It was the answer to the topic question.
All of us have a story about the guy who lives with 6 catsYeah, I'm a guy who lives with 3 cats. (Never mind that they're my wife's cats, and I choose to live with her.)
We currently have 8 cats and a dog. 3 are kittens though, and 2 of them are going to new homes within the next couple of weeks. One of the adult cats belongs to a friend who is looking for a place that allows pets so she can take him back. Maybe surprizingly to some, I'm the "crazy cat person" not my wife. She's a dog person. Often she will come into the bedroom and find me asleep under a pile of cats.
So -- hardcore videogamers, hobby-level board gamers, and RPGers, there definitely seems to be a higher-than-average percentage of socially-awkward folks.
But I think even that percentage tends to get overblown in people's imaginations. Among the people who are passionate enough to attend conventions, to play in regular organized play events, etc. -- the people who make themselves visible as gamers -- it's definitely higher than average.
Among the many people I know who have at one time or another rolled dice with friends? Who played a campaign in college? Who play with their kids? Completely average.
And my prediction is that as things that used to be hallmarks of geekiness (liking scifi, playing games, being tech-literate, etc.) continue to become more mainstream, the stereotype of gamers as socially awkward will continue to become less relevant and less widespread.
I'm in complete agreement with Jessica's assessment. The people who go out of their way to identify themselves as "gamers" tend to be the same people for whom "gamer" is a central part of their personalities. And, anyone whose core personality and self-identification is caught up in a specialized, self-selecting subgculture will seem "different" to mainstream society. It's been my observation that such subcultures play by their own rules, and die-hard members of such subgenres are somewhat awkward with the rest of society. It's not just RPGs (both video games and tabletop). I've seen this with other serious hobbiests-- cosplayers, model rocket enthusiasts, automotive hotrodders, kinksters, conspiracy theorists, etc. I think its the over-association with a distinct subculture that attracts the obsessive personality type.
I'm a Gen-Xer who's been playing tabletop RPGs for 30+ years. I don't consider myself socially awkward at all. None of my current gaming friends are particularly socially awkward either. We're all perhaps a bit quirky, but I think that just makes us more interesting! We're also all pretty well-rounded. All of us are happily married, most of us have kids, and we all are at least moderately successful with our careers. I'm an IT manager. My players are: an electrician, a software engineer, a geologist, a grad student (in solid-state physics, whatever that is), and a high school English teacher. We're all in our 40s, with the exception of the grad student, who just turned 28.
I love cocktail parties. And dancing. And outdoor music festivals. And baseball. And poetry. And kayaking. Gaming is just one of my many interests. I call myself a "gamer" in the same way I'd call myself a "kayaker" or a "baseball fan:" It's something I do, not something I am.
When they first start RPGing, probably.
I don't believe a lot of young people with sports talent and/or superior looks are picking up tabletop gaming because there are other, more socially acceptable (and widespread) avenues at which to build relationships and peer acceptance. Unfortunately, intelligence (raw or artistic or otherwise) is still undervalued in society, especially in the teen years (granted, I can only speak for America, I suspect it's very different in Asian cultures), so intelligent kids tend to migrate towards what are considered "geeky" pursuits like art, science, music (band/orchestra), drama, video games, and, if they happen to discover the hobby, RPGs. As a teacher, I see it everyday. Our football field always seemed to have money to replace lights that can cost thousands, while money for science club or band always seems to be getting cut. The football team (or basketball) and cheerleaders as usually at the top of the pyramid at most schools.
I do believe that it is getting better, and that there isn't as much of a stigma as there was in the early 80's when I started gaming.
I also believe, many gamers are late bloomers and overcome their social issues in college or grad school. By the time they are in their 30's, they pretty much have it together and probably have excellent or good jobs, because in the job market of the 21st century, intelligence and skill is probably the most desired trait. My gaming group consists of engineers, computer scientists, lab technicians, teachers, technology salesmen (i.e. sell technologies to companies), and so on. Everybody at my table has at least a Bachelors, and I'm in a state where less than 35% of the population does so.
