Why Game?

[Grimstaff]

I was reading some articles from the 30th Anniversary of D&D and a particular statistic got me thinking: the median age of the average gamer is 35. With a career, spouse and kids, no less. So, why game? Life is busy, and complicated. Is gaming just an escape, a distraction from everyday life?

Or is it something deeper, perhaps an attempt to recapture some elusive childhood magic?
A rare creative outlet in an increasingly pragmatic world?
Just plain fun?

Just curious...

 

[shilsen]

I don't know about other people, but here's mine:

I'm currently working 20 hrs per week on a literary magazine and working on my second preliminary exam for my Ph.D., which involves reading well over 100 books. But I still make time to run two weekly campaigns and have just joined a bi-weekly one as a player. Why? Because D&D is my primary creative outlet. Because gaming is fun. Because I love the feeling of my brain buzzing, and D&D is a very easy way to do that all the time, since when I don't have my brain buzzing about something else, I can always exercise it on the subject of my campaigns, a PC, a plot point, a mechanical issue, etc.

 

[Crothian]

It's fun, there is no real deep dark secret here. Life can be complicatd, and that why you need a little fun in your life.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

No matter how complicated my life becomes, I'd like to think that I will always enjoy playing the game as a game, and exploring the lives of the characters I create with my friends.

 

[Buttercup]

Most adults have hobbies. D&D happens to be one of mine.

 

[IronWolf]

There are several reasons why I make time to play despite the rigors of life. First and foremost its fun! But in addition to that its a moment to draw my mind away from things going on at work or elsewhere. Whether it be in game prep, thinking about a character or at the game session itself. It is a time where I don't have to think about anything but the game at hand. I also like that it helps open my mind a little and read about different things and think about different things. I am a computer geek by trade, so I spend a lot of time on techie sites, reading docs and bettering myself at my job. Gaming is a chance to still use my head but in an area I might not otherwise. So gaming for me serves a variety of purposes, but in the end it comes down to I have fun playing.

 

[Hairfoot]

I game for the same reasons people watch Bold and the Beautiful or Toy Story, or play Quake.

The difference is that I'll tolerate the complexity of a maths-based system and the rigours of imagination in order to enjoy a deeper level of interaction with the story.

 

[Nifft]

To win. Duh!

-- N

 

[NewLifeForm]

I Have to

I'm a writer, an illustrator and a fan of SF, Fantasy, Comics, etc. I need an outlet for my ideas, drawings and stories. If I didn't GM, I think my head would explode!

NewLifeForm

 

[I'm A Banana]

The chip that WotC implanted in my brain when I bought the 3.0 PHB. Beep-boop.