(00:00:03):
Hello, hello, and welcome to Retrospective Rants, with me, Joey Huff, as your host.
(00:00:11):
This episode, I must bring to your attention a matter most nerdy.
(00:00:17):
I must defend tabletop gaming.
(00:00:21):
But you already talked about anime, I know.
(00:00:25):
And you talk about movies and video games all the time.
(00:00:29):
I know,
(00:00:30):
but...
(00:00:30):
And you already do silly comedy sketches and voiceovers,
(00:00:34):
so how is tabletop any nerdier?
(00:00:37):
It's not!
(00:00:38):
Fine, it's not.
(00:00:40):
But...
(00:00:41):
tabletop gaming has been associated with classic nerd culture for longer than most
(00:00:47):
of the other things I've talked about.
(00:00:50):
At least over in the West.
(00:00:52):
And now, I must defend its honor against strawman arguments...
(00:00:57):
and preconceptions that most reasonable people don't care for anyway.
(00:01:02):
So, let's get to it, and we'll start with a personal story.
(00:01:07):
I was introduced to tabletop gaming through two avenues.
(00:01:12):
First was through school.
(00:01:15):
Lord of the Rings was very popular at the time due to the movies,
(00:01:19):
and so were the Games Workshop minis that were made for their battle game using the
(00:01:24):
Lord of the Rings license.
(00:01:26):
The minis, even at that point, were extremely expensive.
(00:01:32):
So I never got an army going.
(00:01:35):
I just saved up my money and bought a group of 10 Easterlings because their armor
(00:01:42):
was really cool.
(00:01:43):
It was like a samurai Saracen look and gold and red is really cool.
(00:01:50):
But some of my more well-to-do friends were very familiar with the rulesets for
(00:01:55):
both the Lord of the Rings game and also the Warhammer games,
(00:01:59):
which the Lord of the Rings game is based on.
(00:02:02):
And they'd often pontificate on why my tiny band of very,
(00:02:07):
very poorly painted models had no chance against their much larger armies.
(00:02:13):
Yes, I was bullied by the Warhammer and Lord of the Rings nerds, so you just...
(00:02:20):
Just get your shots in now.
(00:02:21):
Now the other avenue where that I was introduced to tabletop gaming through was my
(00:02:27):
beloved uncle Ninoy.
(00:02:29):
He was a gamer and a nerd par excellence and often asked my parents if we as a
(00:02:35):
family could join in his gaming sessions,
(00:02:38):
but he respected my parents' wishes to the contrary.
(00:02:43):
They didn't want,
(00:02:43):
it's not that they didn't want me to game for ethical or moral reasons,
(00:02:48):
they didn't think Dungeons & Dragons was bad,
(00:02:50):
but...
(00:02:53):
I was little,
(00:02:54):
and I was an undiagnosed and unmedicated autistic kid,
(00:02:58):
and they knew if my character died,
(00:03:00):
which can happen in any RPG,
(00:03:03):
that I would most likely take it personally.
(00:03:07):
And, hell, I still take it personally, even in the
(00:03:12):
even in baby 5th edition games.
(00:03:14):
But as I grew and attempted to mature,
(00:03:18):
I got models just to paint,
(00:03:20):
still not a whole lot of them,
(00:03:22):
and I played with my uncle and cousins using one of the older,
(00:03:26):
but still less lethal Star Wars RPG systems.
(00:03:31):
I was even able to be the dungeon master for a couple of the games we played,
(00:03:35):
and since then,
(00:03:37):
I've played in college with my friends,
(00:03:39):
and afterwards,
(00:03:41):
also after we all graduated,
(00:03:42):
and I was even able to bring new people into the hobby of sitting around a table or
(00:03:48):
a space with friends,
(00:03:50):
throwing dice,
(00:03:51):
and hoping for the best result.
(00:03:54):
All while we try and live our best adventurous life in miniature,
(00:03:58):
away from the grind of everyday life.