To conclude, I'd say most RPGers are more intelligent than the typical person, and early in life intelligence often leads to social awkwardness.
Or the socially awkward ones can fall through the cracks in society which I hope doesn't happen to me.
When they first start RPGing, probably.
I don't believe a lot of young people with sports talent and/or superior looks are picking up tabletop gaming because there are other, more socially acceptable (and widespread) avenues at which to build relationships and peer acceptance. Unfortunately, intelligence (raw or artistic or otherwise) is still undervalued in society, especially in the teen years (granted, I can only speak for America, I suspect it's very different in Asian cultures), so intelligent kids tend to migrate towards what are considered "geeky" pursuits like art, science, music (band/orchestra), drama, video games, and, if they happen to discover the hobby, RPGs. As a teacher, I see it everyday. Our football field always seemed to have money to replace lights that can cost thousands, while money for science club or band always seems to be getting cut. The football team (or basketball) and cheerleaders as usually at the top of the pyramid at most schools.
I do believe that it is getting better, and that there isn't as much of a stigma as there was in the early 80's when I started gaming.
I also believe, many gamers are late bloomers and overcome their social issues in college or grad school. By the time they are in their 30's, they pretty much have it together and probably have excellent or good jobs, because in the job market of the 21st century, intelligence and skill is probably the most desired trait. My gaming group consists of engineers, computer scientists, lab technicians, teachers, technology salesmen (i.e. sell technologies to companies), and so on. Everybody at my table has at least a Bachelors, and I'm in a state where less than 35% of the population does so.
To conclude, I'd say most RPGers are more intelligent than the typical person, and early in life intelligence often leads to social awkwardness.
Yeah I've seen a lot of the late bloomer thing. People that had trouble speaking without everyone wanting to strangle them, suddenly turn it around after two years of gaming. One day you realise, they are quite different to the person you started playing with (whom you may have invited in out of sympathy).
Yeah, and a new player (not the one discussed above, he went off to dm with another group) is really opening up now. She was very introverted and withdrawn initially, but quite the fantasy fan. But after three games, she can now take the lead and butts-heads with the extrovert girl somewhat often. I just love helping my players grow.
That sound like asperger syndrome.We do have one guy (we're all in our 40s to one degree or another) who's never had a date and doesn't really recognize personal space boundaries, as well as prattling on and on about things he knows EVERYthing about, but none of us give a rip.
It does, indeed. Some of us have conjectured that he might have Aspberger's to a degree, at least, at least from what we know of it.
Wow, funny how I was thinking about this topic the other day and POW! The thread arises.
In retrospect, I believe I may be the much more "socially awkward" than I realized. My depression and anxiety issues have not improved since this thread was first created, and may have actually worsened. I have a very hard time talking to people I don't know now, when years ago I was a very outgoing and gregarious person. We game at one of the FLGS' in our area, and when someone comes over to ask about our game or just watch for a few moments I feel extraordinarily uncomfortable. It's a good thing my gaming crew has stayed together for so many years, otherwise I don't know if I'd be gaming anymore or not.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
When I am dming and new players poke around and social anxiety threatens, I just smile, play the extrovert for a bit (a total bluff), and throw myself back into the game.
Because fear is the mind and mood killer. :)
If we worry about what other people think and their judgements, the whole game session can collapse. I've seen it happen and heard the stories. Laugh and be merry, for tomorrow we raid a dangerous dungeon and die.
I have turned away a couple of prospective players though, because I just couldn't be bothered slowing the game down and doing the whole intro to the hobby thing. Not my most esteemed moments, but the game must go on. I see it that as much as social anxiety can threaten when dealing with tourists, be friendly but be sure to put doubt from your mind, and just get back to the game. We only have so much time to p*** about, and the other players are also here to roll some dice!
