Another thread wondered if D&D players are sometimes regarded with suspicion by bureaucracies. I think, to a major degree, EVERYONE is regarded with suspicion by bureaucracies, which tend to act as a chain only as smart as their dumbest link. Matter of fact, I've never even heard of a smart chain.
Some old schoolers say they've inherited a don't ask/don't tell sheepishness from the stigma that wargaming invited during the early 80's. Whether it was the Mazes and Monsters type propaganda (loved it!), or the two kids who shot themselves because, although having great taste in games, they possessed a miserable sense of ways in which to seal the blood brother deal.
Those days are over, say I! Let the freak flag fly high and proud and tell me what we, the exalted few, do better as a group. What are the advantages of a D&D player? Back it up if you're able. I want to be able to cull our proofs and batch them into a formidable essay for easy transmission to a judgemental, sometimes sub-mental opposition when and where I find them.
I'd start by suggesting that, as comes with military training, we possess the ability to fit into teamwork roles with far less drama than most. My gamer friends and I could usually lead, follow, or walk alongside each other with equal grace.
EDIT: Sel Carim had a post about what he'd learned from gaming. I was thinking more macro... as, what can one expect from gamers, as a whole?
Been gaming since '79, and I've found that D&D players tend to be more open-minded and intelligent than the general population. Most of the players I've known also have a healthy sense of the absurd.
--Fang
Stephen Colbert, 23rd level magic user
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbyNOmdLibI"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUJsHCg6590
That should about cover it.
~Jaye
Just watched the whole interview. That's simply the best D&D on TV I've ever seen. I quite like Colbert and watch him almost daily.
And Fang is right, we are generally open-minded, intelligent, and appreciative of the absurd, or, in my case, simply absurd.
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Just watched the whole interview. That's simply the best D&D on TV I've ever seen. I quite like Colbert and watch him almost daily.
And Fang is right, we are generally open-minded, intelligent, and appreciative of the absurd, or, in my case, simply absurd.
Glad you liked. I enjoyed it ...a bunch. I'm thinking Paizo ought to grab him for an interview or get him to write something. I'd like to see the stats from his 23rd level magic user, too. Hey ...maybe I'll e-mail him from his website....
As for gamers ...I think most of his tend to be thoughtful, intelligent, and incredibly open-minded ....however, I think just as many gamers tend to be socially inept, lazy, and hygenically challenged. If I had a dime for every time I'd met "that kid" at a convention or game store that just reeked, I'd be a rich man.
Send that letter, J. It would be wild if it snowballed something into action.
You know, I almost put a disclaimer about the hygienically challenged at the end of that first post? It occurred to me that a conversation about gamer strengths invariably and quickly works its way to anecdotes about gamers so dermally greasy you're wondering if someone hadn't coated your eyes with Vaseline when you weren't looking.
Then I thought... wouldn't that be a more entertaining thread to follow? Back in 1997 I repped D&D at a convention as a favor to a game store owner. While he was out wandering the floor to scam behind his girlfriend's back I was selling, and one pair of guys I sold some Birthright to were prime candidates for the Sebaceous Template (MMIV). They wore almost chalky, once black, T-shirts from decades past and that was the tidiest thing about them. Only during the handshake did I realize that the 6'6 guy was missing a major finger. Not so bad, but his creepily proud smile almost challenged me to break grip and hold my breakfast.
"Saw at work," he cooed. "Wasn't but a second."
Was I wrestling with a Crisco Golem in the world's largest bong? Was I? Where was I? A nod goodbye 'til out of sight before tearing myself from the table to hunt down a moist towelette, ANY moist towelette, with the wracked gait and feral intensity only the parched undead of the desert might chance to know.
Stephen Colbert, 23rd level magic user
"What's a 23rd level magic user?"
"...Someone you don't wanna mess with."I cackled at this, drawing odd looks from my other half.
I have the "I Played D&D Before It Was Cool" bumper sticker.
