Those Nice Young Roleplayers Next Door…
April 2008 Issue
Features
- From the Editors
- Craft Check: Friendship Bracelets for Gamers
- Gaming in the Media: Worried About Miss Bimbo? Don't Be.
Interviews
- Interview: Tracy Whitelaw of Lesbian Gamers
Articles
- Romancing the LARP
Author: Stephanie Pegg
- Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition: A Paradigm Shift or a Step Back?
Author: Ben Larsen
Stephanie discusses how romance plots played out in the Sanctuary LARP.
Ben analyzes the upcoming 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons and discusses how the changes made to the D&D formula will impact gamers.
Gamer Stories
Reviews
- Diner Dash: Hometown Heroes
- Dynasty Warrior 6
- Retro Review: Mario is Missing
Odds 'n Ends
The guy who runs the roleplaying game I’m in right now has two separate groups. Some of us meet on Wednesday evenings and some of us meet on Sunday afternoons, and the living room is visible to the house across the road. What the neighbors see is a bunch of people of varying ages and dress sense meeting twice a week, sitting around in the living room talking. For two to three hours. Just talking.
Their conclusion was obvious: we must be Christian Cell Groups, and our GM must be a very pious young man (not exactly the obvious thought when you know him in person.) I find this more amusing, because the same misconception was made about our Ultimate Frisbee team. Plunk some mild-mannered, friendly people who don’t much drink or smoke into a sports league and they are assumed to be united by a church group. Heh.
When you get down to it, though, once you’ve stripped away the dice and the rule books, how different is the outer lifestyle of a Roleplaying geek compared to a Christian geek? Roleplaying as a hobby tends to be naturally antithetical to most of the activities that are banned in stricter households. There’s no point in getting drunk or high when roleplaying because it will distract you from the game. A bar is a silly place to game in–much better go to someone’s house. Many of us delay exploring our sexuality until our twenties, whether by choice or the availability of our social group. The core of our hobby is sitting around talking – the other forms of socializing happen, but as ancillary not primary activities. Perhaps, if a teenager reading this story is having trouble with parents concerned about their new hobby, they could mention that roleplaying is one of the most physically and socially safe activities it’s possible to have. Just a thought.
Article © March 2008 by Stephanie Pegg.
