I like to do a reality check at times. It's needed to be properly grounded in all things, but especially in social media, including blogging.
The reality is that a very large portion of gamers, if not the vast majority, do not do social media. They don't blog or read blogs, don't do Facebook or G+, don't read or post at Dragon's Foot or the Arcanum. They play games with the same group they always game with, or show up at the game store every Saturday Night and just play.
They don't care about editions wars. OGL or GSL or CC. Race as class or multi-classing. They don't know The Tavern from The Manor from The Pundit from the Greyhawk Grognard. They don't give a shit, and wouldn't in all probability even if they did suddenly know about the social media going on behind the games they play.
The play is the thing.
Sometimes, events get caught up in social media to the point where we forget what we are actually posting about - games. Why do we post about games? Because we are passionate enough to do so. Can we drive trends? Sure. Some of that influence may even trickle outside our little echo chamber. Still, we are an echo chamber. To ourselves our voices may sound really loud and influential at times. For the most part, it is a pleasant illusion.
Alright, time for me to get back to my hallucination of being the writer of a popular gaming blog...
Picturing Solo History
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There are many gamers who will tell you that it was *Vampire the Masquerade*
that got them into roleplaying. That was in the 1990s. There are many
gamers ...
1 hour ago
You are a big fish in our tiny pond. Which is only a subset of the small pond of gamers as a whole. ;)
ReplyDeleteJust to highlight your point, please have a look at the latest post on my website: http://hitstokill.blogspot.co.nz/2015/06/mad-max-road-warrior-road-wolf-game.html
ReplyDeleteDoes that get an award for the most tangential comment of the week?
Delete"Mad Max Road Warrior Road Wolf Game"??
It's the secret game-within-a-game. I envy those who have never heard of the esoteric niche hobby nonsense we roll around in like slop. Which is 90% of my gaming crew actually, only two of whom follow my blog religiously for clues and hints to what I am up to in the weekly games.
ReplyDeleteIf it's not online, does it even happen?
ReplyDeleteYeah, my players are happily unaware of the online gaming scene. The other GM in our group is starting up a web site for his character and GM sheets for different games (he's got his own advertising firm, so he's good at all things Adobe). I have a private blog where I post game recaps and such and most of them even don't read that.
ReplyDeleteWait, people actually play these things? I thought we just studied and discussed them, like the Bible or something
ReplyDeleteSometimes "we" forget? Or you forget?
ReplyDeleteMan I wish I could forget about Facepalm and the like with all their inane/asinine drive.
ReplyDelete