Stephen Colbert, 23rd level magic user"What's a 23rd level magic user?"
"...Someone you don't wanna mess with."I cackled at this, drawing odd looks from my other half.
I have the "I Played D&D Before It Was Cool" bumper sticker.
That was the line that killed me too.
BTW, I now have bumper sticker envy.
Gamers tend to be exceptionally patient and puissant, having to deal with all those mentally deficient folks that have a problem with our hobbies.
EDIT: Sel Carim had a post about what he'd learned from gaming. I was thinking more macro... as, what can one expect from gamers, as a whole?
As gamers are humans (well, most of ´em...), they are just as diverse as humans are. That said, there are probably some things common to many gamers.
They tend to have a more active imagination than most, that´s probably what draws them to gaming at all. Many gamers come from backgrounds that allow them enough leisure time and gives them enough money to take up a time- and money-consuming hobby - if you have to worry every day about where your next meal will come from, you´ll probably neither have the time nor money for such pursuits. Thus, many gamers have a background with a higher education, as this leads often to having more money from a well-paying job, and higher education requires the intellectual capability to deal with abstract terms, which in turn requires an active imagination.
As the formative years of most gamers lie in the youth, most parents are probably (relatively speaking) well-off to allow their progeny such time- and cost intensive hobbies, and parents being tolerant of such rather "off-beat" hobbies, which indicates to me a degree of open-mindedness not found everywhere.
If this sounds arrogant, it probably is. But judging from the people I´ve been gaming with (which have been probably several dozen over the decades), there have been only a few blue-collar types in all the time. The overwhelming majority were white-collar types, and there has to be a reason for that. This led me to my above statements.
Stefan
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Gamers (not just DnD) tend to be more descriptive in their speech, more detailed in their scrutiny, and (for the most part) completly Draconian (pun soooooo intended) when it comes to analyzing rules/code/punctuation.
that's what makes us good proofreaders, managers, HR personnel (if we can avoid the requisite lobotomy), coders, game-testers, and the like.
the ability to sit at 1 task for long periods of time, expending vast amounts of mental energy to stay focused and achieve the goals desired...THIS is what makes a gamer unique, in my opinion.
namaste'
the hamster
(btw: thank you so much for the Colbert links...they made my morning!)
h
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Send that letter, J. It would be wild if it snowballed something into action.
You know, I almost put a disclaimer about the hygienically challenged at the end of that first post? It occurred to me that a conversation about gamer strengths invariably and quickly works its way to anecdotes about gamers so dermally greasy you're wondering if someone hadn't coated your eyes with Vaseline when you weren't looking.
Then I thought... wouldn't that be a more entertaining thread to follow? Back in 1997 I repped D&D at a convention as a favor to a game store owner. While he was out wandering the floor to scam behind his girlfriend's back I was selling, and one pair of guys I sold some Birthright to were prime candidates for the Sebaceous Template (MMIV). They wore almost chalky, once black, T-shirts from decades past and that was the tidiest thing about them. Only during the handshake did I realize that the 6'6 guy was missing a major finger. Not so bad, but his creepily proud smile almost challenged me to break grip and hold my breakfast.
"Saw at work," he cooed. "Wasn't but a second."
Was I wrestling with a Crisco Golem in the world's largest bong? Was I? Where was I? A nod goodbye 'til out of sight before tearing myself from the table to hunt down a moist towelette, ANY moist towelette, with the wracked gait and feral intensity only the parched undead of the desert might chance to know.
Well, Jade, you've officially won the "gross me out before the weekend starts" contest with your description of the Crisco Golem breath weapon and his missing finger.
(Although an evil part of me is thinking of stating such a character as an NPC for my current game- its details like that that make games really creepy).
Seriously, you're pretty much on point with people invariably touching on gamer's low points. It's sad, too. If more gamers were hygenically aligned, I think me and my other half would be more prone to play in more public settings. As it stands, she has a hard time with 'gamers' because of meeting too many people who reinforce the stereotype. I could go into horrible details ..but I'll say this. We once gamed with a lass who we granted the honored title of 'scabby'.
