Friday, April 22, 2005

Everything I Needed to Know, I Learnt From D&D

Some further thoughts sparked off by Mc Dermott's post on infantilism and blogging. Since I promised a while back to blog about my gaming life, here it is.

I started playing Dungeons and Dragons since I was 7. I've spent two decades playing various Role-Playing Games (not that sort you perv!). I have played superheroes, barbarians, secret agents, post-apocalyptic survivors, wizards, martial artists and cowboys. I've dressed up like a vampire. I've developed a range of character voices, from cutesy to bloodcurdling.

I honestly maintain that the best part of me was taught to me from playing Role-Playing Games.

Be Yourself

When a person takes on a role, he's both creating and enacting a fictional character - but the moments of greatness in playing a character are always moments drawn from the self. Always. One cannot fake courage one does not have.

In "escaping" to a fantasy world, you gets to discover the depths of yourself. You'd be suprised with what you can find.

Endure. In Enduring Grow Strong.

One aspect of role-playing games I particularly like is the resolution of conflict. Degrees of success are resolved through the rolling of dice. Over 20 years, I've had some awesome rolls, I've had some awful rolls.

On days where things just do not go well for you, do what you can to survive. If you just give up because you've had a bad day, you will never have a second chance. So long as you survive you always have a chance to smack the BBEG ("Big Bad Evil Guy") silly.

One In A Million

Likewise, the nature of chance, in games and in real life, is that it's often fickle. Instead of bitching about it, take some chances. You never know. Whatever you're facing may not be as badass as you think it is. Or you may be more badass than you think you are. Or even better.

You might just be lucky.

Dragons Can Be Killed

This quote from GK Chesterton says it all.

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already
know dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed".

Lastly...

You Can Play D&D...And Still Be Cool!



Betcha didn't know Vin Diesel is a D&D geek!

5 comments:

Anthony said...

I don't know...yet. I'll have to go check it up. :D

Anonymous said...

You might wanna put up a link to *that* song... you know which one.

It's D&D!!!!!!!!!!

Anthony said...

Need to find server first lar. Wah lau, there's no satisfying you bunch leh. :D

"Update the wuxia website. Update this blog. Put up that song..."

Anonymous said...

I also grew up with D&D... and I think it's a good thing because it really taught us how to use a lot of imagination! In any case, D&D will get a revival real soon as it is also being planned as a MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) called Dungeons & Dragons Online.

Anthony said...

Heard about DDO too. IMHO MMORPG's have a long way to go before they reach the stage of true interactivity, but it's a step!