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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Erithtotl" data-source="post: 792422" data-attributes="member: 1971">Wow, this thread sparks all sorts of emotions in me.  I'm 30, and growing up in the 80s as a gamer in Indiana was a huge stigma.  Of course it didn't help that I was an all-out geek.  I read sci-fi and fantasy, had no fashion sense, was kinda antisocial, not physically fit, a computer geek, etc.   I loved the hobby so much I would bring my books to school and work on D&D stuff in class, which would open me to more ridicule.  Of course, the 80s were also the era of D&D as Satanism, and all the other fun things that were associated with the hobby back then.  I remember once I had a neighbor who was a year or two older than me, and a pretty good friend.  But his family were Jehovah's Witnesses.  One day he came over and another friend of mine and I were playing 'Star Frontiers' (an early TSR sci-fi game).  We explained it to him and told him it was like Dungeons and Dragons in space.  He pretty much freaked out and ran off.  Apparently he'd had it drilled into him that those games were Satan's tool or whatever.  Thank goodness we have computer games to take all the flak now!  (oh, wait, I LOVE computer games!).When I left for college, a place where a lot of people do their first SERIOUS gaming, I abandoned the hobby entirely.  I wanted to break out of my geek-ness and experience what it was like not to be pigeonholed into the geek category.  Unfortunately, my self-image was far behind reality, and mentally I couldn't take advantage of a fresh start.  I brought my 'inner-geek' with me, even if I was trying to reform my 'outer-geek'.Computer games essentially replaced D&D for me for years, until about 3 years ago I visited a friend who was in grad school.  He was running a D&D game (2nd edition back then) and asked me to sit in and play an NPC.   I had a blast!Since then I found a gaming group, have run a campaign and am starting another.  I've recruited friends from work, and gladly rattled on to my girlfriend about the hobby (she thinks its kinda cool, but also a little wierd, and not really convinced she'd want to play).  I'm not afraid to call myself 'a geek'.  Yeah, sometimes there is a little shame.   When I'm on the subway, maybe I don't want to make it obvious that I'm reading the DMG.  But almost every time I do this I realize later that being ashamed isn't necissary.  Anyone whose opinion matters, likely doesn't care, or even thinks its cool.I think what really matters is that the gamer has to be comfortable with themselves.  For me, it took 10 years (from when I left high school).  Think about it, does anyone think less of Vin Diesel that he plays D&D (though I debate whether he actually does, or just refers to D&D as in 'geeky, fantasy stuff' in general).  No, by associatiation he makes D&D cool, because he's cool.   I think its the same with non-celebreties.  If I am comfortable with myself, and am not ashamed of being a gamer, people aren't likely to hold it against me, and in fact, if they respect me, it will make them more curious themselves.</blockquote>

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