Understanding Gamers

Gamers: The word has many connotations. Some might imagine the unhygenic nerds that babble on about being a +25 paladin with a helm of distruction, or the individual who spends most of their time playing World of Warcraft. Despite stereotypes, gamers come from every walk of life, and yet they are a very definate subculture.

You might encounter gamers in your normal life, and become friends with them, but sometimes it is a bit difficult to bridge that "knowledge gap" to understanding the subculture. I know, as a gamer, I have many friends that never understand what the heck I'm talking about, and I've wished there was a "How to" guide for them to understand my hobbies. Well here it is! The how to on how to understand gamer geeks and their crazy hobbies.

Terms:

Role playing: This usually refers to gathering with friends and playing a role play game. This involves a storyteller basically telling a story, and each person plays a character in the story. There are a variety of games out there, each with their own set of rules and themes, so don't just think Dungeons and Dragons. The most well known are : Dungeons and Dragons (which is one of the oldest), The Old World of Darkness or New World of Darkness series by White Wolf, Exalted by White Wolf, Gurps by Steve Jackson games, and BESM. There are a lot of other systems that are pretty popular, but those are generally the most widely mentioned.

Wargaming: This is generally where folks use miniatures and dice to play out battles. You can have wargames that fit around WW2, The civil war, even future eras.

Pen and Paper: This is just a form of role playing that uses paper character sheets and pen (or pencils) to write down information.

MMORPG: This is a massively multiplayer online role playing game.Think World of Warcraft, or Everquest (AKA Evercrack).

Dice: A lot of role playing games (pen and paper, wargaming) feature dice systems. You can have 20 siders (hence the term "Rolling a natural 20"...which is VERY good for DnD), 10 siders, 4 siders, even 100 siders. Mostly you will run into systems that either uses 20 siders or 10 siders, but some games also use six siders as their main dice pool.

Botch: You might here a gamer say " Man, I botched that!". What the heck does that mean? Generally a botch is an -extremely- poor roll that has nasty consequences.

RPG: Role-playing game. Generally refers to video games.The most popular RPG franchise is the Final Fantasy series (which coincidently, was based on Dungeons and Dragons...and was Squaresoft's last chance at saving their company)

Twink: Someone who basically cheats to make sure their character comes out on top

Mary sue: Someone who has to have ALL the focus on their character, and over emphasizes characteristics to the point of being sickening. For more info, Google " Mary Sue"

Min Maxer: Someone who concentrates all the points they spend on a character into certain areas to make them usually absurdly strong at area, but pretty much useless in other areas. For example, someone who makes a character that can kill someone forty times before they hit the ground, but can't add 2+2.

Online Chats: These are kind of like MMORPGS, but feature a chat interface to run the game system. Generally these have one system, one setting, with possibly many venues.

Card Games: The typical card games out there are Magic: The Gathering, Milk Money, and a few others. These are not necesarily the most common, but they are popular and folks do have a good time with them.

PBE (Play by Email): This is where folks play games using email, making posts to their group about their character actions, with one person threading the story together

Play By Post: Same idea as PBE, just over forums.

GM/ST: Game Master, Story Teller-someone who runs the game.

LARP: Live Action Role Playing. This is where folks more or less act out the game, using costumes, fake weapons, and props. White Wolf has a series of LARP books called " Minds Eye Theater" which translates their WOD series into playable LARP games.

WOTC: Wizards of the Coast: One of the largest gaming companies (recently bought out by Hasbro) that is known for DND 3.0 and other new editions and

White Wolf: Another large gaming company. Known for Vampire the Masquerade, Werewolf the Apocolypse, and the entire World of Darkness Series.

Gurps: A series of books utilizing a large variety of source books all falling under the same system. Very popular due to its versitile game play and choices.

So why do people do this anyways?

Honestly, its fun. While there are a lot of jokes about how gamers are not necessarily the most physically adept, there are few jokes about how they are mentally inept. Role playing presents a creative and intellectual challenge that is purely just for the sheer enjoyment of it. Think of it like playing basketball or your own hobby-perhaps other people find it dull while you find it the most exciting thing in the world.

Aren't all gamers crazy and just want to study Satan or something?

Uh....no. Unfortunately there is this bizarre perspective that Gamers are satanist, suicidal, and plotting horrible things to do on the rest of the world...which honestly isn't true. Generally, they are just pretty normal people who just have a hobby.

So...what if I might want to try gaming? How do I start?

If you don't know any gamers, hit up a local gaming store (just Google one in your area), or try websites like RPG.net Gamers are very open to teaching people who honestly want to learn. You just have to find the right person to do it. Also, pick up a book for yourself . You can start with the newest, or the oldest of games. The best way to practice a system is to make a character with it. Also, once you decide a system you like, pick up some dice fitting that system.

How do I win?

The main point of gaming is not to "win". Its to create a fun and interesting character and storyline. I suppose the "win" part comes into play to figuring out who's character lives the longest.

What if I want to run a game?

Go for it, just look for some tips on how to do it. Running a game is fun, but tricky. Look for someone to mentor you on how to do it. Obviously you will need players. You could always look for other folks new to the hobby who want to learn or find experienced players who are willing to work in a new GM. Just make sure for the first time that your players are patient-running a game is a great deal of fun, but it is not necessarily easy.

Am I too old to start?

Doubtful-there are folks who still play and have been in the hobby since the original DND came out (Which was a long time ago).

I just want to play....why are people arguing over games?!

Okay...here is the ONE hard part about gaming: Just like in sports, people have *their* favorite game. It seems stupid at times, but honestly people get a little personal when it comes to what they think is the best available system. If you enjoy the debates, just know your stuff. If you don't, just watch with amusement and listen.

Anything else I should know?

Gamers are human beings, like anyone else. Some good, some bad, and some just crazy. Enjoy spending time with them and have a good time.