Life and the Game

[Jack7]

After reading the thread on the Dungeon Masters (which I have no real opinion on, not having yet personally seen the work) an interesting idea occurred to me.

I decided I would ask the people here what they do for a living (as in, "what is your occupation in real life?") and see, given the inherent limitations of internet surveys if there is some possibly discernable correlation (or not) between real life occupation and game interest(s).

So you may answer the poll questions above, and if you wish you may also expound upon your answer within this thread if you wish.

Now rather than addressing specific occupations (of which there are far too many to detail) I just included basic occupational types, or fields, or very general disciplines in my occupational poll/list.

I also am not limiting this poll to just interest in D&D, as far as the poll goes you can have any, or several, game interest(s). But I would find it interesting in order to better correlate game interest to occupation that if you do decided to discuss your occupation you might also discuss what are your corresponding game interests.

For instance one would intuitively suspect a natural correlation between someone with a real life job interest involving scientific and technical matters and a tendency to gravitate towards science or science fiction games, but that may or may not be true at all. Either individually, or as a matter of group preference.

Also, for those of us who are older, you may have had more than one occupation or career over time. If you want to discuss that then feel free to do so. If you are young enough then you may feel like discussing your gaming interests in relation to your college studies, anticipated degree, or educational interests.


As for me, I'm probably older than many of you, perhaps younger than a few. Over time I have had careers in the fields of science (psychology and criminology mostly, but also work in chemistry and physics), as well as the liberal arts. I have owned my own company, and still do (this time a writing business, previously a brokerage company), and so I also have a business background. I am a writer and have been for a long time, in addition to my other interests, such as inventing. After I retire I intend to become ordained as a priest and intend to finish out my days in this life as a priest. Unless my wife dies before I do and in that case I may decide to pursue a vocation as a monk after retirement. As for my personal interests I like athletic activities, like throwing discus and hiking, reading (I do a lot both for pleasure and professionally), composing music, and playing the piano, riding my mountain bike, and writing poetry. I'm not one much for TV, I'd rather be outside, but I do like a good film. I Vad when I can (and wish I had more time to Vad), fishing (ditto), go on mission trips and archeological expeditions as a volunteer when I can arrange it. I don't hunt anymore, as I don't care to kill anything anymore unless I absolutely have too, but I love to track animals and watch them.

As for my gaming interests I like all types of Role play Games, including fantasy, science fiction, pulp and adventure, modern/espionage/military/detective type games, and even some super-hero types games. Otherwise I like survival horror and stealth/espionage/adventure/military video and computer games and simulations. I also like board games like Risk, and I like to play chess. Backgammon occasionally. Poker occasionally.

I'm not sure I see a direct correlation between my professional careers and other personal interests and my gamming interests, but maybe the correlation is that I just have a wide range of interests and this shows up on both scores. Anywho, I'm just one guy so it would be hard to draw any real conclusions.

Alright.
Your turn.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I am a teacher and am not totally sure where that puts me, but does not matter as I don't think there is a correlation between your job and your hobby.

I think all you will get here is a cross section of typical jobs in the mroe developed world. Be sure to compare these results to those averages befroe drawing conclusions.

 

[pawsplay]

I'm studying to be a rehabilitation counselor. Not sure where that fits in your categories.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I work in film/TV post production. Mostly I've worked in technical roles but I like the creativity of editing. So I ticked liberal arts. Been doing this for 9 years now. Prior to that I worked in hospitality for, oh god, too many years. Started doing it as a part time job in high school and was 30 before I finally got out. (Please don't take this as a shot at hospitality or those who work in it. I know many people who enjoy working in hospitaily, I'm just not one of them.)

Passtimes. I go to the gym. Love volleyball but can't find a nice social game here in Sydney. Not near me anyway. Like going for long walks. Read oodles. Almost always have music playing, whether interwebbing, reading, doing the house work or walking. And, as my handle suggests, I do like a nice cold beer at the pub with mates. Preferably with a noisy band squeezed onto a tiny stage in the corner. I also do some writing but rarely find myself finishing anything, slack that I am. Do I need to list RPGs?

