Wargaming: Shirts vs. Blouses

What does that have to do with 40K? Nothing. I just love Dave Chapelle and wish he would bring his show back. 

I suppose it does have something to do with the upcoming Eldar though, as like the space elves, Prince has impeccable style. I bet an Eldar would play a pretty mean game of hoops, too!

But on topic, this article is about having fun with the game (so old Dave DID have something to do with this article after all!). Sounds obvious, right? Why would anyone need to read an article about enjoying the game? The object of playing a game is enjoyment. It should be inherent to the activity itself. 

Spend approximately one second on the internet though, and you will see that just isn’t so. I sometimes think the point of 40K web sites is to complain about 40K.

Go to a game night at a store with a club that plays a certain way and see what happens when someone comes along with different ideas on the way the game should or can be played. I have seen some of the most petty, crummy behavior between two adult men in my life over differing ways to play these games of ours. I have literally seen friendships end because of it and arguments come to physical blows.

I am not going to try and pretend as if I don’t care about these games. I do, more than most I would guess (it is my profession and hobby, after all), perhaps even more than is healthy! 

However, I always strive to keep things in perspective. It is at the end of the day a game. It really has no bearing on our core happiness or enjoyment of life. 

It is a tad ridiculous to really get upset about something that is ultimately so trivial, and yet we see screaming matches between folks online all the time. The internet tends to bring out the worst in people as it is, but you add in the layer of discussing something that people care about and wow, the dark and fetid underbelly of human nature shows itself really fast. I also enjoy following politics and I cringe every time I read comments on a political article. It makes me seriously sad to know I am even remotely connected to some of these people (how do some folks so ignorant even figure out how to work the internet in the first place?!?!)

So, when I see some of that seeping into my favorite pastime, it bothers me. If you spend a lot of time online, which most of you reading this probably do, it is easy for your perspective to become skewed. You start to think the microcosm that is the internet gaming community represents a larger slice of the actual gaming community than it does. 

For that very reason I love owning a game store. Well, I just love games and gaming and gamers in general, but one of the best parts of owning a game store is to see young kids come in, around 10-12 years old, who are at that point in their gaming lives when everything is AWESOME! They get so hyped about every little thing. They memorize the fluff like a sponge soaking up water, they pick up the rules at light speed, and every part of the hobby is the coolest thing ever!!!!)_!*#%!!

I love to see that uninhibited enthusiasm and passion for gaming as it reminds me of why we all got into this in the first place. The youngsters could care less about who said what on which blog. It doesn’t even register on their radar. They are too busy having their minds blown over the supper radical Space Vampire Mephiston chopping an adamantium tank in half!! 

We didn’t get into this hobby to argue about which made-up super d00der can beat up which. It wasn’t to be cruel to strangers online only because we face no consequences. It wasn’t to try and validate our sense of self worth. It’s because the little kid in all of us gets super juiced about our toy soldiers and has since we were actual little kids.

So next time you feel the urge to put someone else down online or in real life because of gaming (or anything, really), or someone says something about gaming you disagree with, or you lose a close game, or the dice are being your enemy and you want to scream….just be cool. We’re all here to do something that brings us enjoyment and recognizing that is important to maintaining a calm mental state. Even if the way someone else enjoys the game differs from your own, it doesn’t make them wrong or you right. It’s just different.

So pick up some dice, assemble your crew, and enjoy this bizarre pastime of ours! Reecius out!