To game.

[technoir]

What is a gamer? I suppose the simple answer would be, one who participates in games. It is a clear definition, if somewhat incomplete. I am gamer. Gamers are a subculture in a way. A grouping of folks who enjoy spending their free time playing games, more specifically Role playing games. MOst of my friends are gamers. We are diverse in our other interest's. Would be filmakers play the same games as lawers and doctors. One thing I have a problem with, and I hope I am not alone, is the perception of gamers and gaming.

For years gaming took a bad rap in the circles of the religious right, but the ones that irritate me more are other wise decent folks who treat me like I am spending my energies on something unworthy. My own grandmother, bless her old fashioned heart, is very much a case of this. When ever the subject of how I spend my weekends comes up, smiles and says "oh you still do that?" with all the condesending one might give me if they found out I still wet my bed. I have seen people who otherwise fit neatly into the counter culture, treat gaming with the disdain a conservative would treat a pot smoking hippie. Why is gaming so much more contemptable. It is a hobby which requires the use of your brain. It is creative and people can and do have a talent for it as surely as people have a talent to sing. How is it that playing bridge is some how a better way to spend my time? Why is my hobby not as good as someone else's? I am so tired of having my past time, one which I like to think I have a talent for, berated and belittled by people who dont take the time to learn any thing about it.

I am done ranting.

for now....

TechNoir

Comments

Gaming as an Art Form

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

Tell them that gaming is your means of artistic expression. Explain how you are returning to a primitive form of cultural expression -- storytelling -- and updating it for a modern audience. Mention that this art form confronts serious themes of betrayal, grief, heroism, conflicting loyalties and the nature of good vs evil. Stare at them blankly when they say "But it's just a game," say "Would you call Shakespeare just a scribe?" and then walk away.

While some of this is partly tounge in cheek, it's also serious. I do actually think that gaming (both TT and LARP) is -- or at least can be -- a form of artistic expresion. This doesn't apply to all games, but smearing paint on canvas doesn't always count as art either.

Re: Gaming as an Art Form

[suibhne.livejournal.com]

What a cool description. I love it! It certainly makes me feel better about blowing off my creative writing assignment to write a kick ass elevation or two :)

Re: Gaming as an Art Form

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

If writing an elevation isn't a valid form of a creative writing assignment, I really don't know what is. Evaluating what goes into something like that -- or any plotline -- is a highly complex, creative, and intellectual exercise. When you consider all of the elements that go into just a simple elevation, it's at least as complex as, say, a one act play. You need to consider setting (where am I running this), set design (what props do I need), story (what's going to happen), dialog (what are my NPCs going to say), and story (how will this move my target audience: the PC). Now realize that when someone writes a one-act play, they have control over all aspects of their play. They know what the dialog will be each and every time. They know what actions will be taken to move the plot along and keep the audience entertained. As someone who is writing plot for a LARP (or running a TT game), you must anticipate and plan for contingencies that a playwrite never will have to encounter.

I am occasionally tempted to apply for an art-grant for a LARP just to see if I could get it through. I think they deserve one.

Re: Gaming as an Art Form

[technoir.livejournal.com]

I too love your description. I have actually pushed some boundries while gaming. I used to call it Larp therapy. Mickey playing my estranged father was painful but cathartic as I found myself saying things I wish i had a chance to say to my own father while he lived. I once played in the cam a mortal dying of AIDs he had contracted from a vampire bite. As much as anything it was my attempt to deal with my own left over issues of watching a nieghbor slowly die of the disease. These are maybe not typical examples but it is indicative of how I see it. Like any art form you can show and do difficult things. Gaming is an art as surely as any other performance with just as much depth if you let it.