But I'd rather not tearn a possibly possitive thread into a negative one, so I'll swing back off this horse and see what else I can add to positive qualities: I'd say gamers are cynical (likely from being ridiculed by lesser minds), above average intelligence, exacting, and might all make good lawyers if they dedicated as much time to law as they do rules....
;)
~Jaye
PS ...I'm going to write that latter. If anything, I want a tee that says: "Don't make me show you my 23rd level magic user ....punk"
I'm told I'm a great lover. Nothing to do with RPGs, but I fancied a brag. :-P
Hey, me too! I was just showing 'buttloads of class' by not mentioning it. But since you were brave enough to venture into such territory...
Have we all had people inform us that we are the best lovers as well? Let's put it out there? Anyone?
Let's run it up the flagpole and see who salutes? Anyone?
Let's put it out on the stoop and see if the kitty licks it up? Anyone?
If this sounds arrogant, it probably is. But judging from the people I´ve been gaming with (which have been probably several dozen over the decades), there have been only a few blue-collar types in all the time. The overwhelming majority were white-collar types, and there has to be a reason for that. This led me to my above statements.Stefan
The socio-economic notes were interesting. I hadn't even considered that. I'd say that I've known quite a few blue collar players but they were all very bright. Not Johnny down at the docks or Jimmy at the coal mine or anything.
"Hey, guys! Go on to the bar without me! I gotta check my math on the challenge ratings in my new adventure, The Twingly Spirit of Shammenshire."
On a seperate note, Tequila Sunrise mentioned gamers being patient and I can attest that in my experience, people, not just gamers, who have to constantly explain themselves to the dim often learn to speak more slowly, evenly, and sans passion when doing so, lest they just turn into a shaking drooling red tomato courting a frustration heart attack.
Do comments like "Dude ..you're a complete manwhore" count?
They count. To be a manwhore one has to at least have the opportunity to be one. Such opportunity comes from either good looks, reputation for doling out the goods in proper measure, or both.
Good on you, manwhore!
BTW, that T-shirt idea would be great.
Gamers (not just DnD) tend to be more descriptive in their speech, more detailed in their scrutiny, and (for the most part) completly Draconian (pun soooooo intended) when it comes to analyzing rules/code/punctuation.
that's what makes us good proofreaders, managers, HR personnel (if we can avoid the requisite lobotomy), coders, game-testers, and the like.
the ability to sit at 1 task for long periods of time, expending vast amounts of mental energy to stay focused and achieve the goals desired...THIS is what makes a gamer unique, in my opinion.
namaste'
the hamster(btw: thank you so much for the Colbert links...they made my morning!)
h
True true.
When inspiration hits (she only does it cuz she loves me) and I get an idea I want to flesh out for the game... I bring out a stack of pertinent sourcebooks, lay them out on the living room and work as if nothing else on Earth existed.
Abstraction coma leading to a lateral logic cascade leading to... some random D&D thing someone may never see. But OH that level of concentration.
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They count. To be a manwhore one has to at least have the opportunity to be one. Such opportunity comes from either good looks, reputation for doling out the goods in proper measure, or both.
Good on you, manwhore!
BTW, that T-shirt idea would be great.
I guess I should add that I stopped "manwhoring" almost three years ago, when my better half and I met ....I'd hate to give people the 'wrong' idea. ;)
I'll see what I can do about that tee idea.
~Jaye
I'm told I'm a great lover. Nothing to do with RPGs, but I fancied a brag. :-PYes, he is very attentive to my needs.
FH (spoon me)
Oh and Malformed is not just a moniker!
FH;P
Jacking each other's threads, are we?
Totally kidding, about the thread jack that is, not about your zesty passion for one another. That is sacred and I respect you guys for Paiz-outing yourselves. Very brave! Very brave!