Many crits to you Cal. :P
I have gamed with a lot of people over the years. Some of them have been introverts, some have been extroverts. Some have been socially awkward, some have not. Compared to other activities I do (some of which are also "nerd" type activities, and some are not) I have not considered the gamers I've met and gamed with to be any less socially capable than other groups. The one thing I will say is that while the average is probably the same, the outliers might be more obvious. For example I have rarely encountered a fellow golfer that made me wonder if they ever took a bath...
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
This topic kind of reared its head in my life, which resulted in me looking for a new gaming group, but one of the things that I found surprising was how many of my group felt that inappropriate social behaviors were considered the norm for engaging in this hobby. (For instance, canceling at the last minute with little to no reason.) This kind of boggled my mind a little bit as in the other group activities I have participated, behaviors such as the mentioned, would not have been acceptable. (This was one of the group norms that people wanted and I did not, so I decided to move on.)
I also think that this particular activity draws towards those who are inclined to more solitary pursuits, but can find it as an easy jumping off point to engage in social activities.
I used to think it was just a run of various introverts, but, as in with my last gaming group; I learned that there is something more to it. I have been reading some literature on extroversion and introversion and that while they exist on the spectrum there is another measure to consider. Anxious vs. Calmness. A person who ranks high on the Anxiety scale is most likely the person who is Shy. (My words are heavy handed here as there is a ton more nuance to Anxiety, but the short hand makes it easier to move forward. I am open to a different word.) Basically I think gaming groups are made up of Calm Introverts and Shy Extroverts. (You have calm Extroverts and Shy Introverts as well, but just smaller numbers.) Calm Introverts and Shy Extroverts can look the same, but what is going on under the hood is really different.
For instance. I know I am an introvert, I do like talking to people, just in small groups and in small doses. I know that after awhile it tires me out and I do gain stress from that interactions. The Shy Extrovert also wants to talk with people and gets energy from it. However a ton of anxiety gets in the way, so certain maladaptive behaviors can emerge making that interaction more difficult. For both groups of people having a code for how the interaction is supposed to exist can be calming.
My clash with my former gaming group came from that fundamental difference between Extraversion and Introversion. Introverts desire quality and depth in their relationships (Not saying that Extraverts don't, just that it is a fundamental need for an Introvert.) When my group was entering into certain social taboos that ran counter to my need, this began to cause anguish. When I confronted this issue, I ran afoul of the extraverts. Extraverts were no where near as interested in I in exploring the reason of the issue and were upset with me for threatening the cohesion of the group. Even more so in this case, because over half of the people in the group are those I would now consider Shy Extraverts. This activity was where they felt comfortable getting their Extraversion on and they were comfortable permitting a level of social taboos to achieve that end, that I was not.
Sorry for the long way round, I really think that the social awkwardness perceived in gaming is really around a mistake understanding about what Introversion and Extroversion is, a non inclusion of an Anxiety/Calmness scale when examining Introversion and Extroversion, and then a miscommunication between these groups. (I also think our society, US that is, has an unhealthy obsession with Extraversion and activities seen as more Shy or Introverted get conflated and devalued.)
(I also think our society, US that is, has an unhealthy obsession with Extraversion and activities seen as more Shy or Introverted get conflated and devalued.)
I can't say much about the rest of your post, but I can't agree with this one enough.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
(I also think our society, US that is, has an unhealthy obsession with Extraversion and activities seen as more Shy or Introverted get conflated and devalued.)I can't say much about the rest of your post, but I can't agree with this one enough.
You might enjoy the book Quiet which is about the strength of being an introvert in an extroverted valuing culture. I am finding it to be a very interesting read.
You might enjoy the book Quiet which is about the strength of being an introvert in an extroverted valuing culture. I am finding it to be a very interesting read.(I also think our society, US that is, has an unhealthy obsession with Extraversion and activities seen as more Shy or Introverted get conflated and devalued.)I can't say much about the rest of your post, but I can't agree with this one enough.
Author?
