[Personal, Gaming] So I came across an article in a blog that is in the same org that I am in called Nerdball. I read it, hoping to gain some insight into the disparities that I tend to see in the gaming institutions I am part of.
I actually ended up more disappointed than fulfilled. The author is a good writer, but there is a lot of bitterness and hurt in that article. If I were a psychologist who focused on understanding gamerism and real life and the thin boundaries between them, I would probably have a field day.
Fortunately, my degrees aren’t in anything as cool. So I get to break it down more like a normal, mundane person. Go me.
I am going to be as general as possible, because these are my opinions on my facebook – I am not going to label any sort of organization, because that’s not the purpose.
First, let me start with a small story. Once upon a time there was a group of players who just liked to play together. They were good at gaming, knew the rules and knew how to relate to others and be both charismatic and intimidating at the same time. Now, I knew this group pretty well, they were fun, they worked hard, they were involved.
It came to pass that people didn’t like the fact this group was good at what they did, and that people liked them. They were popular and enjoyed the social benefits that gave them.
People started to cry out how bad this group was, how they were always together. No one ever asked about the backstabbing politics behind the scenes, or the fact that at least two of them were going to kill off each other’s PC at first oportunity. They just cared that to THEM, to THEIR perceptions, they were unbreakable.
So these people set out to break up the group. They couldn’t do it IC, so they resorted to underhanded tactics, rumors, lies and vaguebooking, even blogging. It was hurtful to see people I called friends have to go throught his. Piece by piece and little by little the group fell apart -not because of IC things, but because the OOC hurt was too much. No one wanted to be subjected to that – especially not when some people weren’t exactly vague in their targets.
Bit by bit, piece by piece they fell, until there was nothng left…and those who did this, who relentlessly pursued them, harassed them, and painted them as terrible people – they celebrated their victory. They had the rid their fantasy land of the dark, evil overlords of popularity and unity
It’s something I am going to call “Nerd Darts” – because it’s what happens when people throw darts into a random crowd in hopes of hitting just enough people to bring down any monolith. Sadly, Nerd Darts aren’t done with characters or sheets – they are done with hurtful words and questionable accusations. It’s a terrible event because as much as people who hate nerdball say those that play it want to win, the nerd dart people are just as bad – sometimes even worse, because they rarely care that there is going to be collateral damage They just want to win in their own way, and pat themselves on the shoulders and congratulate themselves for removing toxicity…
Nevermind the mirror they refuse to look in because they can’t see the same toxicity that is eating them away.
The moral of this story?
Think about your actions Be human. Stop playing Nerd Darts because you feel you have to get rid of “Nerdball” – it doesn’t make you awesome, it just makes you just as bad.
To semi-quote my favorite Disney Movie – “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who’s the fairest one of all? The fairest one you may be, but the poison of your apple you bear is nothing compared to your toxicity.”
Adventures of a Gamer Girl 