Indianapolis Monthly Article on GenCon

[Sidereal Knight]

While killing time in line at the grocery last night, I scanned a copy of the August "Indianapolis Monthly" magazine. (It's a rather pretentious rag, but somewhat better than the tabloids.)

There was a very long article about last year's GenCon, written by Tony Rehagen. A version of the article (without pictures) is available on the web:

http://indianapolismonthly.com/monthly/article.asp?articleid=3

Once a year, Vampires, wizards, pirates, ninjas and other unidentifiable creatures invade the city. But behind the masks, Indy’s largest convention is like any other gathering. The attendees come for acceptance, sex and, most of all, love of the game.

I feel like he spends a lot of time on gamer stereotypes, and at some points he seems to take the attitude of "I really don't understand these wierdos".

To truly appreciate the impact Gen Con has on Indianapolis, all you really have to do is walk into the downtown Steak n Shake after midnight on the Friday of the convention. Every seat is filled with a Jedi Knight, a goblin prince or a mountain man who has finally decided that after two straight days of gaming, he needs a creamy milkshake and an order of cheese fries. Unfortunately, these characters haven’t realized that after 48 hours of nonstop gaming, they might also need a shower and a change of costume. The thick smell of grill-seared steakburgers is almost overpowered by that of intense body odor. Paranoid, I spray on another couple doses of cologne.

He did end the story on a relatively good note, however.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wells catches the enemy blue-and-white of a shopper in a Marvin Harrison jersey. But this time, there is no rage. Instead, the Game Master pauses thoughtfully. “You know, a nerd can be anything.”

“Pardon?” I ask. It’s the first time I’ve heard anyone utter the dreaded N-word during the entire convention.

“A nerd can really be anyone who’s really into something,” Wells says. “Whether it’s gaming or movies or football. If you look at it that way, we’re all just nerds.”

My first thoughts on this article were quite not-grandma-friendly. I was afraid that I was being a bit reactionary at first, but now I'm getting more irritated.

If you want to express your displeasure, feel free to contact the magazine... I'm going to do so after I have had some time to think over my response. Their contact form is:

http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/monthly/contactUs.asp

Also, there is a discussion going on over at Circus Maximus:

http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/showthread.php?t=7099

 

[Seanaci]

There's also a discussion on it over at the GenCon forums.

My first reaction was rage and disgust. But, then I laughed. Really. That last line sums it up for me...we're all nerds in our own way.

There's really no need to over-analyze and be totally mad about this article. But, that's just my few cents.

 

[Mark CMG]

Related thread - http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=170471