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Author?You might enjoy the book Quiet which is about the strength of being an introvert in an extroverted valuing culture. I am finding it to be a very interesting read.(I also think our society, US that is, has an unhealthy obsession with Extraversion and activities seen as more Shy or Introverted get conflated and devalued.)I can't say much about the rest of your post, but I can't agree with this one enough.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Author: Susan CainI don't usually go for this kind of book, but I am finding it to be a good read. (It was recommended by two other introverts in my life, independently of each other, so I'd figure I would give it a shot.)
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
The only things I really leave the house for are work, church, shopping for necessities, and the occasional outing with my very small selection of close friends. Since all my gaming is done online I don't even need to leave for that.
It's less that I'm socially awkward and more that I'm asocial period as well as slightly misanthropic. I don't like most people, and I don't care for being around them.
Why are you me ?!?
Are all generalizations bad?
I believe this is called the road runner argument.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Why are you me ?!?The only things I really leave the house for are work, church, shopping for necessities, and the occasional outing with my very small selection of close friends. Since all my gaming is done online I don't even need to leave for that.
It's less that I'm socially awkward and more that I'm asocial period as well as slightly misanthropic. I don't like most people, and I don't care for being around them.
That's my line! Only difference is the part about gaming online...
Skype and MapTool. Makes keeping up with my group which is now all over the place - we went from centralized in Phoenix to scattered all over the US plus one in Germany (in the Army, he'll be in New York in the winter though) and one in Canada - so much easier and prevented the game from dying.
Guy, I'm looking into that book. Just reading through the Wikipedia summary already tells me I think I like where this is going.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
This actually leads me to a question I'd been needing advice on, but first...
... I think this might explain some of the awkwardness you see here and there. Many gamers and RPGers tend to be more thoughtful...which is an introverted trait. It makes sense then, that if you're an introvert and are consistently thrown into more energy-draining activities, that you'd naturally try to rebel, draw away, and so forth, or even get unpleasant.
This isn't a function of yourself or of anyone else--it's just the nature of a misunderstanding.
...now, onto my quandry. :/ Or better, instead of derailing, I'll just make a different thread. ':)
a lot of this hobby is about communication and expression
but it should also be about a comfortable accepting environment and having fun
it is hard to feel shy or act in an introverted way when you feel comfortable and awesome and totally accepted both in how you view yourself as well as the people around you in your Pathfinder game
that is just as much my goal to bring about for the players at my table, both as a player and a GM, as imagining dragons and rolling colorful dice
This actually leads me to a question I'd been needing advice on, but first...
... I think this might explain some of the awkwardness you see here and there. Many gamers and RPGers tend to be more thoughtful...which is an introverted trait. It makes sense then, that if you're an introvert and are consistently thrown into more energy-draining activities, that you'd naturally try to rebel, draw away, and so forth, or even get unpleasant.
This isn't a function of yourself or of anyone else--it's just the nature of a misunderstanding.
Yep, this is pretty much a quick summary of the book Guy just recommended. read here for more info!
Wow, funny how I was thinking about this topic the other day and POW! The thread arises.
In retrospect, I believe I may be the much more "socially awkward" than I realized. My depression and anxiety issues have not improved since this thread was first created, and may have actually worsened. I have a very hard time talking to people I don't know now, when years ago I was a very outgoing and gregarious person. We game at one of the FLGS' in our area, and when someone comes over to ask about our game or just watch for a few moments I feel extraordinarily uncomfortable. It's a good thing my gaming crew has stayed together for so many years, otherwise I don't know if I'd be gaming anymore or not.
Our personalities, and our 'social levels' can change over time due to age, experience, and circumstance. Nothing too unusual here...
But, emotionally, it sounds as though you may need some shoring up/rebuilding? ^^;
Apologies if that's intruding--it's just my guess.
Ruggs, not intruding whatsoever. I have a pretty good support network of friends and family, so it's not like I'm alone out here. I see a therapist and am on meds to help with everything.
Still, some days finding a clock tower seems... ahem.. never mind.