The socio-economic notes were interesting. I hadn't even considered that. I'd say that I've known quite a few blue collar players but they were all very bright. Not Johnny down at the docks or Jimmy at the coal mine or anything.
I don´t want to belittle blue-collar types in general, but I think I noticed a trend in gaming (or rather gamers) that seemed to point to what I wrote above. If you do hard physical work all day long, you just don´t have too much energy left for intellectual pursuits. If I think back to the days I was a carpenters (more exactly would be the old-fashioned Joiner ) apprentice, that was surely the case, especially after days with a heavy workload.
This does not indicate an inferior intelligence at all.Stefan
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Gaming taught me many things in social interaction. As a DM you learn to lead a group of people that are constantly thinking about freakish things and let them concentrate on one certain goal for hours. As i'm running an internal ward at a local hospital this helps me at work too. It's nearly the same, but without dice...;)
And as a DM you develop a talent to lead people into wrong directions, you're developing some kind of poker face. How many times do we tell players that "the room is empty" while struggeling to hide that evil grin. This ability works well while playing real poker. Our mastery with dice makes us feared at casinos across the world...:D
I always wondered why there aren't 'No gamers allowed' signs at the seven eleven tables...:)
But it has to be mentioned that many of us have a cross to bear too: beeing mistaken for LARPers...:D
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It depends on the job, too. I have a friend who drives semis, and he comes up with adventures because there isn't much to do while driving a truck. I used to do some pretty banal work, and I'd write adventures in my head to kill time.
But I guess doing carpentry you'd have to pay attention to what you were doing or you could end up nail gunning your hand to a 2x4 or something drastic.
I don´t want to belittle blue-collar types in general, but I think I noticed a trend in gaming (or rather gamers) that seemed to point to what I wrote above. If you do hard physical work all day long, you just don´t have too much energy left for intellectual pursuits. If I think back to the days I was a carpenters (more exactly would be the old-fashioned Joiner ) apprentice, that was surely the case, especially after days with a heavy workload.
This does not indicate an inferior intelligence at all.Stefan
I absolutely never took it that way. I just wanted to share some slightly different experiences. You actually had me off wondering if any particular professions held more D&D players than usual in their ranks.
But it has to be mentioned that many of us have a cross to bear too: beeing mistaken for LARPers...:D
Mistaken ? Would not be so in my case :-)
Yes, I´m quite an RPG nutcase...Stefan
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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It depends on the job, too. I have a friend who drives semis, and he comes up with adventures because there isn't much to do while driving a truck. I used to do some pretty banal work, and I'd write adventures in my head to kill time.
Amen to that. I've worked customer service for... about 8 years now (I've moved up the ladder, but its still customer service) and during those long stretches where you have nothing to work on, let me tell you that coming up with campaign and character ideas certainly takes the edge off a slow day! I came up with a concept a couple days ago at work that excited me so much, I had to call up one of my gamer buddies from work and arranged to have him run a game that I could use him in that night!
We started at level 11. My character is a druid 5/master of many forms 4/assassin 2. How cool is that?!?
This ability works well while playing real poker. Our mastery with dice makes us feared at casinos across the world...:D
I always wondered why there aren't 'No gamers allowed' signs at the seven eleven tables...:)But it has to be mentioned that many of us have a cross to bear too: beeing mistaken for LARPers...:D
A leg up on gambling? Hmm... keep that one in the bag or the media might run with a story about how D&D promotes vice. ;)
BTW, what is the stigma with LARPing? Is it the 'backyard wrestling' with latex swords feel? In your opinion, do they as a group act overzealous or inappropriate? I've always been curious.
It depends on the job, too. I have a friend who drives semis, and he comes up with adventures because there isn't much to do while driving a truck. I used to do some pretty banal work, and I'd write adventures in my head to kill time.
But I guess doing carpentry you'd have to pay attention to what you were doing or you could end up nail gunning your hand to a 2x4 or something drastic.
Me agree.