(00:04:02):
We've had to do it via chat apps for a while now, a couple of years now, but
(00:04:08):
We make the best of it that we can.
(00:04:11):
There's no match for being there in person, but we still have fun.
(00:04:16):
Anyway, you might ask, what's the point of this personal story?
(00:04:19):
First off, to show and admit that I cannot be objective in any analysis of tabletop gaming.
(00:04:29):
Playing at the table with friends and family may not be my entire identity,
(00:04:33):
but it's a big part of it.
(00:04:36):
and yet I still don't believe it disqualifies me from providing an objective
(00:04:41):
defense of the hobby,
(00:04:43):
because my personal experience and its relationship with others' personal
(00:04:48):
experiences runs counter to several of the stereotypes surrounding the gaming
(00:04:54):
scene,
(00:04:55):
which I'll now list and debunk.
(00:04:58):
Stereotype number one!
(00:05:00):
There's a notion that gaming is for people with bad family lives
(00:05:06):
or who need an escape from their families,
(00:05:10):
I was introduced to gaming through my family,
(00:05:13):
via my uncle.
(00:05:15):
I was able to spend more time with my family, with my cousins, through gaming as well.
(00:05:22):
Even as kids,
(00:05:23):
we made some stories that we still repeat on phone conversations or at family
(00:05:28):
gatherings,
(00:05:29):
and they bring back fond memories of good times we shared.
(00:05:33):
I already admitted to some bias,
(00:05:35):
but if anything,
(00:05:37):
quite a few of my family ties were strengthened because of the leisure time we
(00:05:42):
spent together gaming.
(00:05:44):
I can't speak for every person,
(00:05:46):
but tabletop gaming,
(00:05:48):
be it role-playing or strategy,
(00:05:51):
requires more than just one player,
(00:05:54):
and often requires cooperation.
(00:05:57):
In that way, it is also the dynamic avenue of social engagement
(00:06:02):
and occupies more of a neutral and utility-based position in family bonding rather
(00:06:09):
than any negative or positive position.
(00:06:11):
It all depends on who you play with.
(00:06:15):
Second, gaming is supposedly reserved for socially disabled people.
(00:06:21):
Eh,
(00:06:22):
I admit gaming does seem to attract a crowd of socially awkward folks,
(00:06:27):
but,
(00:06:28):
you know,
(00:06:29):
anti-social people or
(00:06:31):
people with antisocial personalities?
(00:06:33):
I mean, you spend time together, you interact socially.
(00:06:38):
I've already shown that's the case.
(00:06:40):
So,
(00:06:42):
I don't believe that the idea that gaming rewards or encourages social regression
(00:06:49):
has any merit.
(00:06:50):
Third stereotype.
(00:06:52):
Gaming distracts from more important issues in life.
(00:06:58):
Alright, well, I would suggest that
(00:07:00):
It doesn't distract from good work any more than any other leisure activity might.
(00:07:06):
People who play basketball on the weekends with their friends are also taking time
(00:07:12):
away from work.
(00:07:13):
Parents who need to have a date night and leave their kids with the grandparents or
(00:07:18):
a babysitter are also taking time for themselves.
(00:07:23):
And sometimes you might be too tired to work out
(00:07:28):
then sometimes you might have a big argument with your paramour and you both need some space.
(00:07:34):
But you're also not quite in an antisocial enough mood where you want to just hide
(00:07:42):
and curl up with a book on your own.
(00:07:45):
So you might as well just game with some friends.
(00:07:49):
Take some time to engage in pretend adventures away from pressure alongside people
(00:07:55):
who want the same.
(00:07:57):
We all need a break from pressing matters so that we can get back to them with renewed energy.
(00:08:03):
And gaming is just another way to do that.
(00:08:07):
A fourth stereotype, or slander.
(00:08:11):
Gaming is the refuge for people with extremist and dangerous beliefs.
(00:08:17):
Again, I can't speak for every gamer, but...