:)
a lot of this hobby is about communication and expression
but it should also be about a comfortable accepting environment and having funit is hard to feel shy or act in an introverted way when you feel comfortable and awesome and totally accepted both in how you view yourself as well as the people around you in your Pathfinder game
that is just as much my goal to bring about for the players at my table, both as a player and a GM, as imagining dragons and rolling colorful dice
I hear you and agree and I maybe reading something to far in the lines, but an introvert will continue to be introverted even when in a comfortable and accepting environment. Shy =! introversion and are really two different things. Shyness is an anxiety response derived from social interaction. On the other hand, Introverts find interactions tiring. They tend to be hyper-sensitive to their environment which causes them to use more energy in a social interaction; they tend to crave quality in their interactions and not quantity. I bring this up because Shy Extroverts and Calm Introverts can look the same, but have totally different things going on. If you keep working to try and get the "calm" introvert to open up, you are just going to piss off the introvert, because they are opened up to where they want to be; whereas the Shy Extrovert, when you get them to drop the Shy part will show their Extroversion pretty well.
And you are probably already doing this :P, so I will get off my soap box. (My family, extended and close, were all extroverts growing up. They kept calling me Shy and I was far from it; I just needed my space.)
@Ruggs: Great comic! I yoinked it.
If I'm in my comfort zone I seem like a total extrovert. I laugh loudly, make bad puns, and generally behave like a happy idiot. But take me out of that comfort zone for one second and I shut down completely.
If you keep working to try and get the "calm" introvert to open up, you are just going to piss off the introvert, because they are opened up to where they want to be;
I'd be careful about overgeneralizing, there. Some introverts do need to establish a certain amount of comfort before they're willing to open up, just like some extroverts.
The internet and all of those "care and feeding of introverts" memes like to act like introversion and extroversion are some sort of binary, rather than a spectrum. Most people are closer to the middle of that spectrum.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jessica, beyond the fact that most people are closer to the middle of the spectrum, most people I know demonstrate behaviors that are consistent with both "sides" of the spectrum, depending on their environment, mood and comfort level.
And as I said a long time ago, I really have not seen that gamers are less socially capable than other groups of folks I engage with. In fact the overriding lesson in life that I've learned over the years is that almost without fail, no matter what the circumstances, background or capabilities of the people involved, when you get people into groups, the same basic behaviors you can observe in kindergarten tend to naturally develop.
I've seen it in corporate boardrooms and backstage in theaters.
If you keep working to try and get the "calm" introvert to open up, you are just going to piss off the introvert, because they are opened up to where they want to be;I'd be careful about overgeneralizing, there. Some introverts do need to establish a certain amount of comfort before they're willing to open up, just like some extroverts.
The internet and all of those "care and feeding of introverts" memes like to act like introversion and extroversion are some sort of binary, rather than a spectrum. Most people are closer to the middle of that spectrum.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, which was why I was being as specific as I could with the type of introversion I was talking about.
Introversion and Extraversion are definitely over a spectrum, but I think just using that spectrum to as the measurement is limiting. I would add another dimension, which is really anxiety verses calmness (I wish I had a better word than calmness, but there you go.) So I am really looking at general quadrants, where one could be an anxious introvert, an anxious extravert, a calm extravert and a calm introvert. Those who exhibit the Anxious trait are people who we might think of as "shy". A calm introvert and a shy introvert would need different things in a group.
AD: I broadly agree with that statement, however I would also say that you have a greater percentage of bumping into certain flavors of people in certain groups and environments. This means that needs, mores, and leadership types might very well vary.
AD: I broadly agree with that statement, however I would also say that you have a greater percentage of bumping into certain flavors of people in certain groups and environments. This means that needs, mores, and leadership types might very well vary.
Guy, in my experience what tends to vary most between groups is the means of expressing the behaviors. The root behaviors are remarkably consistent across a vast swath of human group interaction.