When I worked a more tedious job, I walked around with my dictation machine recording every little daydream that popped into my head. Carpentry has a way of demanding your attention.
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Jade, I can only speak for my own profession, but I know a large number of my comrades in the military are gamers. Tends to be a good way to relax during those long, boring lulls in between brief moments of activity while far from home. Also happens to be a hobby easily carried around with you - the three core books and some dice are really all you need.
Not that some of my wargaming friends haven't tried to take their paints and minis with them, but it seldom works out well...
But I guess doing carpentry you'd have to pay attention to what you were doing or you could end up nail gunning your hand to a 2x4 or something drastic.
Or getting your fingers into a circular or table saw... A fellow apprentice just didn´t concentrate for a brief moment, and half his thumb was gone...
I had to work once on a rickety scaffolding at 8 meters height - concentrating on anything but getting a secure hold and your job done was impossible.Otherwise, you are right - if you have just some banal job to do, you can use your mental capacities on other things. I would not recommend daydreaming while on the Autobahn, though - with smaller trucks like the Sprinter going at up to 100 mph, and most cars even faster...
Enough threadjacking for now.
Stefan
I absolutely never took it that way. I just wanted to share some slightly different experiences. You actually had me off wondering if any particular professions held more D&D players than usual in their ranks.
I just wanted to clarify that.
We had a thread here on the average education of gamers. Has anyone done a statistic on the data there ? I haven´t looked into it for a long time.Stefan
When I was in grad school (ISU, late eighties, early nineties), my group consisted mostly of chemical engineering Ph.D. candidates. Nowadays about half of the group works in the IS department for Best Buy and the other half are blue collars.
--Fang
My mom dictated her stories while doing test driving along a route to a recorder.
My other half thought of campaign ideas while driving his carrier route.
I drew and thought of campaign ideas when waiting for a phone call at a call center.
I think if there's any job where it's long and tedious and banal, our minds tend to drift towards more stimulating thoughts. In our elite group of people (gamers), that's gaming!
However, I have found that if you're doing a physically demanding job that requires a lot of your attention, or a mentally demanding job, sometimes you just don't have the energy for creative thought.
I find that copious amounts of caffeine help. :P
Caffeine...oh, yes, caffeine *pause whilst fixing IV line to bottle of Cherry Coke*
Jade, I can only speak for my own profession, but I know a large number of my comrades in the military are gamers. Tends to be a good way to relax during those long, boring lulls in between brief moments of activity while far from home. Also happens to be a hobby easily carried around with you - the three core books and some dice are really all you need.
Not that some of my wargaming friends haven't tried to take their paints and minis with them, but it seldom works out well...
Wargamers are definely well stocked with military personnel. I like to cut loose on a break too, but I've never had a job where danger was an absolute, and so it becomes hard for me to imagine playing, or even being light hearted about anything, in between moments of peril. I guess you guys just adapt somehow?
I remember seeing a movie called TAPS when I was a kid and a young cadet, played by Tom Cruise, asks another military academy student if he's showing up later to play D&D. That was the first time I'd heard D&D mentioned in film or TV. Regrettably Tom's character in that movie goes Gorilla Balls Crazy. MAN, the press was bad back then!
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BTW, what is the stigma with LARPing? Is it the 'backyard wrestling' with latex swords feel? In your opinion, do they as a group act overzealous or inappropriate? I've always been curious.
This wasn't meant offensive to LARPers but as i experienced they are viewed as even more geeky than gamers by the public. Lately there was a big LARP con in my hometown and the busses and subway trains were full of people in chainmail carrying latex longswords and helmets and more than once i saw "normal" people rolling eyes...:D
Whenever i mention playing D&D to people that know nothing about gaming i usually get to hear two types of questions:1) Are you dressing up somehow and do you fight with latex weapons?
2) Does this have something to do with acting?
