RangerWickett
Legend
The title of this thread is mostly gratuitous pandering to the emotions of you readers, but I am being serious when I say that I think gaming improves the overall quality of life. When people have fun, they're more relaxed, more willing to help others, and even if game designers don't really add to the technological development of Humanity, they certainly can affect its social life.
So, how has gaming made your life, or the life of another, better, and what do you plan to do to give back to it?
Me, it gave me a way to exert my creative urges and share them with friends, when otherwise they would've been trapped in short stories that no one would ever read. It's given me ideas for research papers at college, and has provided a modicum of a job here at E.N. Publishing. (By the way, if you have any ideas for articles for the ENWorld Player's Journal, please submit them; we could use a few more).
More importantly, though, . . . well, I've known this for a while, but I had a very clear realization last night, while I was lying in bed. A few weeks ago, at my college, Ben Stein came by and talked, mostly about political stuff, but some about how he made a conscious effort during the last few years of his parents lives to make them happy and do them right. I took some of his words to heart, and this summer I've been trying to make others happy by giving up a little of my time. My mom and my cats have definitely appreciated this.
But last night, I realized that, as a game designer, I should never be content to just finish. I want to make sure that whatever I write is fun to play with, and that it will genuinely make those who use them happier. I know it's hard to guess exactly what makes people happy, but I figure quality is a good place to start. I want to write books and rules that are as good as possible, as intriguing and engaging as my little mind can manage. And that is both what I'm giving back to gaming, and what I've received.
So, how has gaming made your life, or the life of another, better, and what do you plan to do to give back to it?
Me, it gave me a way to exert my creative urges and share them with friends, when otherwise they would've been trapped in short stories that no one would ever read. It's given me ideas for research papers at college, and has provided a modicum of a job here at E.N. Publishing. (By the way, if you have any ideas for articles for the ENWorld Player's Journal, please submit them; we could use a few more).
More importantly, though, . . . well, I've known this for a while, but I had a very clear realization last night, while I was lying in bed. A few weeks ago, at my college, Ben Stein came by and talked, mostly about political stuff, but some about how he made a conscious effort during the last few years of his parents lives to make them happy and do them right. I took some of his words to heart, and this summer I've been trying to make others happy by giving up a little of my time. My mom and my cats have definitely appreciated this.
But last night, I realized that, as a game designer, I should never be content to just finish. I want to make sure that whatever I write is fun to play with, and that it will genuinely make those who use them happier. I know it's hard to guess exactly what makes people happy, but I figure quality is a good place to start. I want to write books and rules that are as good as possible, as intriguing and engaging as my little mind can manage. And that is both what I'm giving back to gaming, and what I've received.
