26 January 2010

Badwrong Fun

Hey gentle readers and fellow grognards, the next time someone tries to tell you that playing 'old school' games can't be fun because they're 'broken' or 'outdated', send them this link to this Onion article:

Man Who Enjoys Thing Informed He Is Wrong

JANUARY 25, 2010 | ISSUE 46•04

LOS ANGELES—George Himmelsbaugh, 32, was informed Tuesday that he was incorrect in enjoying a thing he had been deriving pleasure from for many years. Authorities in the field informed Himmelsbaugh that, although he believes his appreciation of the thing to be a matter of subjective personal taste, any positive feelings or satisfaction taken from this are by definition erroneous. Furthermore, sources reported, Himmelsbaugh does not in fact enjoy the thing, but has merely been convinced that he does by the influence of others who also claim to enjoy the thing but who must be insane or developmentally disabled if they actually do. Himmelsbaugh has responded to the information by endeavoring to enjoy the correct things in the future.

8 comments:

  1. Boy, that's funny. I find that the devotees of the "OSR" tend to be the first and loudest to accuse others of "playing wrong". But it's always nice to pretend you're being persecuted, I guess.

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  2. Stop persecuting us! You can't tell him that he's using sarcasm wrong!

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  3. Wow, why so touchy, Wickedmurph?

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  4. I guess I'm just tired of the community divisions, even as I go out of my way to reinforce them, blast it. Mainly, I've found that many of the people associated with the OSR are smugly superior, looking-down-their noses at "lesser" gamers types that remind me vividly of the kind of White Wolf tools I used to encounter around the Storyteller games. And then there is the added fun of pining after a fictional "golden age" of gaming that is pretty much completely made up. Christ, I was gaming for most of it. I mean, we're all gamers. If I never see another "this is why I don't like X" or "Reasons that you shouldn't like that" post, I'll die happy.

    I did get a bitter laugh out of this one, though - the Onion is a good place for dry sarcasm.

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  5. Thanks for posting that, Akrasia.

    Classic Onion!

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  6. I'll be sure to send someone that link next time I read 4e is not dnd or some crap like that.

    everybody just seems to shit on each other regardless of edition. gamers are just snipey/snarky fuckers in general hahaha.

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  7. I have no problem with people enjoying 4e, Mike. It's just not DnD. Lots of non-DnD games are fun! ;)

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  8. Exactly, just because 4E isn't D&D doesn't preclude it from being fun.

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I'm a Canadian political philosopher who lives primarily in Toronto but teaches in Milwaukee (sometimes in person, sometimes online).