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Why does the stigma of the "jerk GM" still persist in our hobby?
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<blockquote data-quote="innerdude" data-source="post: 7569703" data-attributes="member: 85870"><p>See, there's part of me that wishes this to be true, that the vast majority of the "jerk GM" stories out there are just hearsay and rumor, with just the tiniest bit of "true anecdotes" thrown in.</p><p></p><p>But the trope/stereotype/cliche is just too ingrained into the collective culture of our hobby for that to be (fully) true. Where there's smoke, there's fire, and the trope is just too widespread to be nothing more than myth and rumor. </p><p></p><p>What's disappointing about this reality is that I feel like we have to put a giant, red neon sign over the top of our "cultural space" when we introduce new players to it. </p><p></p><p>"WARNING: IN THE COURSE OF PLAY of tabletop RPGs, you are virtually guaranteed to meet and interact with various JERKS, EGOISTS, and MISANTHROPES lacking in basic social skills and maturity levels. If you can find it in your heart to be generous, PLEASE DON'T HOLD THIS FACT AGAINST THE REST OF US MORE PLEASANT FOLK OR AGAINST THE HOBBY GENERALLY."</p><p></p><p>I knew at least 2 or 3 people back in college who attempted to "get into" the RPG scene, but were horrifically turned off by the people they encountered during their initial foray. Now granted, in at least one of these cases the individual wasn't likely to really "grok" what was happening anyway, so it probably wouldn't have mattered, but in two other cases it seriously damaged their opinion of the hobby.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And here's the real rub --- I agree, no roleplaying is better than bad roleplaying. Absolutely.</p><p></p><p>But <em>good</em> roleplaying is a million times better than <em>no</em> roleplaying. And this is where it gets tricky. </p><p></p><p>Despite the growth of the hobby over the last 5 years, there's still not an infinite number of chances to participate in TRPGs. Nor do we as a "cultural collective" generally have infinite chances to make a good impression on new/neophyte participants. </p><p></p><p>Our hobby is ABSOLUTELY DEPENDENT on having a quality social engagement between participants to have a quality play experience. The two are inseparably connected. This is definitively not the case for fishing. Or woodworking. Or painting. Or photography. Or playing Minecraft or Skyrim. Or a million other leisure activities. </p><p></p><p>My point is, for new players, it'd be nice to downsize the giant, red neon sign hanging directly over the front entrance into a small chalkboard hanging meekly off to the side next to a window.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="innerdude, post: 7569703, member: 85870"] See, there's part of me that wishes this to be true, that the vast majority of the "jerk GM" stories out there are just hearsay and rumor, with just the tiniest bit of "true anecdotes" thrown in. But the trope/stereotype/cliche is just too ingrained into the collective culture of our hobby for that to be (fully) true. Where there's smoke, there's fire, and the trope is just too widespread to be nothing more than myth and rumor. What's disappointing about this reality is that I feel like we have to put a giant, red neon sign over the top of our "cultural space" when we introduce new players to it. "WARNING: IN THE COURSE OF PLAY of tabletop RPGs, you are virtually guaranteed to meet and interact with various JERKS, EGOISTS, and MISANTHROPES lacking in basic social skills and maturity levels. If you can find it in your heart to be generous, PLEASE DON'T HOLD THIS FACT AGAINST THE REST OF US MORE PLEASANT FOLK OR AGAINST THE HOBBY GENERALLY." I knew at least 2 or 3 people back in college who attempted to "get into" the RPG scene, but were horrifically turned off by the people they encountered during their initial foray. Now granted, in at least one of these cases the individual wasn't likely to really "grok" what was happening anyway, so it probably wouldn't have mattered, but in two other cases it seriously damaged their opinion of the hobby. And here's the real rub --- I agree, no roleplaying is better than bad roleplaying. Absolutely. But [I]good[/I] roleplaying is a million times better than [I]no[/I] roleplaying. And this is where it gets tricky. Despite the growth of the hobby over the last 5 years, there's still not an infinite number of chances to participate in TRPGs. Nor do we as a "cultural collective" generally have infinite chances to make a good impression on new/neophyte participants. Our hobby is ABSOLUTELY DEPENDENT on having a quality social engagement between participants to have a quality play experience. The two are inseparably connected. This is definitively not the case for fishing. Or woodworking. Or painting. Or photography. Or playing Minecraft or Skyrim. Or a million other leisure activities. My point is, for new players, it'd be nice to downsize the giant, red neon sign hanging directly over the front entrance into a small chalkboard hanging meekly off to the side next to a window. [/QUOTE]
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