The Elfish Gene - Another attack on gamers

[Vague Jayhawk]

As someone said earlier(edit: that someone is Ozmar), the book sounds about as funny as "Mazes and Monsters".

As for me,

I know more about how to kill dragons than I know about coventry.

I didn't know that dudes could be nuns!

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I don't game, too! And neither does my wife!

Later
silver

 

[jeffh]

Ugh, this is disgusting. Elfs? Dwarfs? Learn English syntax before you write a review!

Right back atcha. Technically, these are right and the D&D versions are wrong, though I will probably always prefer the latter anyway.

 

[Aaron L]

Actually, elves has always been the correct form. I know that growing up before I played D&D that Santa had elves and not elfs.


Heh, even the Firefox automatic spellchecker recognizes elves and not elfs.


Dwarves was revived by Tolkien, but not invented, I believe.

As it is now, Dwarfs refers to humans with dwarfism, and Dwarves refers to a race of fantasy creatures with big beards and axes.

 

[Nyaricus]

There's the very real possibility that D&D is moribund. It's not obvious because it's happening very slowly but it is happening. The average age of gamers is increasing and we're not going to live forever. If we don't find new players, the game will eventually fade.

I'm 18 (turning 19 soon), been a gamer for 7, nearly 8, years and have introduced easily 30 people to D&D. Trust me, this new generation has RPGs (or at least D&D) under control

cheers,
--N

 

[Nightfall]

Yet another book that bashes gamers...eh. I've had worse hits from wimps anyway.

Let him make fun of the community. We do take ourselves too seriously at times...but not sure if this is the way to go about that.

Besides, not like we'll invite him to Winter Fantasy or another other Cons right?!

 

[Zander]

Ooh! Ooh! I'm of the new crowd, Well, I'm 20, but that's still relatively young. I'm pushing my sister (16) to get interested in it. In my neck of the woods, everything still seems A-OK.

I can understand your concern, but the problem isn't as bad as you think. While I personally think that D&D is changing, it's not going away. If you compare it the way it is now to back when I first started (AD&D)...

When I started gaming which was several years before you were born, there were many more young gamers. Nowadays, at cons, stores and clubs near me and at least one store nearer to you (and others I've been to worldwide), I see many more people in their 30s and 40s than in their teens and 20s. There may be young gamers but not enough to replace the old timers like me.

The only glimmer of hope is from gamers of my generation introducing their kids, nephews and nieces to the hobby. That could be D&D's salvation. WotC should do more to target parents as DMs and kids as players instead of assuming that both DM and players will be of the same age/level of exposure to D&D.

Books such as The Elfish Gene won't help to bring teens into the fold but it won't impact kids who are too young to understand what 'uncoolness' or 'geekyness' are.

 

[Hussar]

I gotta admit Zander, I'm not with you on this. While I don't go to cons, I do play over OpenRPG. Of the past 50 or so people I've gamed with, well over half were under 25. In my current game, at 34, I'm the oldest, with the next one being 25 (I think) and everyone else younger. I know that's just my experience, so take it for what it's worth, but, I think that looking at cons isn't a good gauge. I know that in the few cons that I did go to, almost exclusively, players were all over 20.

I've never been to the bigger con's admittedly, but, back in the day, how many teens, and particularly young teens, would you see at something like Gen Con?

I think that perhaps the perception of the aging gamer is fueled by the fact that back in the day, seeing a gamer over 35 was an exception. Now, we just have a wider spread of ages.

 

[DJCupboard]

At the gaming stores I frequent there are just about as many ten-or-so year olds as there are 30+ year olds, what seems to be missing is the 15 to 30 crowd, which I know through my time in college, is still alive and well. In terms of not seeing young people at cons, how many eleven year olds can afford airfare to Milwaukee or California and not get grounded for missing that much school?

 

[Wil]

It's funny to be the constant target of abuse labeled as humor?

Please show me where the bad comedian touched you.

This is funny. I doubt anyone will take it seriously. If you don't believe that it can be funnt please see Dave Chappelle (sp?), Carlos Mencia, Richard Pryor and others.