You asked, I answered! The epic continues!

From QGM:

If BD grows up lovin' the gaming world as her parents do, what will you tell her if kids are mean and nasty (like they can be in the formative years) about her idea of fun and games (no pun intended)?

Intersting question. And with the whole Myspace hoax thing blowing up, I've been mulling over the whole thing about how cruel kids (and sometimes adults) can be to each other.

See, I hope that as BD grows, gaming will be such a norm around her (what with friends who game, trips to Gen Con, etc.), that it won't be something to be ashamed of. I hope that with role models like her mom, dad and their family friends, she'll just realize that gaming is a hobby much like other "normal" hobbies.

I also think that gaming is becoming the norm now -- adults play video games on the XBox 360 or PS3 and no one blinks an eye, whereas in the past, you were considered someone rather creepy and icky to be around. I think it's only a matter of time before the image of roleplaying changes along those same lines. I mean, it's a group activity that requires some social skills.

Fantasy and magic aren't seen as creepy anymore (well, except for those weird pictures of naked chicks and the mouthbreathing socially-inept guys -- but even gamers make fun of those people). I think that Harry Potter, LOTR and other movies like that have helped make these things mainstream, which in a way, helps people kind of understand why someone would want to play an elf or a halfling in a fantasy world.

Above everything else, I want BD to know that if someone doesn't like you, they'll find anything possible to not like you -- kids especially. I mean, if it's not gaming, she'll get teased or picked on because of the music she likes, the way she dresses or how weird her parents are (I mean, what mom uses the word "pigfucker"?). The trick is to not worry too hard about it. You can't make everyone like you and you can't stop people from being cruel. What you can control is how you react to it and how you let it change you.

But that's so hard when you're a kid. You want to fit in. You want to be accepted because it's safer than going it alone. Admittedly I was the social outcast who didn't give a fuck about what everyone else was doing -- well, I did enjoy antagonizing them at times. Her dad was the same in high school. I hope that she gets that sense of confidence from her mom and dad.

I guess my message to her would be, "So what if they tease you about gaming? Do you enjoy it? Do you have fun? Forget them then. Or tell them why you like it. And invite them to a game. I'm sure that Dad or someone else would love to run a quick adventure. I mean, where else can you take part in a story?"