to game

[DDK]

Ugh, no offense but this sorta attitude really bugs me. It's a case of self-perpetuating stereotypes. You can only blame yourself for the attitude that other people have because you yourself are ashamed and hide it as if there was something wrong with it.

I happily read D&D books on the train or take them to work. If anyone asks, I tell 'em straight up, "It's that freaky, weirdoes game where people kill themselves and worship demons... wanna play?"

 

[Darrin Drader]

What are you saying about us? Huh? We look different to regular people?

I'm actually saying exactly the opposite about gamers. You can't tell who plays D&D based on their appearance, and the "geek" stereotype really isn't the norm. At least not anymore. I seriously doubt that it ever really was. (Yes, I get that you're talking about doctors.)

Here I go up in flames, but if you want to see geeks en-mass, go hang out at a Star Wars convention (I can feel the burn already. Ouch!).

 

[Kichwas]

One of the best things about being over 30 is I don't have to be -cool- anymore.

In truth, being -cool- is just silly, well... uncool.

 

[dpdx]

My wife knows I game, and even though she doesn't want to play, it's still ok with her if I do. See, when you're a grownup, it's actually a positive to get together with your crew fairly regularly. It's also great when you can create endless hours of entertainment on $100 worth of stuff and your imagination.

The rest of my family doesn't really care that much. And that's okay, too. In fact, I got my Mom a box of Settlers of Catan. She loves it.

As Garth Brooks said while pitching the One True Soft Drink, "Be you - dooo what you do!"

 

[sunbeam60]

< begin rant.... >

[good stuff about acknowledging yourself]

< /rant >

You see guys, this is why I hang out on EN World's forums and no place else.

regards
Toft

 

[Paradoxish]

I can kind of relate to what you're saying, but I don't really care about image. Rather, I just hate having to explain myself constantly. I had a lot of friends in highschool, but I was always known as being a geek (hell, I even have a hoodie with the word "geek" on it), even by my girlfriend or close circle of friends. Because of that, it never really bothered me to be seen with gaming books. What did bother me was having to explain myself to people who really didn't care and wasting five minutes of both of our lives.

"What's that?"
"Oh, it's an... uh... RPG book."
"A what?"

Cue long explanation followed by obligatory smiling and nodding

"Oh, that's nice. So what're you doing tonight?"

I guess the too-cool-to-game thing never really truly affected me since I like being seen as a geek.

Ultimately, though, there are going to be people who don't understand you no matter what your hobby or obsession is. People can never understand, for example, why I'd spend $3k+ on speakers and equipment for my home theater when $300 home theater in a boxes are sold in Walmart or why I prefer to put my own computer together instead of getting a Dell. You've just got to smile, nod, acknowledge that not everyone enjoys the same things you do, and move on without worrying about what other people think.

EDIT: I should mention that you probably shouldn't follow my advice, since I'm the epitome of what every cool person does not want to be: A gaming-obsessed college student/geek who prefers to spend his spare time playing RPGs, at LAN parties, or with his computer. I am the devil, avoid me like the plague.

 

[alsih2o]

It's a case of self-perpetuating stereotypes.

If anyone asks, I tell 'em straight up, "It's that freaky, weirdoes game where people kill themselves and worship demons... wanna play?"

yes folks, both sentences in the same post.

 

[DDK]

yes folks, both sentences in the same post.

And here I was thinking that nobody understood my sense of humour...

 

[Buttercup]

Aurin, when I was in college, if a guy I liked had asked me to play D&D, I would have eagerly said yes! I harbored this secret desire to play, but the only people I knew who did were terrifying freaks. (I've described them in a thread before, so I won't repeat myself.) Because I didn't know anybody normal who gamed, and had no idea how to find such people, or even where to buy the game books, I wasted more than a decade not gaming. I dated all these guys who I had nothing in common with, and became quietly convinced that it would always be that way. (Fortunately I was wrong about that, but that's another story.)

Don't assume that people will laugh if they find out. Learn from my experience and be yourself. It's the only way you will ever find friends (and dates!) who you share interests with.

 

[Li Shenron]

I was frankly astonished while reading this thread. It never happened to me that someone had a reaction at all when they saw my D&D books: usually most of the people of my age either have no idea of what a RPG is (and I sincerely tell them what it is, i.e. simply a game), or they have played it a couple of times, someone liked it and someone not, just as any other kind of game.

Usually, at least in Italy, the majority of young men like playing something, being it RPG, computer games, the pool or whatever, while the majority of young women prefer not to, but not necessarily dislike attending a gaming evening and just have fun watching.

Playing a RPG is just like any other hobby: usually people don't think it's stupid to collect stamps, to build model airplanes, to go hunting/fishing, or spending whole nights in front of a playstation, and effectively there is no reason to believe a RPG is worse than the others. This is not just what I think; it's what it seems to me that mostly everyone think around here. Having anything else to do than watch TV all the evenings is supposed to be some kind of improvement to one's time.