Quote from: Ulairi;1029489Yup.

But, I agree watching a YouTube video does not make one part of the RPG community. Volunteering to help at a convention, taking your kids to the local game store to play games, getting your kids books, dice, mats, whatever, does.

This guy gets it.

Ulairi, we may have our disagreements but when you're on the money, you're on the money.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1029491This guy gets it.

Ulairi, we may have our disagreements but when you're on the money, you're on the money.

I'm just waiting for you to turn into an old chunk of coal, move to the burbs, have 2.3 kids, a dog, and then you'll be able to join the BBQs on Saturday afternoon.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1029478Are your meds off?  Because you're smarter than that.

Somebody who's never played games is not a gamer.  Somebody who's never fucked is a virgin.

Does it really matter? I mean, you don't talk to them and they don't talk to you. Neither do I. It's as if they don't exist, so I don't see the problem here aside from the kind of problem of people having so much free time that they can worry about stupid shit.

Mind you, if I had meds I wouldn't be on internet forums talking about gaming.

Quote from: Krimson;1029495Does it really matter? I mean, you don't talk to them and they don't talk to you. Neither do I. It's as if they don't exist, so I don't see the problem here aside from the kind of problem of people having so much free time that they can worry about stupid shit.

Since I killed my social media accounts none of this stuff bothers me because unless it's on this site it doesn't get on my radar. So I think you're spot on with this.

Quote from: Krimson;1029495Does it really matter? I mean, you don't talk to them and they don't talk to you. Neither do I. It's as if they don't exist, so I don't see the problem here aside from the kind of problem of people having so much free time that they can worry about stupid shit.

Mind you, if I had meds I wouldn't be on internet forums talking about gaming.

Well, words mean things.  I happen to think that's important, because if words don't mean things, you get to the point of people insisting that "literally" no longer means "literally."  And at that point, what do those of us who use "literally" correctly use instead?

Quote from: Ulairi;1029497Since I killed my social media accounts none of this stuff bothers me because unless it's on this site it doesn't get on my radar. So I think you're spot on with this.

I have 18 Facebook friends. I purged people like Chris Pramas, Nicole Lindroos and even Jim Starlin who isn't even in gaming. Now I just have family and people who live in my city. I keep Facebook and Twitter active because when we had city wide flooding in 2013, they were very useful for getting information faster than media outlets. I could care less if people call themselves gamers. I mean the term is mostly for people who play video games anyway, despite all the moaning aging codgers might make.

So perhaps Millennial who watch videos are not part of the Grognard gaming community. They are part of a different community. Who cares? Go outside. Get some exercise. The internet magically stops being important for a while.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1029498Well, words mean things.  I happen to think that's important, because if words don't mean things, you get to the point of people insisting that "literally" no longer means "literally."  And at that point, what do those of us who use "literally" correctly use instead?

Emoticons?

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1029498Well, words mean things.  I happen to think that's important, because if words don't mean things, you get to the point of people insisting that "literally" no longer means "literally."  And at that point, what do those of us who use "literally" correctly use instead?

There is more than one kind of gamer. I could care less if their choice is playing Apples to Apples while watching Youtube videos. My old D&D group pretty much just play video games now. If you do a search of gamer on Google, the top hits will be video game references. Language changes. English is a Creole language made from elements of Nordic, Gaelic and Latin based languages. Sure I can read Shakespeare, but no one has talked like that for centuries. Stuff changes.

Quote from: Ulairi;1029489Yup.

But, I agree watching a YouTube video does not make one part of the RPG community. Volunteering to help at a convention, taking your kids to the local game store to play games, getting your kids books, dice, mats, whatever, does.

Meh. 'The ____ Community' is so broad as to be useless anyways. Are people that watch Guy Fieri and Ace of Cakes but never themselves cook allowed to call themselves foodies (or 'the food community,' not that anyone uses that term)? Does it matter? Gamers needing to play games at least defines and action, so there's some reason for that to be important (although, in counterpoint, did any 'Trekker' ever actually trek?). But 'The ____ Community' to me just defines a fandom, nothing more. And policing who is allowed to call themselves a fan of something is a ridiculous notion, in my book.