(00:08:24):
for maybe 95% of gamers, we're not the most politically extreme people.
(00:08:32):
I mean,
(00:08:34):
we like gaming because it lets us have a way to live,
(00:08:39):
well,
(00:08:40):
it gives us an avenue away from the ugly extremes of life.
(00:08:46):
Sure,
(00:08:46):
we might have a political joke slip in,
(00:08:49):
and other times we're under a lot of pressure from our real lives and
(00:08:54):
We might just need to talk about it with friends.
(00:08:58):
But we're also there as friends with either an unconscious or sometimes stated
(00:09:04):
agreement that we want to get away from all of the nonsense.
(00:09:08):
Now,
(00:09:09):
the gaming table is usually nothing as pretentious as a safe space,
(00:09:18):
but it does encompass a few moments where all present can agree
(00:09:23):
that whatever our separate opinions,
(00:09:26):
we are there to have fun and to enjoy some structured silliness.
(00:09:32):
We're here to play a game.
(00:09:34):
It's not like Holy Ground and Highlander,
(00:09:37):
but it's meant to be a time where your personal hang-ups are left at the door and
(00:09:41):
you and yours can just be young again.
(00:09:44):
It's where adventure and comedy are the priority,
(00:09:48):
and that's a good thing,
(00:09:50):
and certainly not a part of any extremist mindset.
(00:09:56):
Alright, fifth slander and the final slander for this episode.
(00:10:01):
Fifth and final slander for the day.
(00:10:04):
Gamers themselves do not contribute anything to society because they waste their
(00:10:10):
time on a silly game instead of something important.
(00:10:14):
You might even take that slander further and say gaming corrupts society and all
(00:10:20):
the other stuff.
(00:10:22):
In my opinion,
(00:10:23):
trying to address this slander at all is a trap,
(00:10:26):
because even if a gamer has a family,
(00:10:30):
a well-paying job,
(00:10:31):
the people criticizing them will still find a way to say that the gamer is not
(00:10:36):
doing enough.
(00:10:38):
If a famous and successful person,
(00:10:41):
or maybe several famous and successful people,
(00:10:45):
are gamers,
(00:10:46):
for example Henry Cavill and the late Robin Williams,
(00:10:50):
people will needle at them and say that those folks are just the exception to rules
(00:10:56):
that they themselves have set up.
(00:10:58):
And of course,
(00:10:58):
if you point towards the money that's been made in the gaming industry via not only
(00:11:03):
the core products of those games,
(00:11:05):
but also the streaming of those games,
(00:11:08):
movie tie-ins,
(00:11:09):
and even literary inspiration,
(00:11:11):
the hyper-moral critics will whine about how all of those are just corruptions of
(00:11:17):
the culture
(00:11:18):
instead of expansions or contributions to the cultural space.
(00:11:22):
It's a never-ending spiral,
(00:11:25):
because no matter what truth I bring to bear,
(00:11:27):
or whatever concessions I make in advancing the truth,
(00:11:33):
plenty of people will never be satisfied,
(00:11:35):
and as such,
(00:11:36):
I make a final plea.
(00:11:39):
Not to critics of gaming, but to gamers.
(00:11:42):
Just be you.
(00:11:45):
If people give you crap for your interests,
(00:11:48):
as long as they're above board,
(00:11:50):
just live your life.
(00:11:52):
Defend yourself against slander, but then take a break.
(00:11:57):
Because the anti-gamer crowd aren't looking for truth.
(00:12:00):
Seriously, they aren't.
(00:12:02):
They're looking for something to fight.
(00:12:04):
So, fight on, like you do with everything else in life.
(00:12:09):
But also, remember to leave some time to play.
(00:12:13):
It's the best way to live.
(00:12:16):
And that's another retrospective rant over and done with.
(00:12:20):
I hope you enjoyed.
(00:12:22):
Thank you so much for listening, and have a good one.
