Wargaming ASKEW: Anatomy of a three-legged gamer
In this single part article (because two would be considered animal abuse), TastyTaste from Bloodofkittens.com tracks down and interviews one of the most elusive of all players — the hardcore cat gamer. So let’s see what makes an actual gamer cat purr!
Exactly…what a week? (if only it was much longer), Mkerr graced us with an article titled “Anatomy of a Gamer Girl” where he demonstrated the age-old axiom “if you show skin of the female on the Internet guys will look” The article struck a note with the community and quickly tallied the most comments ever on BoLS!
Buried in the loose collars and drool we were introduced honest-to-god-hardcore-gaming-girl. A typical gamer girl you would find at most gaming conventions really nothing too special, except she plays games without being drugged or held in bondage. Two things came to mind after reading the article.
One was– what was with the blue for boys and pink for girls questionnaire?
The second was if he thinks Cassie is rare, well he has another thing coming because I tracked down a three-legged cat that plays 40k for an exclusive interview! Not only is Primplepuss an animal he is also has a disability! Primplepuss and his roomates are some friends of mine. It was Primplepuss that got my friends started in 40k and the rest was history.
I was lucky enough to sit down with Primplepuss as he was playing a game of 40k over the week.
TastyTaste: “Okay, it has to be asked. Did you actually teach my friends how to play 40k?
Primplepuss (licking): “YEZ IT WUZ AKSHULLY ME, TAUGHT THEM EVRYTHIN THEY NEEDD 2 KNOE. ITs BEEN LOT OV FUN INTRODUCIN PEEPS 2 TEH GAME.
TastyTaste: “From what I have been told, it looks like you are into all kinds of gaming. How did you first get into gaming?”
Primplepuss: “WHEN I WUZ 2 YEERS OLD, I WUZ IN DA HOSPITAL GETTIN MAH LEG REMOVD FRUM CAR ACCIDENT. THEY BROUGHT IN LAPTOP WIF Meow Meow Dress Up 2 MAK ME FEELZ BETTR. IT WERKD! SO I GOT LABTOP AN PLAYD ALL TEH KAT GAMEZ FRUM www.girlsgogames.com AN I HAS NEVR STOPPD PLAYIN.”
Tastytaste: “Okay, I can see how Meow Meow Dress up would be fun when you are stuck in the
hospital, but how did that lead to things like Warhammer 40,000?”
Primplepuss: “I PLAYD VIDEO GAMEZ CONSTANTLY THRU 2 MOVEZ AN FEW LUNAR CYCLEZ. WHEN I WUZ 4, FREND OV MINE WUZ TALKIN BOUT SOMETHIN CALLD “WARHAMMR”. I WUZ CURIOUS, SO I TAGGD ALONG AN PLAYD FANTASY. I ABSOLUTELY LOVD IT! I STILL PULAY WARHAMMR FANTASY LOT — INCLUDIN RUNNIN MAH OWN DWARF ARMY — BUT I”M MOAR INTO WARHAMMR 40K CUZ FANTASY DEAMONS R 2 BROKD.”
TastyTaste: “I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted to seeing a three legged cat playing Dwarves. I’m not even sure that I have played with non-humans before– and certainly not in my fantasy group. How did your group react?”
Primplepuss: “PURRR! IT WUZ ME AN 3 GUYZ AN A TORTOISE, SO I DOAN FINKZ THEY TOOK ME SRSLY AT FURST. BUT I KEPT COMIN BAK AN KEPT GETTIN MOAR AN MOAR INTO TEH GAME. I LUV DWARVEZ. I RLY LUV DWARVEZ — THARS SOMETHIN APPEALIN 2 ME BOUT BEAN ALL SQUATY AN SLOW AN SHOOT ANYTHIN DAT MOVEZ. I PLAYD THEM 4 YEERS.”
TastyTaste: “So it was the new Daemons army book that caused the jump from fantasy to 40k?”
Primplepuss “NO, NOT QUITE. EVEN THOUGH I WUZ PLAYIN DWARVEZ, I NEVR STOPPD PLAYIN VIDEO GAMEZ. I GOT HOOKD BY WARHAMMR 40K THRU MAH DAWN OV WAR GROUP. I HAS ALWAYS LIKD STRATEGEE VIDEO GAMEZ OVAR SHOOTERZ.. DOW GOT ME HOOKD ON TEH BAKGROUND — WHICH LED 2 TEH MINIATUREZ. BESIDEZ IM KAT SO ANYTHIN I CAN MOOV WIF MAH PAWNS IZ FUN.
Tastytaste: “So what convinced you to make the final leap from the computer screen to the Warhammer 40k?”
Primplepuss: “BOUT YER AGO, MAH FRENZ CONVINCD ME 2 WALK 2 TEH KITCHEN AN PULAY 40K, SO I SPENT FEW DAIS THAR LERNIN TEH RULEZ. I LOVD TEH BIGGR SIZE OV 40K MODELS MUTCH FUNNR 2 MOOV AN JUMP OVAR THAN DWARVEZ. PLUS MOAR POINTY PEICEZ 2 NOM NOM NOM ON. I WENT AN BUYD MAH FURST ELDAR DAT WEEKEND.
TastyTaste: “So how long have you been playing? And how often do you get to play?
Primplepuss: “I HAS BEEN PLAYIN MOAR THAN 2 YEERS NAO — NOT VRY LONG IN DA EYEZ OV MOST GAMERS, BUT VRY LONG IN KAT YEERS. I GIT 2 PULAY AS OFTEN AS ID LIEK CUZ MAH ROOMMATEZ CANT GIT ENOUGH OV IT, ALSO HOW OFTEN DOEZ SOMEONE GIT PWND BY KAT”
TastyTaste: “So when you play, are you there for the social experience or to win?”
Primplepuss: “LIEK ANY GAMR, IM VRY COMPETITIV. I LUV 2 BE GUD AT WUT I DOEZ, AN I LIEK 2 BE TAKEN SRSLY AS PLAYR. BUT I ALSO LIEK HANGIN OUT, AN IM NOT SUM ELITIST JERK LIEK SUM DAWGS I KNOE DAT CANT ACCEPT LOS AN JUS HAS FUN.”
My interview ended soon after as it was getting increasingly harder to understand what Primplepuss was trying to say after rolling in some catnip. A final point Primplepuss was trying to make was like every gamer he wants to be treated like the rest of the boys. Primplepuss gets more attention than a normal gamer would, he doesn’t want to be objectified or seen as some curiosity. I have to agree with Primplepuss because I think the best way we can get more animals playing 40k is to make sure that we just don’t sit staring or treat animals like some vessel for our own insecurities.
I turn this post over to you folks and say have you ever played with an animal gamer? How do you deal with gamer bias towards are furry little friends? Also if people are nice Primplepuss might comment to any questions you might have for him.
As always you can find TastyTaste at http://bloodofkittens.com/