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1029503Meh. 'The ____ Community' is so broad as to be useless anyways. Are people that watch Guy Fieri and Ace of Cakes but never themselves cook allowed to call themselves foodies (or 'the food community,' not that anyone uses that term)? Does it matter? Gamers needing to play games at least defines and action, so there's some reason for that to be important (although, in counterpoint, did any 'Trekker' ever actually trek?). But 'The ____ Community' to me just defines a fandom, nothing more. And policing who is allowed to call themselves a fan of something is a ridiculous notion, in my book.

Identity politics is a strange thing.

Honestly if it gets more people into rpgs which as a hobby needs more new blood I can't see the harm in it.

Quote from: sureshot;1029506Honestly if it gets more people into rpgs which as a hobby needs more new blood I can't see the harm in it.

I'm fine if people decided to purchase and play role-playing games because they watched Critical Role or any other reality show on YouTube or Twitch or got into the games because they liked the Big Bang Theory, Stranger Things, ET, the old Dungeon & Dragons cartoon, the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, a Game of Thrones, or anything.

I used to care we had people that only discovered role-playing games coming into the hobby and telling folks that have been playing games for years or decades that we are racists, homophobic, exclusionary, etc when as far as I can tell, most gamers just want to have people to play with. However! Once I got off social media I never hear any of that noise. I think it's entirely a social media created problem and issue. At GaryCon last week I played games and had a blast and nonsense never came up. It was great.

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1029503Meh. 'The ____ Community' is so broad as to be useless anyways. Are people that watch Guy Fieri and Ace of Cakes but never themselves cook allowed to call themselves foodies (or 'the food community,' not that anyone uses that term)? Does it matter? Gamers needing to play games at least defines and action, so there's some reason for that to be important (although, in counterpoint, did any 'Trekker' ever actually trek?). But 'The ____ Community' to me just defines a fandom, nothing more. And policing who is allowed to call themselves a fan of something is a ridiculous notion, in my book.

I collect baseball cards. I go to baseball card shows. Being a "baseball card community" isn't a thing. It's a hobby. Even on baseball card forums nobody is talking about "WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW EVIL OUR COMMUNITY IS TO COLORED PEOPLE!!!" like what is happening in gaming or comicbooks right now. I don't imagine people that like to cook are having these conversations.

I'm completely cool with anybody wanting to call themselves a "gamer" (which I don't call myself) or saying they are in the RPG "community" because they like reality shows about gaming, that's fine. Just don't start trying to call the people that built the damn house racists or something because you just figured out that gaming was fun.

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1029503Meh. 'The ____ Community' is so broad as to be useless anyways. Are people that watch Guy Fieri and Ace of Cakes but never themselves cook allowed to call themselves foodies (or 'the food community,' not that anyone uses that term)? Does it matter? Gamers needing to play games at least defines and action, so there's some reason for that to be important (although, in counterpoint, did any 'Trekker' ever actually trek?). But 'The ____ Community' to me just defines a fandom, nothing more. And policing who is allowed to call themselves a fan of something is a ridiculous notion, in my book.

Hmm.  But everybody who watches those guys may not cook, but they do eat.  Maybe they don't eat like that, but maybe they'd like to.

This probably proves something, but damned if I know what.

Quote from: Haffrung;1029485But there's also something less pitiable and more sinister about the mania for 'community' among so many younger nerds; it's a way to police social norms and bring dissenters from your value system into line. Whenever someone says "we need to talk about the problem our community has with[my pet political cause]", it's time to loosen the rhetorical holster and get ready for a throwdown.

This priceless considering this a thread is "we need to talk about the problem our community has with[swine/streaming]", like most of what Pundit has to say. Better get in line and condemn the streamers.

I'm still failing to appreciate the threat here. If actual gaming is more fun than watching streams, which I believe, why is Pundit concerned people who get into gaming through streaming are going to be disappointed? I'm playing/running in four groups at the moment.

It's notable that Pundit wrote so much in his OP, but didn't actually quote any of his opposition, as it is a pretty tame conversation. Some people suggest that fans are a part of the RPG community, much like how sci-fans are a part of the sci-fi community. That's about as crazy pants as anyone who disagreed with Pundit seems to be getting. Only a handful of people are even in the conversation. I think people are just bored with Pundit's trolling at this point.