Gaming Rant

When, exactly, did gaming cease to be about fun? When did it turn into a huge contest about which rules are the best and who knows more and who is better? I've played for years and I enjoyed it because the people who I played with knew what the main goal of the game was: to have fun. We sat around, ate junk food, joked and roleplayed into the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, important things got done in the game. Other times, they didn't. But, all in all, it didn't matter. All that really meant anything was the fact that we were hanging out and having fun.

Lately, though, I've been overwhelmed with a sense of....I don't even know what to call it. I've been finding myself more and more in the company of "serious gamers". Now, I have no problem with people who take gaming seriously. However, I do have a problem with people who feel like they have to impress others with their vast superiority. I don't like people who come in and try to convince others that they are stupid because they do not view things the same way. For instance, some people would argue that System B is far better than System A, give you a long list of why that is correct and then proceed to tell you that you have no idea what you are talking about when you say that you actually prefer System A. Even better are the ones who are/were part of the Gaming Industry and, therefore, feel like they have some sort of magical uber-knowledge that the rest of us "amateurs" don't. Well, let me ask you this, Mr. Inside Industrty: if you don't know how to play a musical instrument, does that mean that you don't know what kind of music you like? Does not playing the guitar mean that you walk around in the music store, drooling and running into display cases, unable to distinguish between rock and country? No. You still know what you like and don't like. It's the same with game systems, I hate to tell you. If I like System A, then I like System A. It's my opinion and you'd do well to just sit the hell down and shut up.

But, of course, they always tell you that you are wrong.

What I don't understand is how you can play wrong. How do you do that? How is that even possible? If you and everyone involved is having fun, who cares if the tables dictating splash effects of grenade-like weapons is realistic? Who cares whether a die roll was fudged? Why does it matter whether the armor system is unbalanced? For gods sake. It's a game.

When did it stop being about fun?

When did it start being about who is more savvy? You know what I'm talking about. Someone is constantly showing up with a new system, something that no one has ever heard of with a title like "EvanIridescaAngels: Beyond Your Mundane View". Of course, the person comes in and proceeds to tell you how artistic this is, how it melds philosophy with gaming and forces you to think beyond simple roleplaying. Oh, yes, it's horrbily existential! Oh, yes, the mechanics are a dream come true. Blah. Blah. Blah. And, everyone sits around and is duly impressed with Joe and his new game and the extraordinary grasp he has of it's difficult to understand mechanics. But, that's only to be expected because, well....he's a serious gamer and we're just amatuers. d20 troglodytes. Yup, that's us.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against looking at new systems. I've got a ton of them on my shelves, too. It has more to do with the attitude of the person presenting the new system than the system itself. I'm perfectly willing to try new things if they can be presented as a potential source of fun and not as a "trophy".

Judging from what I've seen and heard lately, though, it looks like I'm part of the minority. I guess I was wrong when I thought that games were meant to be a source of enjoyment. I guess there is a right and wrong way to play.

Goodbye, Calvin Ball. I'll miss you.