Retirement? Have a sneaking suspicion I'll work until I die. Like most people in the world. Pretty sure I'll stick to the film/tv post thing. I do quite like it.

As for games: I like Fantasy and Supers genres. Sci-fi sometimes: depends on my mood and the exact nature of the campaign on offer. Love Pulp novels/movies. But haven't had a chance to play any pulp and if I do I'm sure I'll be running it. (I do have the HERO Pulp Adventures book sitting on my shelf just waiting for the chance to be used.) Haven't played many other genres... except a bit of Cthulu back in the olden days. I do like Call of Cthulu and adored many of the source books that came out.

cheers.

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

I too am unsure how to put myself in here. I am currently a part time waitress and a part time Security guard (yes they let a 120lbs girl call herself a guard) who about once every other month bartends one Saturday night.

Why isn’t loser an option???

 

[ppaladin123]

I'm just shy of a PhD in sociology. I'll be working as a professor in the coming years.

I didn't see "social sciences," or "education/academia," in your poll so I didn't participate.

 

[Ktulu]

I am a trainer and technical support manager for a web-based Electronic Health Record system.

Player's in my group are:

Program Developer (for said EHR)
Helecopter Mechanic, contracted to the Army Base
Two para-educators (substitute teachers)
Student enrolled in technical school (studying to become an electrician)

 

[Jack7]

Yeah, some occupations tend to overlap in either function or who they service.

I could consider a rehab counselor either a soft science (depending on what exactly the job entails) or even civil service.

A Teacher could be civil service of course, depending on how you want to define it. (I've taught too by the way, science, history, and religion - so that could be confusing.) But then again it could be a liberal arts job. People on the line can just make their own call or vote in more than one category.

By the way anyone can vote in more than one category.
If you wish.

I'm not saying, by the by, that there will be a real correlation (I suspect there won't be), certainly not a direct one, and nothing provable or perhaps not even really investigable by such a comparison, especially not just by an internet survey. After all people can easily fabricate anything they wish on the internet. And often do.

But I did find it kind of interesting that in the film description so many people seemed to be drawing a sort of occupational or lack of occupational link between gamers (in this case RPG gamers, or more specifically D&D gamers), their hobby, and other activities (or lack thereof) in the real world.

Like I said I haven't seen the work but the basic premise on what I read (which could also be highly prejudicial or biased in either direction) is that the director made a sort of investigative documentary in which one of the likely conclusions is that gamers are (or at elates these were) sort of, what would be the term, misemployed in relation to the larger world. Of course you have to remember that the point of the film may have been that it was only about these three particular individuals, about all such gamers, or maybe he had a different point to make. (Such as that these three individuals ha only one real hobby interest or an overweening one. For instance if D&D is your only real gaming hobby (or nay kind of hobby) then is that good, bad, or indifferent in relation to how one relates to other things in the wider world? how much time does one spend engaged in a gaming hobby versus other activities, etc? I think things like that would make for interesting studies myself. Don't know if it would make for an interesting film though.)

In any case I thought examining occupational capability (or lack thereof) versus (particular) gaming interest might make an interesting study. If not for its own sake then it might lead to some other interesting discovery.

By the way, I didn't list specific jobs (too many of them), but general categories of occupation, like Science, Art, Religion, Business, and Civil Service.

 

[Jack7]

Why isn’t loser an option???

That one is just assumed.
Vote in any of the given categories and you're covered.

By the way when I was a kid my first job right before college was as a security guard at a hospital. Some of the most fun days in my life.

Also some of the hottest and most exhausting.
But fun.

Man, I hated double shifts there though.

 

[Treebore]

Right now I am a chicken, duck, geese, turkey, and goat farmer.

I've been in the Navy as a Missile Technician on SSBN's
I've been a High School Science Teacher
I've owned and ran and did a (cut, cabbed, carved and cast) gemstones and jewelry business for about 8 years.
I've worked in construction, doing walls, roofs, plumbing, etc...