Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although she leaped with all her strength. As she went away, the fox remarked, 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.The story of the Fox and the Grapes seems very appropriate to gaming and gamers. It exemplifies the cognitive dissonance I'm sure many of us feel. And I've been reading (and probably contributing to) posts that keep re-hashing the same things, over and over.
I'll admit it. I've listened to some gaming podcasts and read gaming blogs and wondered why I can't game that way, like the fox trying and trying to reach the grapes. Then part of me says "but their games probably won't be fun for me," again like the fox leaving without satisfaction and expressing her bitterness.
What's the solution? Maybe admitting that I've not yet reached that level of gaming, whether that's up or down the scale - if there is truly a linear scale and it's not a 3D spatial map like I suspect (or delude myself into believing) or even there is an up (bad, 'cause I'm not there yet) or down (good, because I've passed there).
So, maybe, some day, I'll reach those grapes. It might be this year or during my lifetime. Then again, maybe I won't. But I hope that I have some good games, nonetheless.
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Hey Matt,
ReplyDeleteFrom reading a few of the session re-caps you've written, you seem to be doing just fine. :)
I feel you, though. We had a truly, truly terrible session today. One so bad I am thinking about stepping away from the table and just scribbling my zines.
I guess we just have to keep battling and striving to be "better."
Peace,
Christian
Remember dude, few write blog posts about all their crappy or mundane sessions.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but I've known Matt for a long time. He's a great gamer.
ReplyDeleteChristian: "We had a truly, truly terrible session today. One so bad I am thinking about stepping away from the table and just scribbling my zines."
ReplyDeleteDon't let the crappy games get you down. Sometimes that's the way the dice roll. Accepting that games are games and not the things we may build them up to be could be the first step.
Also, how can you just write 'zines without actually playing the games? It's unnatural, like watching people play golf instead of playing it ourselves (not a very good time IMO). And a lot of us do something similar by reading games more than playing them, when we should just be playing them. It probably all comes down to the time constraints of adult life.
Gregg: "few write blog posts about all their crappy or mundane sessions."
True, and maybe some more of us should write about our crappy sessions, if at least to balance the scales. But that still doesn't address the cognitive dissonance some of us feel that we aren't playing the game "right."
Christian: "He's a great gamer."
Thank you for your vote of confidence.