Hmm, maybe i'm just bad at explaining D&D to the clueless...:D
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Jade, I can only speak for my own profession, but I know a large number of my comrades in the military are gamers. Tends to be a good way to relax during those long, boring lulls in between brief moments of activity while far from home. Also happens to be a hobby easily carried around with you - the three core books and some dice are really all you need.
Not that some of my wargaming friends haven't tried to take their paints and minis with them, but it seldom works out well...
You're spot on with that call. I spent eight long years in the U.S. Navy and met more than my fair share of gamers. Actually, the old game shop I used to frequent in New Orleans was run by a Senion Chief friend of mine. You know who the bulk of his customers were? Military. Actually, he really only had two types of customers ....military (wargames and RPGs) and kids (TCGs). But I digress ....my point is you're right. The military has a huge population of gamers. It's really weird.
~Jaye
We started at level 11. My character is a druid 5/master of many forms 4/assassin 2. How cool is that?!?
Now I'm going to have to go to the Complete Adventurer to check out that prestige class.
I'd be curious to know how he plays. Keep us posted?
This wasn't meant offensive to LARPers but as i experienced they are viewed as even more geeky than gamers by the public. Lately there was a big LARP con in my hometown and the busses and subway trains were full of people in chainmail carrying latex longswords and helmets and more than once i saw "normal" people rolling eyes...:D
Ah... that'll do it.
Well, everyone needs a hobby. I wouldn't mind strapping on the gear and beating the longterm memory from some poor schlub crawling for his glasses while prostrate beneath my looming shadow of my latex skinned PVC Claymore.
"Perish, ye loathsome varlet!"
"Please! Please! I'm an accountant from Peoria."
"The fiend speaks! What trickery is this!"
Hack hack slash slash. Oh, fun! :)
This wasn't meant offensive to LARPers but as i experienced they are viewed as even more geeky than gamers by the public. Lately there was a big LARP con in my hometown and the busses and subway trains were full of people in chainmail carrying latex longswords and helmets and more than once i saw "normal" people rolling eyes...:D
Whenever i mention playing D&D to people that know nothing about gaming i usually get to hear two types of questions:1) Are you dressing up somehow and do you fight with latex weapons?
2) Does this have something to do with acting?
Hmm, maybe i'm just bad at explaining D&D to the clueless...:D
The acting question is one I encounter often as well. It is very difficult to explain RPG to persons who don´t know anything about it at all. It is not that bad as an explanation, as RPG in my view are somewhat close to acting. I tried to explain it as "interactive Storytelling" in the past, and that seems to hit the mark closely. But IME, you can´t really explain it, you have to experience it.
And I agree, LARPers can be a strange bunch...
I encounteres Vampire:the Masquerade LARPers on more than one P&P PRG con, and these were always really strange. I´m a Vampire LARPer myself, and these guys hadn´t understood what Masquerade meant :-), and were the laughing stock of the whole con...
Stefan
The acting question is one I encounter often as well. It is very difficult to explain RPG to persons who don´t know anything about it at all. It is not that bad as an explanation, as RPG in my view are somewhat close to acting. I tried to explain it as "interactive Storytelling" in the past, and that seems to hit the mark closely. But IME, you can´t really explain it, you have to experience it.
And I agree, LARPers can be a strange bunch...
I encounteres Vampire:the Masquerade LARPers on more than one P&P PRG con, and these were always really strange. I´m a Vampire LARPer myself, and these guys hadn´t understood what Masquerade meant :-), and were the laughing stock of the whole con...
Stefan
I worked a convention called DREAMATION back in '97 and there was a White Wolf thing going on there. There was a marriage in a rose festooned gazebo set up in the middle of a hotel convention room but I have no idea if those two were tying the knot or tying the story together or both. I questioned the LARP gamers about the limitations of their hobby, and the most frequented answer was that they didn't like in rigidity of the narrator's storylines. Too many things you just couldn't do or get away with, as such action would ruin the script.
There was a house of vampires in one suite that insisted I join them. "Every clan is going to try to recruit a guy like you but ours is the best because blah blah blah." A guy like me? What exactly is a guy like me? Don't answer that.
