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Guilty pleasures
The shame of being a role-player
By Lisa Clark-Fleishman
Gamers are violent, masochistic, socially deviant persons
worthy of the general public's fear and loathing.
Not true? College textbooks, designed for future police officers,
tell us so. " ... fantasy games such as Dungeons &
Dragons also promote violence, destruction, and a total disregard
for human life." (Bennett, Wayne W. Criminal Investigation.
Minneapolis, MN: West Publishing Company, 1994.)
Critical commentary of role-playing games is not limited
to Jack Chick tracts or right-wing religious fanatics. Mainstream
media inform us that our children and young adults fall under
the evil sway of gaming, leading them down a slippery slope
of bizarre and violent behaviors that fall outside of typically
accepted social norms. Murderer James Nelson was said to have
developed an "obsession with Dungeons & Dragons ...
"
Would-be murderer Matthew Lovett was declared "an avid
player of role-playing video games."
The prosecuting attorney in the Michael McDermott murder case
asked pointed questions about whether or not two decades of
role playing experience made McDermott "a skilled storyteller
who could concoct stories."
And, of course, who could forget the game-related finger pointing
made after the Columbine disaster.
Many more examples of the role-playing hobby's tarnished
image exist, and such anecdotes are no longer sequestered
in the low quality, mass-produced anti-role-playing game pamphlets
of the early 1980s. It takes only a few clicks by a concerned
parent on the Internet to turn up horror stories such as these
and many more to boot. It's enough to make a well-reasoned
adult wonder what the hell their kid is involved in.
It's also enough to drive well-adjusted, normal individuals
who participiate in the hobby into hiding. At worst, those
who do not participate view the gaming hobby with suspicion.
At best, its participants are mocked as immature or socially
inept; in other words, participants are "geeky"
or worse.
The real image problem
Mention the previous points to most gamers and you'll
likely receive a shrug of the shoulders and a brief explanation
or defense of how the hobby really is. However, smart, conscientious
gaming doesn't make the headlines, even though it exists.
School related programs, like this one: www.roleplay-workshop.com,
use role-playing as a teaching method with success. Nevertheless,
the mainstream is bombarded with images that create the impression
that role-playing games are a negative influence, and role-playing
gamers are social derelicts waiting for the first opportunity
to ritually sacrifice the neighbor's cat.
Such imagery is so oppressive that numerous individuals in
the hobby either downplay or completely hide their involvement
to avoid the negative social stigma attached to the hobby.
Many gamers are like secret agents; they simply don't
discuss their hobby in mixed company. For this reason, it's
difficult to get a true representation of what the gaming
hobby looks like as a whole. The only widely available survey
of this hobby's demographics was released by Wizards
of the Coast and can be found here: www.thegpa.org/wotc_demo.shtml
Upon its release, the survey received criticism based on methodologies
used to calculate the final tallies. Some questioned the legitimacy
of the survey.
Despite what may or may not be inconsistencies in the Wizard
of the Coast survey, some information about gamers, and more
specifically their attitudes toward the hobby are clear. Many
game groups are insular, and they don't actively seek
membership from those outside of the hobby population. Hobbyists
of other genres frequently seek new membership from outside
of their circle of influence, but gamers don't enjoy
trying to explain their "weird" activities to co-workers,
neighbors, or other social acquaintances who they think, perhaps
rightly, will label them as strange, or odd. While gamers
understand the problems facing the hobby, solutions are fleeting.
There is a definite public relations image challenge facing
role-playing games. This is bad news for the game industry
and hobbyists alike. Gaming has two faces in the public eye.
One is a deviant criminal warning sign. The other, more disturbing
because of the larger scope, is the social perception of gamers
in a negative light. Both prongs are ugly and equally unnecessary,
not to mention costly when one considers the missed opportunities
of expanding the target market. So why aren't industry
leaders howling for change?
Little has changed
Charges that the game industry has grown stagnant aren't
completely unwarranted. Since inception, the general market
strategy and sales techniques of game related products have
remained the same. While no significant official studies or
surveys have been released to the general public, a quick
flip through game products of years gone by compared to today's
publications show us that the look, feel, and general appeal
of the products themselves have only superficially improved.
