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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 7983601" data-attributes="member: 6801228">And some people take the challenge and decide to improve themselves until they reach that goal. We don't have kids listen to Mozart so that they will never try and compose music, we have them listen to inspire them to take up that challenge and create their own music.Sure, someone might look at a Van Goh and decide that their naughty word painting will never amount to anything and they never try and paint again. Others look at it, and are inspired to keep going and try and reach that bar.It isn't fair to blame someone for being good at something just because it might discourage someone or make them feel inferior. Mercer isn't grinding his fame in people's faces and trying to make them feel inferior, he often encourages people to find their own voices and create their own games. If people don't get that message, it isn't his fault.Who is the victim here? A DM who holds themselves to a high standard then gets discouraged when they don't measure up? How many amatuer musicians do people listen to on the radio? How many amateur actors do they see on the big screen? How many games made by first time programmers do they play?People are constantly exposed to individuals who are much more skilled than they are in a field. It is a fact of life. If someone gets discouraged and never DMs again because their first attempt wasn't Critical Role, then that is a shame, but I would never call them a "victim" of the "Mercer Effect". It isn't Matt's fault. Just like when I tried my first game and it was a disaster it wasn't anyone's fault, even though I had a DM as inspiration to try. Should I blame that person for showing me what a Good DM was and then I didn't live up to that idea? Should I blame Tolkien because the first book I tried to write didn't work the way I wanted? This idea just doesn't hold water for me.That is on them. Not the professional they are comparing themselves too.</blockquote>

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