What I found interesting was that if you take the same people in one group and put them in an entirely different situation, the overall dynamic remains more or less the same, but the individuals frequently move into different roles. The leader in one situation can become the lowest member on the pecking order in a different situation. The wallflower can become the leader. And once the new roles are established, the dynamics fall into predictable patterns.
Humans are not nearly as complex and sophisticated as they think they are. In fact a great deal of the complexity and sophistication that has been developed in our cultures has come about primarily to HIDE the simple dynamics of social groups, and provide justification for indulging our baser instincts.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
All generalizations are bad!
AD: I broadly agree with that statement, however I would also say that you have a greater percentage of bumping into certain flavors of people in certain groups and environments. This means that needs, mores, and leadership types might very well vary.Guy, in my experience what tends to vary most between groups is the means of expressing the behaviors. The root behaviors are remarkably consistent across a vast swath of human group interaction.
What I found interesting was that if you take the same people in one group and put them in an entirely different situation, the overall dynamic remains more or less the same, but the individuals frequently move into different roles. The leader in one situation can become the lowest member on the pecking order in a different situation. The wallflower can become the leader. And once the new roles are established, the dynamics fall into predictable patterns.
Humans are not nearly as complex and sophisticated as they think they are. In fact a great deal of the complexity and sophistication that has been developed in our cultures has come about primarily to HIDE the simple dynamics of social groups, and provide justification for indulging our baser instincts.
I would agree with most of this. I do think there are complex variables that come into play when determining how an individual will respond in a given situation; when we look at group dynamics over a diverse population you will find universal truths. (Humans are Humans pretty much everywhere.)
I am not sure if I agree that with the rational that the complexity and sophistication that cultures have developed is to HIDE the simple dynamics of social groups to provide justification for our baser instincts. I can see how this is apart of that, but I also thing that the human experience has grown more complicated because the environment around us has changed in some dramatic ways. This would have a profound affect on our society and our needs in maneuvering through. In some ways, there are social rules that exist to inhibit our baser instincts or to channel them in different ways (I do suppose that the latter of my statement would be in agreement with what you wrote).
(I apologize for any writing errors or whatnot, I am also typing up client case notes which....sucks.)
Guy, yeah, some fraction of our social complexity does, in fact, mitigate or redirect our baser instincts.
But most of it is to allow it to happen in socially acceptable ways.
Look into some of the research into how sports have developed as an example. Not so much as an activity that people participate directly in, but as an activity in which people observe and participate indirectly.
But it's all in good fun. :)
Guy, yeah, some fraction of our social complexity does, in fact, mitigate or redirect our baser instincts.
But most of it is to allow it to happen in socially acceptable ways.
Look into some of the research into how sports have developed as an example. Not so much as an activity that people participate directly in, but as an activity in which people observe and participate indirectly.
But it's all in good fun. :)
Oh I am not disagreeing with the totality of your statement, I just think that there is more to it than just that (Maslov's Hierarchy and all that. The sports stuff is fascinating to read, especially comparisons between the NFL Players and Roman Gladiators. The new concussion stuff, mixed with other behavioral patterns in professional athletes is also pretty interesting. My background is in Psychology and Sociology.)
Heh, my background is physics, programming and (perhaps notably) management....
Heh, my background is physics, programming and (perhaps notably) management....
Good times. I had a computer science teacher tell me when I took a programming course that Psychology and Computer Science can make strange bedfellows. (She also stated that she noticed that a lot of Psych Majors seemed to get Computer Science quickly.)
Yes on the Myers Briggs type indicator.
From the work of Carl Jung.
The types are opposite ends of a continuum, with most people existing somewhere between the extremes.
Anyone know the other scales? They get a lot less "publicity".
Sometime it is like the famous t-shirts..
51% sweetheart, 49% b$%!%...
....don't press your luck
You have
Introversion and Extroversion (I/E)Intuition and Feeling (N/F) - Basically Logic vs Empathy
Sensing and Thinking (S/T) - Basically Facts vs Theory
Perceiving and Judging (P/J) - Basically in extroverts your preferred way of relating to the world. This one gets complicated with Introverts.