Ditto for the marketing arms and distribution techniques.
Without large scale restructuring of the business philosophy
of these entities, positive change, and a shift in mainstream
appeal is nearly impossible. In business environments, change
equates to risk, and risk is scary.
And so the status quo prevails.
What this means to game enthusiasts is that they are part
of a system that, in its stagnation, inadvertently promotes
unhealthy attitudes towards an activity that should be viewed
no differently than any other legitimate leisure time hobby.
If you think this isn't true, take a look at "occult
related" suicide articles. Never will you see the media
speculate about how little Johnny was obsessed with going
to Boy Scouts. Instead, you'll read a tragic tale of
how he listened to heavy metal music, played violent video
games, and was involved in weird role-playing stuff. Prior
court rulings have held that companies that produce music,
video games, and even role-playing games aren't liable
for the unfortunate incidents when young people take their
own lives.
The public at large doesn't seem to buy the notion that
listening to music or playing the X-Box actually drives kids
over the edge either. "Some people feel angry a lot of
the time. Some situations can make anybody angry. We do not,
however, expect that playing violent video games will routinely
increase feelings of anger, compared with playing a nonviolent
game." (www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp784772.html#c71)
However, when the topic of role-playing comes up, it's
a totally different perception. Why is that? Quite simply
because role-playing games have never enjoyed the widespread
appeal that other escapism activities have. It's not
a question of how marketable the products are, but a question
of how they are marketed and to whom.
The initial wave of role-players has matured and grown up.
These individuals are well adjusted, professional people who
generally contribute to society rather than detract from it.
These are also the people who have the most discretionary
income. Even though gamers have grown up, the role-playing
industry field has not, barring a few exceptions. What little
promotion and marketing that is done seems to be geared to
the 13-18 year old crowd. This dichotomy puts off older gamers,
who now see gaming as a "kid thing." Not surprisingly,
the hobby fails to hold the interest of the older demographic,
and those individuals leave the market, taking their dollars
and their credibility with them. Because of this, the role-playing
game market remains relatively juvenile, instead of maturing
into its full potential.
This isn't to say that some attempts haven't been
made on a large scale to improve the general appeal of the
game industry. Wizards of the Coast and White Wolf Game Studios
had a movie and TV show, respectively, to market their brands.
Considered mediocre successes at best, neither endeavor bolstered
the role-playing hobby. In the case of the D&D movie,
some would say that the immature stereotype was further enhanced.
Seeking solutions
So what is the solution?
The act of role-playing itself isn't seen as odd; in
fact many organizations in various industries use role-play
as a learning tool for employees.
Attorneys, sales people, social workers, and a myriad of
other respectable professions pretend to act out situations
that may occur in order to prepare the best responses to any
given situation. So, it's not the act itself that's
seen with derision. Rather, it's the content, or perceived
content that seems to make a difference. It's perfectly
acceptable, and in some cases encouraged, for serious professionals
to use role-play as a learning tool. If that same professional
admits to his colleagues that he role-plays for fun, it's
a whole other ball game.
Other fantasy-based leisure activities such as going to the
movies or playing a round or two of paint ball are seen as
harmless fun. The difference in the public eye is due in large
part to the ineffectual marketing campaigns of role-playing
game publishers. Instead of promoting products to parents
as something they can do with their kids, the promotional
items are geared towards the kids themselves. Rather than
create smart, intelligent games designed to capture mature
imagination, companies focus their marketing on the "kewl"
factor to draw more sales from the teen crowd, all the while
alienating the very people who should be their target market--the
older people with money!
Change the stereotypes
Until some serious change occurs in the actual marketing
philosophy of the industry as whole, the casual gamer will
always be bombarded with negative and often incorrect stereotypes.
Radical change is necessary for not only the growth, but for
the well-being of the hobby itself. Grassroots efforts to
change the scope and market of role-playing games can be a
positive influence; however it's the industry leaders
who must step forward to say enough is enough. Gaming is a
legitimate hobby; gaming enthusiasts are no different than
the demographic of other hobbyists.
Gamers can support positive change by voting with their dollars.
Until that occurs, it'll be gaming under cover for the
majority of the hobby members. •
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