thread: 2006-02-12 : Brain Damage
On 2006-02-14, Vincent wrote:
Sometimes, at GenCon for instace in the dealers' hall, you can watch someone have this very interesting, very informative, very sad little experience. He's been looking forward to buying the new book, right? Let's have it be the Ars Magica 4th Edition book, but it could be any of 'em. He makes his way to the front of the line! He picks up the book, he flips through it.
You can SEE the disappointment on his face.
He buys it anyway. He was going to buy it so he buys it, even though he sees plain as day that it won't be any more fun than what he's got now. He hands over his cash and walks away with his shoulders down.
How much fun did you say you're having? by Eric Provost.
We judge each others' fun all the time. Judging each others' fun is, first of all, valid and easy, but more, it's an important, valuable, essential thing for us big-brained social apes to do.
This makes TC go "How to help?"
How do we reach that guy and tell him there's something else out there?
This makes VB go "easy!"
We just do what we do, which is: everybody at the Forge booth is having fun. Loud, demonstrative, overflowing fun. Nobody can miss it, and anybody who's capable of appreciating fun when they see it gets drawn inevitably in.
This makes NinJ go "...not that easy..."
... because then you want to write that game you've always wanted. And that's hard.
This makes JB go "I do not agree"
Judgeing others fun is pointless, exposing your own fun is the way to go.
This makes Chris go "Well, the point is..."
If you're in a group, you have to be able to judge other people's fun response to know if you're getting hotter or colder to helping them have fun. Part of this, of course, means you need to be able to judge your own fun first.
This makes JB go "You got me there..."
I was more thinking about other groups fun, and mostly on doing it based on theory. If you really belive "the others" do no thave fun, show them your own way. Telling them "you do not have fun", even if true, will not make them change their play, just go defensive.
This makes Chris go "The other part of that is..."
We study car accidents to learn how to develop safer driving and safer cars. We judge fun here to learn about it- not to preach or teach. Different location, different function.
