Roleplay, geeks and society
Firstly; roleplay is usually, a pastime associated with geekishness.
Secondly; geeks are universally viewed as a group lacking in social skills
It occurred to me tonight that a lot of my roleplaying friends run games on a Friday or Saturday night that I never subscribe to due to 'nights out' with my local friends. Now many people might suggest a lack of social contact through a cliquish closed group activity on a weekend night. Now many people have several friendship groups, and knowing that the majority of my local mates work now, I go out with them at the weekend. My uni friends (course, society and house-mates) generally prefer the weekday cheap nights out they can get away with on a university course, so weeknights I spend with them. But generally I go out to similar places with the same people at about the same time of week.
Now this conflagration got me thinking. In fact, is not roleplay an eminently social event? In fact, compared to a great many club and bar nights out, a far larger amount af social communication happens in RP than that bellowed over loud music. (Personally I tend to consider club nights as a chance to dance rather than a 'social' situation.) Ok, a lot of interaction is by assumed characters, with assumed names, in a shared fantasy, but a lot of social out-of-character interaction happens too..
(A brief aside here to admit that there is a certain proportion of roleplayers who will play social characters, given that the close rules of roleplay can allow them to be the social success they may never try or manage to be in life)
So , are roleplayers really lacking in social skills? I do not think that their pastime is any less social than others, say, compared to watching a football game with friends at a house, or a select dinner party, there is no 'social' difference.
So this brings me, in a roundabout way, to an old favourite of mine.
What is a geek?
Society seems to regard a 'geek' as someone bearing obsessive knowledge, of a genre, (SF or fantasy), an artform (music- musos) or a sphere (computers). Possibly with a tendency towrds indoor pursuits.
Now, I know, that one of the earlier meanings of geek was ( thanks ellison) an old drunk in a southern US carnival paid in booze to do disgusting stunts, (biting the heads off snakes , dancing naked) a meaning bearing no relation to the current one. The wikipedia definition is here, and the dictionary.com one here. Note the especially
Yes, roleplayers, star trek fans and counterstrike players match this definition....BUT; here it comes
Does a lady who follows fashion magazines every week, and spends two hours every morning getting ready in the latest styles not qualify?
Does a man who spends every saturday watching football matches and results, listening to 606 and every match else he can in between, and can name every FA cup winner back to 1943 also qualify?
Does someone who buys new mobile telephone every six months, the latest television, and Hi-Fi also qualify?
Yet, none of these would be considered geeks in normal parlance. The definition does not preclude their eligibility, yet they are not censured like SF&F fans,
Or does the especially noted above apply always, and therefore Neil Armstrong and Brian May are included?
So, is society wrong, is the definition flawed, or should I simply admit I am a geek and be pround?
Because, I am proud of my interests
Secondly; geeks are universally viewed as a group lacking in social skills
It occurred to me tonight that a lot of my roleplaying friends run games on a Friday or Saturday night that I never subscribe to due to 'nights out' with my local friends. Now many people might suggest a lack of social contact through a cliquish closed group activity on a weekend night. Now many people have several friendship groups, and knowing that the majority of my local mates work now, I go out with them at the weekend. My uni friends (course, society and house-mates) generally prefer the weekday cheap nights out they can get away with on a university course, so weeknights I spend with them. But generally I go out to similar places with the same people at about the same time of week.
Now this conflagration got me thinking. In fact, is not roleplay an eminently social event? In fact, compared to a great many club and bar nights out, a far larger amount af social communication happens in RP than that bellowed over loud music. (Personally I tend to consider club nights as a chance to dance rather than a 'social' situation.) Ok, a lot of interaction is by assumed characters, with assumed names, in a shared fantasy, but a lot of social out-of-character interaction happens too..
(A brief aside here to admit that there is a certain proportion of roleplayers who will play social characters, given that the close rules of roleplay can allow them to be the social success they may never try or manage to be in life)
So , are roleplayers really lacking in social skills? I do not think that their pastime is any less social than others, say, compared to watching a football game with friends at a house, or a select dinner party, there is no 'social' difference.
So this brings me, in a roundabout way, to an old favourite of mine.
What is a geek?
Society seems to regard a 'geek' as someone bearing obsessive knowledge, of a genre, (SF or fantasy), an artform (music- musos) or a sphere (computers). Possibly with a tendency towrds indoor pursuits.
Now, I know, that one of the earlier meanings of geek was ( thanks ellison) an old drunk in a southern US carnival paid in booze to do disgusting stunts, (biting the heads off snakes , dancing naked) a meaning bearing no relation to the current one. The wikipedia definition is here, and the dictionary.com one here. Note the especially
Yes, roleplayers, star trek fans and counterstrike players match this definition....BUT; here it comes
Does a lady who follows fashion magazines every week, and spends two hours every morning getting ready in the latest styles not qualify?
Does a man who spends every saturday watching football matches and results, listening to 606 and every match else he can in between, and can name every FA cup winner back to 1943 also qualify?
Does someone who buys new mobile telephone every six months, the latest television, and Hi-Fi also qualify?
Yet, none of these would be considered geeks in normal parlance. The definition does not preclude their eligibility, yet they are not censured like SF&F fans,
Or does the especially noted above apply always, and therefore Neil Armstrong and Brian May are included?
So, is society wrong, is the definition flawed, or should I simply admit I am a geek and be pround?
Because, I am proud of my interests