It's difficult to get myself worked up about things in the gaming world. Some authors, whom shall not be named, have absolutely no problem getting upset about differences in playstyle, or of opinion of what games should be about or played like, or about whether new editions are better than the old. They can write enormous, screen-spanning essays about the minute details in the arrangement of planes in the 2e DMG, and then write about common misperceptions and slight flaws in the design. Some people will rewrite entire game systems so that they fit their preferred setting.
Your host, the underwhelming Nick Crayon, is unable to do these things because he simply does not care. And he's happier that way.
Maybe it's a product of the live-and-let-live philosophy ingrained in him by his culture. Maybe it's a product of the "evils" of tolerance preached in every relatively modern child's schooling, where there are no wrong answers and everybody's opinion is respected and deserves, at the very least, a modicum of attention.
And as such, it's increasingly difficult to think of things to write about. Angrier people have more interesting opinions, and they write significantly more. They have demands that they make, and whether you're for them or against them, they stand for something. It's the reason why Glen Beck and Bill O'Reilly and Anderson Cooper and Larry King are all popular- you know exactly where they stand and why. Even if you disagree, you can still see what they have to say, to find something to argue with or against.
And they're famously popular. The explosive, opinionated people are the ones with the TV shows. The "psychologist" who gets all the attention is the enormous, hyperbolic Dr. Phil. The radio DJ with all the attention is the, shall we say, attention-grabbing Rush Limbaugh. The most popular TV station is the one that devotes what seems like half of its time to its opinion panel, with such conservative icons as Sean Hannity and friends.
Shouldn't we be devoting more of our time to more moderate voices? Or is that too much to ask, coming from a relatively moderate blog?
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As one moderate voice to another, I'm glad you're out there, and not yelling. It certainly makes for more entertaining reading when I read the rants and raves, but most of the time I just want new stuff, new thoughts, new ideas, new inspiration, not bitching about this or that.
ReplyDeleteI don't get involved in the rants or raves or tantrums. Once in a while they are inspired by passion for the game, but a lot of times its just overblown ego.
ReplyDeleteI don't worry if people agree or get angry with my blog. I just write it to have fun. Most take the fun ride and once in a while you get someone who believes its a personal attack.
Have fun with it Nick. Don't sweat pissing people off. They were usually that way before they got to you.
Radical Moderates of the world unite and take over!
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