I agree the statements made aren't world shattering, particularly to experienced gamers with an interest in theory.
My interest in the article is in the thoughts that relate to gaming being seen as a mature medium by those outside the hobby, which I'd be interested in seeing developed a bit more. When people look at rpg theory, it tends to be from inside the hobby; I've rarely seen any constructive discussion of why gaming is trivialised outside the hobby and how this can be changed. I think that 'good roleplay', while important, is not the key here - accessibility is.
It's interesting to see an industry figure comment on the barrier to entry that overly immersive environments and richly detailed worlds can prove to newcomers. To note White Wolf as an example - when nWOD came out, many fans of oWOD had no interest in learning the new setting well enough to LARP in it. (Note that my source for this is mainly conversations with those affected by this).
I'll remain dubious on things changing for now - for all people say things are changing, I'm yet to see this make any real difference in numbers on the ground. At least in Sheffield, the traditional tabletop/LARP/LRP all looking down on each other as being too geeky/boring holds sway. *sigh
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My interest in the article is in the thoughts that relate to gaming being seen as a mature medium by those outside the hobby, which I'd be interested in seeing developed a bit more. When people look at rpg theory, it tends to be from inside the hobby; I've rarely seen any constructive discussion of why gaming is trivialised outside the hobby and how this can be changed. I think that 'good roleplay', while important, is not the key here - accessibility is.
It's interesting to see an industry figure comment on the barrier to entry that overly immersive environments and richly detailed worlds can prove to newcomers. To note White Wolf as an example - when nWOD came out, many fans of oWOD had no interest in learning the new setting well enough to LARP in it. (Note that my source for this is mainly conversations with those affected by this).
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