Maybe it's the way I say BLAH BLAH BLAAAAH!
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You're spot on with that call. I spent eight long years in the U.S. Navy and met more than my fair share of gamers. Actually, the old game shop I used to frequent in New Orleans was run by a Senion Chief friend of mine. You know who the bulk of his customers were? Military. Actually, he really only had two types of customers ....military (wargames and RPGs) and kids (TCGs). But I digress ....my point is you're right. The military has a huge population of gamers. It's really weird.
~Jaye
I'm US Navy as well.
But that got me thinking about the original point of this thread (sorry about the thread-jacking!): good qualities of gamers.Few of us would argue that MOST gamers in a "gaming" environment are quite friendly and social. It's in the "non-gaming" environment that they really break out into two distinct groups.
The majority of players in my own group are very friendly and outgoing. This may be in part due to a (very annoying sometimes) high rate of shuffling players in and out due to transfers, deployments, etc. Most of these folks can go out in a social setting and be perfectly at ease. We actually have a long tradition of gaming through the afternoon then meeting the wives/girlfriends at the club/bar of choice for the evening to relax and throw down a few. It's in THIS setting that the quality of some gamers comes out where they can NOT function in a social environment without constantly talking about gaming. Be it at a bar or a dinner party at their boss's house. Instead they'll sit quietly in a corner.
I personally don't belief that's the norm, however. I think overall that gaming really promotes a friendly and outgoing nature.
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I'm US Navy as well.
But that got me thinking about the original point of this thread (sorry about the thread-jacking!): good qualities of gamers.
Few of us would argue that MOST gamers in a "gaming" environment are quite friendly and social. It's in the "non-gaming" environment that they really break out into two distinct groups.
The majority of players in my own group are very friendly and outgoing. This may be in part due to a (very annoying sometimes) high rate of shuffling players in and out due to transfers, deployments, etc. Most of these folks can go out in a social setting and be perfectly at ease. We actually have a long tradition of gaming through the afternoon then meeting the wives/girlfriends at the club/bar of choice for the evening to relax and throw down a few. It's in THIS setting that the quality of some gamers comes out where they can NOT function in a social environment without constantly talking about gaming. Be it at a bar or a dinner party at their boss's house. Instead they'll sit quietly in a corner.
I personally don't belief that's the norm, however. I think overall that gaming really promotes a friendly and outgoing nature.
Cool. I was an AE2 when I left. But you're right about thread-jacking, so I'm going to back off the naval talk and hit up on what you pointed out. Are gamers social creatures?
I'd say no. I don't think many are ...or at least those I've met tend to shine in a 'safer' environment (like gaming) where they can 'be themselves' instead of at the bar, restuarant, etc. I think, in most gamer friendly settings, they have no problem. But, you take the chicken out of the coop and....
But, that's just been my experience. I know that gamers come from all walks ...and I am, myself, social. I'm no 'about the town sally' or anything, but I have no problem talking to most people. I, however, worked part time in sales on the infamous Bourbon Street (New Orleans) for 2 1/2 years, too ...so I can blame some of my social skills (or lack thereof) on that. But overall, most of the gamers I've met tend to be ill at ease outside of gamer friendly settings.
~Jaye
:) Ignoring the whole violence issue, I would say gamers tend to be more intelligent. D&D tends to use a lot of number-crunching and language skills, not to mention would help develop some social skills. It's sort of like how computer gamers would tend to be good with basic computer tasks and hardware issues because it helps them get the best experience out of their game. I read awhile back how gamers were thought to be well suited for a role like Army Intelligence because of the quick thinking and processing of many many pieces of information together into a cohesive picture. I love to hear something that reinforces my own opinions, most everyone does. I just think gaming is portrayed as having no benefit whatsoever to the person besides wasting time and this is simply not the case, gamers get more out of it than someone that spends equal time watching tv.