Wikipedia on more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs
Every time I take a Myers-Briggs test I come up dead even on P/J. I think I typically end up as INT(P/J).
Not that I really think those sorts of arbitrary measures pulled out of someone's ass actually mean anything...
Yes on the Myers Briggs type indicator.
From the work of Carl Jung.
The types are opposite ends of a continuum, with most people existing somewhere between the extremes.
Anyone know the other scales? They get a lot less "publicity".
Sometime it is like the famous t-shirts..
51% sweetheart, 49% b$%!%...
....don't press your luckYou have
Introversion and Extroversion (I/E)
Intuition and Feeling (N/F) - Basically Logic vs Empathy
Sensing and Thinking (S/T) - Basically Facts vs Theory
Perceiving and Judging (P/J) - Basically in extroverts your preferred way of relating to the world. This one gets complicated with Introverts.Wikipedia on more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs
Whoops, I screwed this up.
It should be
Thinking and Feeling (T/F) - Basically Logic vs Empathy
Intuition and Sensing (N/S) - Basically Facts vs Theory
I should have read my own link, that is what I get when I do it from memory
@AD: I have never been super sold on all the applications of personality theory and I think there is too much "pop-psychology" in the way.
Oh, I also end up as an INFP and under stress I become an INFJ. My P/J tend to be very close.
Way back in a previous life I wrote a personality analyzer myself. I had taken several such tests myself (including Meyers-Briggs) and thought the technique was ridiculously simplistic and predictable. Also I didn't completely buy into some of the question/response analysis that those were doing, considering them to be to closely aligned with faddish pop psychology of the time. Such questions, I believe, tend to steer people into answering with what they think they should answer instead of what they actually do or think. So I worked very hard to make the questions as abstract as possible, with no pop culture references and no telegraphing of the "if you want to be an extrovert, here's the obvious answer to pick" sort.
I got a lot of positive responses from people who used it. I did get one letter from an HR person who asked what my credentials were to have created such a thing.
I said something along the lines of "it's a free program. Use it if it works for you. If you don't like it, go buy one of the ridiculously expensive options that give you the comfort of 'credentials'. It's no skin off my nose."
If we look at a number of our "geek media outlets" and a number of recent publications, there is the argument that hyperfocus and hyperinterest in a topic is a requirement for being a geek (or possibly a gamer). That is, a person can be a physics geek, an art geek, a movie geek, a...
...gaming geek.
However, isn't there a flip side to that?
The sort of hyperfocus that's described in many of these instances may appear to align with some forms of the autism spectrum, though. I wouldn't be surprised to see a higher occurance of this spectrum among gamers. We already know it occurs in higher instances in areas such as computer programming and similar fields, so why not gaming?
As this spectrum can be a benefit as well as a negative, I'm not attempting to insult anyone here.
I would suspect:
- Introverts, by stereotyle, tend to spend more of their time in thought and reflection. These attributes are useful towards and may incline them towards activities such as board games and RPGs, though this is not always true--instead, I'm expressing this as more of a tendency. Introversion may also be seen as a degree of social awkwardness because it includes as part of its spectrum avoiding the social when it's too draining.
- The more mechanically-deep games and strategies and the exploration thereof could more easily and also lend itself to the autism-spectrum brain-reward cycle (See here for an article on some of the recent studies)
Again, I'm not intending to insult anyone here as there are distinct advantages to both of the above, and as with anything, disadvantages, too.
As a side note, most folks I've spoken with (especially parents) about some of the recent autism studies on brain-reward-balance, have been fairly enthusiastic. I sort of have my fingers crossed, myself.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I used to think that gamers in general were friendlier based on my experience until I started going on these forums and reading all the horror stories.
I'm a friendly enough sort of person, but I'm extremely uncomfortable if a stranger walks up and starts a conversation about his game/character/abilities etc. without prompting. I quit shopping at a local bookstore because of it.