Taking away the shame...of Roleplaying!

[Angcuru]

wer'e just jumping from one thread to the other tonight. hehe.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

I somewhat parade the fact that I'm a gamer, in that I usually carry a book with me at school to read/use when I finish homework or when I'm in homeroom. Many of my non-gamer friends like asking about them, and think the pictures are cool too. I've found that there's very little extra stigma, since I'm a *very* obvious geek (glasses, pimply, overweight, long hair, strange sense of fashion, 20-40 writing utensils always in my pocket, etc...), but most people have come to learn that I'm fairly cool anyway (now, the majority of the seventh grade doesn't know me, and MANY of them hate me (especially the ones on my bus) but they're all wannabes and dips (few things are funnier than someone calling you stupid when you've outclassed them in the most recent standardized tests, AND the SATs (not that I'm bragging...)))

WOW that's a lot of parentheses...

 

[Angcuru]

I've seen a cement-coated nail(as in bang-bang with a hammer) dissolve in coke. That made me a pepsi-fan for life.

 

[dren]

I've watched a few of the reality type shows where they go into an adult bookstore with an obvious video camera and start taping the people inside. They scatter, pull their coats over their heads, turn away, and run. Within seconds the store is empty.

I've often wondered what the scene would be like if this happened in a gaming store. Would there be people who reacted the same way? It's possible, but I doubt it. That alone tells me that the stigma from gaming is not nearly as bad as you might think.

I would use the same rant that I give whenever anyone gives me grief about this hobby. Whether it's my parents or my wife or any of my non-gamer friends...they know to only ask me once, because once I get started, I can go on for hours. I may look like an idiot while giving my rant, but I refuse to be quiet! I love this game too much to ever be quiet.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

I've seen a cement-coated nail(as in bang-bang with a hammer) dissolve in coke. That made me a pepsi-fan for life.

oh yeah? Well even pepsi's precious diva sponsor can't stand the allure of coke.

 

[Rashak Mani]

I avoid gamer types... they tend to be very nerdy and akward in social situations. Of course I am not a nerd myself....

On a serious note thou, gaming stores are places where you find some pretty wierd guys. No matter how much I like gaming everytime I meet some of these wierdos it makes me think about what our hobby attracts !

 

[Skarp Hedin]

Hey Merlion, this is a bit off-topic and all, but at which GK did you work? I worked at PE26 in Arlington, VA from 97-98, so I'm just curious.

On topic: I rarely tell anyone, mostly due to a desire to avoid long discussions about how I spend my free time.

 

[Felix]

Arlington, VA eh? You wouldn't have happened to go to any of Arlington's fine high schools during your stint down here, did you? Yorktown HS perhaps?

 

[Katerek]

I used to be a closet gamer until I realized that practically everyone I knew were gamers anyway.

Here in the AMerican Midwest there is still a little bit of stigma attached to gaming. Im a classic "Hat-Trick Geek", I like Comics, Magic The Gathering, and DnD. So I get it coming from several directions.

Usually when faced with scorn I usually try to argue logically with the person, and I always try to use my skills as a professional educator to get rid of the bad mythology that has grown up around the hobby.

Whenever that doesn't work, I practice the art of deflection and point out how anime and video games are eroding the minds of our nations youth, drop a smoke bomb, and escape amidst all the confusion.

Man, I really crack me up sometimes.

 

[Celtavian]

Re

I don't mind telling people I am gamer, but I certainly wouldn't mention to a woman I was interested in until the relationship was secure...)