Interesting criticism I found about us "RPG guys".

[nedjer]

Because time is a finite resource and people are attracted to the press of the boardgames and the ease of access to WoW.

Clear case of me not reading the thread and then misinterpreting your post. You're 100% right and I'm a dunderhead

 

[Steel_Wind]

"RPG guys?". Please. Take a stroll over on BoardGameGeek. The debates are every bit as passionate. AT vs. Euro, etc.

Computer users are the same: Linux, Windows, Apple Debates

Car fans? Same.

Movie fans -- as mentioned.

Sports fans? Absolutely the same, though in competitive sports, there are no arguments about who won. No less fanatical though. Still, nobody has died in an Edition War. Soccer? No shortage of victims there.

Whenever people are geeking out about their hobbies, they become emotionally invested - they care.

Show me a hobby I can't get emotionally invested in -- and that's a hobby I have no interest in making my hobby in the first place.

 

[Crothian]

Not just hobbies, a new Hamburger place opened up in town and I looked on line to see if I could find a coupon. I found a place that had an argument, very heated, between fans of the new place and fans of a different place over who was better.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Curse you for making me remember Tron Guy!

But you're okay with furries?

 

[Uder]

Even though it's not unique to RPGs, he's not wrong. People take the simplest criticism of a system as a personal attack. Others see two people disagreeing (or worse, agreeing incorrectly in the recent thread about the simplicity of a certain old school game) and jump in to defend/destroy the system in question as if it was the stereotypical damsel in distress or dragon on the mountain.

 

[Dire Bare]

I think the guy has enough of a point.

Even though it's not unique to RPGs, he's not wrong.

I don't think anybody's claiming that the noted behavior doesn't occur in RPG circles! Just hang out on these boards long enough and you'll get plenty of examples.

What many of us disagree with is the idea that behavior is somehow unique or more prevalent amongst "RPG Guys". It's not. This behavior is prevalent amongst "Guys" (and Gals, or everybody who is human).

 

[Odhanan]

I think the guy quoted in the OP is spot on. We are all too sensitive about criticism of our preferred systems or play styles, and that includes me as much as anybody else.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

But you're okay with furries?

Furries bother me only slightly more than official mascots.

I've seen the Tron Guy's series of photos as he shows the world how the costume came together, complete with his XXL body in an XL body-stocking...and male "camel toe."

Furries, OTOH, conceal instead of reveal, thus sparing my poor abused eyes.

 

[Wolf1066]

Or go visit some websites dedicated to particular TV shows, and look for a shipper flame war.

But... but... Chandler and Ross are just meant to be, OK?

People in general can get hung up with their interests and take criticism as a personal attack, it's not a phenomenon limited to "RPG guys" or internet users - as has been well demonstrated by the plethora of other examples quoted in this thread.

It's easy to look at a flame war and say "they're only doing that because of the anonymity afforded by the internet, they wouldn't behave like that IRL" - but equally easy to look at film footage of sports-related violence and other extreme "fan behaviour" out in the real world and write the previous assumption off as completely inaccurate. Sadly, people can and do behave as obnoxiously IRL - and oblivious of witnesses, cameras etc - as they do on the "anonymous interweb tubes".

As a geek, biker, gamer, pagan and a number of other things, I've seen "flame wars" on more topics than I care to remember. OS wars - Windows/Mac/Linux, distro wars amongst the Linux set, bikes vs cars, Holden vs Ford, Harley vs Japper, tourer vs cruiser vs dual sport vs crotch rocket, Christianity vs paganism, Wicca vs Asatru and so on.

And you get your more reasoned, moderate people in those areas as well as the frothing-at-the-mouth fanatics - but the fanatics are by far the loudest and most noticeable.

Seriously, short of firing a shotgun into the air and screaming "stop being so extreme or I'll shoot you", it's well nigh impossible for the more moderate person to get noticed at all...

 

[JoeGKushner]

I don't think anybody's claiming that the noted behavior doesn't occur in RPG circles! Just hang out on these boards long enough and you'll get plenty of examples.

What many of us disagree with is the idea that behavior is somehow unique or more prevalent amongst "RPG Guys". It's not. This behavior is prevalent amongst "Guys" (and Gals, or everybody who is human).

Hell, what I disagree with is the basic premesis that if only us RPGers could all get along the hobby would suddenly bash through WoW and other time intensive activites to reclaim it's glory of thep ast but we foolish RPGers are too intense in disagrement! We've doomed the land!