thread: 2005-11-22 : A Seriously Social Issue
On 2005-11-23, Chris wrote:
How many of us get to play the games we want, with the people we want to play them with? How reasonable is it to expect? How far should we have to compromise, and on what?
My recent "time-out" has really been about this.
I've been playing with a range of different folks in different games over the last year or so, and am in the unique position that none of these people are long time friends or anything like that. The only reason for me to stay or go is the quality of fun itself.
And, if at any point, I feel like I'd be more productive minute to minute reading a book, watching a movie, or just cooking dinner- then the experience isn't enough for me.
Fact is- every minute I sit playing another game out of "compromise" is me playing something I'm not enjoying- and there's no karmic credit being built up that says I'll ever get to play the game I want later on. In fact, odds are good that all that's happening is the group is being conditioned to play a certain way all the time that will be harder to break out of if we do get to try out what I'm interested in.
If I get to play the game I like once every 2 months- it doesn't matter if I played 2 months in the mean time playing D&D or spent it going clubbing. The end result is the same, except in one case I feel like I've wasted time, and the other I got to enjoy other things in the meanwhile.
Like Mitch in the story- the time spent in the writing group takes away from anything productive that could be done- including writing itself.
This makes misuba go "What do you want to play?"
And are you convenient to Endgame in Oakland?
This makes Chris go "6 blocks from it..."
Part is the games, part is the people. email me: yeloson(at)earthlink(dot)net.
