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There are a number of things that I, as a gaming
enthusiast and a game designer, find humorous in the
gaming industry as a whole. First off, let me tell you what
the gaming industry is: No One Knows. Gaming is such
a loose category that by using that term to describe the
industry you have Board Games, War Games,
Miniatures, Computer Games, Table-Top Role-Playing
Games, Live Action, Collectible Card Games, and Paint
Ball all feeding from the same trough. So if someone is
a gamer, what are they? Are families who play
Monopoly at night after dinner, gamers? How about the
very lonely and mentally atrophying guy who plays
Evercrack nine hours a day pretending hes a busty
wood elf, is he a gamer? The answer is simple. No.
Do gamers indulge in point-click mind deteriorating
wastelands? Nein. Do gamers play monopoly if they
can help it? Niet. Do gamers seek to gather with
friends and indulge in mediums of recreation that
demand non-linear problem solving, creativity, and a
swift wit that compliments literary theory? Ideally.
Gamer is a name given from one person who plays
recreational hobby games to another. Its sort of the
reference that people label one another. You tell anyone
else youre a gamer and theyll likely think you have a
gambling problem. The title of "gamer" when
pronounced by a gamer in reference to another gamer is
fine, common place, and acceptable. Anyone else who
says it is doing so in a derogatory fashion. Its sort of
like the way some people use a dirty word in brotherly
reference to someone but "busta cap inyo ass" if you are
not someone cleared to use the word, with the slight
exception that gamers are not prone to react violently to
such an offense without carefully rolling the odds of
probability for success.
Anyhow, so, thats funny thing number one.
The other thing I find funny is the Origins Awards. Being
the innocuous fly on the wall during industry email
discussions, I get to see just how pack-like, ravenous,
and feral many industry professionals are when it comes
to these awards and nominations. Me, I love my book.
Taking it to Origins and Gencon was fun, and it was nice
to see that although we only sold 20-40 copies at each
show that we were overselling many other small press
games that even I had heard of. Of course, thats
because some people just collect games and happened
to collect mine, and not specifically that I have a better
product. Would I like to have an award for my book?
Sure. Do I think it deserves one? Heck Yeah. Am I
going to play politics and go through the long drawn out
process of selling it to their judging process? Pshaw.
Why bother? I could care less if others in the industry
like my book. I like my book. The scarce 200 people
who have a copy love the book. I just want a few 1.2
million more people to love it a year. But to scrap and
scrape for bragging rights is just plain silly. I know its
irreverent to say so and who am I anyway, but big deal.
If I offend anyone with this, grow up. Ive seen very few
games out these days that dont deserve an award,
unless its a d20 product and then if you read my
previous article you know what I think should be done
with those.
Anyhow, the meat of all this is my survey. Let me know
what you think and Ill post the results in my next article
and also on that neat little email list I post on once every
1,356,972 posts. Realize that some of the big wigs in
the RPG and "Gaming" Market get to see your results so
make em count:
| A) |
I think the Origins Awards are by far the
greatest thing to ever come in to this
pervasive industry, and I never buy a product
that hasnt been nominated. How dare you,
as a struggling peer wannabe in this industry,
say something so derisive about something
so untouchable. Voting for the awards is my
duty as an enthusiast in this market.
| | B) |
I think the Origins Awards are neat and I like
seeing my favorite games get nominated and
win. It makes me as a fan of that product feel
pretty cool. I vote sometimes, but mostly just
watch for the results.
| | C) |
I know about the Origins Awards, but Ive
never voted and can only recall one or two
winners over the last few years.
| | D) |
Youre SO right, Tim. The Origins Awards are
a joke engineered for a small circle of people
who rub the right elbows and walk the right
walk to mentally masturbate over their own
products, and pretend like theyve
accomplished something other than market a
product. Thats like Bill Gates sponsoring the
Windows Awards.
| | E) |
Origins Who?
| | F) |
I could care less about the whole thing.
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Email your survey answers to averes@hotmail.com.
Use the Subject: Origins Survey
In the Email Body include the letter of your selection (A,
B, C, D, E, or F).
P.S. My website, http://www.runes-law.com is down
while being transferred to an as of yet undecided server.
It should be up by early February. Perhaps its best it
stays down until after the surveys so my corporate email
isnt flooded with hate mail by my peers. :o)
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