Who Wants to Play?

I was talking with a friend over the weekend about all these controversies going on with geeks and gaming today and we came to a conclusion. Even though there is always something to wrangle over, geeks are some of the most friendly people in the world. Sure they are loyal to their favorite game and sure they get defensive when someone says their superhero is better then everyone else's, but you will never find a group of people more willing to invite you to play a game if you just ask.

Over the years I have noticed this is what makes geeks one of the most social groups of people. The key is that they have their preferences about what they enjoy doing just like everyone else has. So, not being a sports nut does not make them anti-social just as preferring to get a group of friends together to play games around a table doesn't make them anti-social either. Everyone has their personal preferences when it comes to things they enjoy doing in their personal time.

Every year I go to a convention that's somewhat local to me. It's called Origins and it hosts games during a four-day weekend at the end of June for thousands of geeks, and has been running since 1975. There are people who show up in the costume of their favorite sci-fi or fantasy personality, but there are also those people who show up in t-shirts and jeans, people you would not be able to tell where just like everyone else you could run into in daily life. That's because they aren't any different. They are just average Joes who like to play games.

What kinds of games do they play? Anything.

That's the short answer, but the long answer isn't hard to understand. They play anything that catches their interest. What's more is they are more than willing to show new people how to play their favorite game at the drop of a hat. Every year I go to Origins and every year I have a blast. I intentionally pick out some games I have never played before and give them a try. Normally I end up in a group of people who where there are others like me who don't know the rules but there are always those who do and really take the extra steps to encourage everyone else to have a great time.

So, next time you see some people who prefer to play games in their free time, think of them as very social people and ask them to show you how to join in the fun.