Martial Arts and Gamers

So, I've been wondering lately. I read an article sometime back and found several more on the web recently about how hackers seem to gravitate to the martial arts. In other words their is a positive correlation between hacking as an activity and martial arts as an activity. Most hackers seem involved in the martial arts in some way shape of form.

Now, this was intriguing to me and as I'm not a hacker, I was naturally led to wonder why. Well there's a lot of psychologizing about it, but basically they say something about the mental discipline required for hacking is similar to that required by or trained in the marital arts. Well, I don't know about that--but I have seen in my own experience and relations a positive correlation between gamers and martial arts.

There seem to be a higher percentage of gamers that are interested in or actively training in the martial arts. I myself have studied the martial arts on and off since my teens. I started with light fighting in the SCA--obviously a medieval / fantasy motive there, eh? From there it moved into a fascination shared by my friends and me, though largely as armchair samurai and backyard stick swingers. But we learned quite a bit academically speaking.

Then in my early tweens I started to teach myself tai chi, which lasted for several years until I found my first real lung fu school--Shaolin Do. I trained there for a year, before becoming a littel disillusioned due to my over-analytical tendencies. So I dropped out and took ninjutsu for about three months. That didn;t last long, as I was basically a kung fu guy and ninjutsu was _very_ different. At this same time I had taken over a year of college level fencing, foil, epee and sabre. I was even asked to be an assistant instructor for the beginning foil classes. But I floated for awhile in regards to the traditional arts, studying up on what art might be best for me. Then one day in a bookstore I came upon a flier for a Wing Tsun school. Intrigued and out of the loop for too long I recommitted and studied for another year.

A crime and self defense crisis made me question the whole value of martial arts for self defense and I stopped training again. I even thought about going back to ninjutsu for awhile, thinking that hiding in the shadows, or backstabbing someone beats the hell out of having a gun held to your head. Then life changes and lots of other things transpired and I left martial arts alone for a long time. Oh I talked, meditated, prayed and studied about it. My good friend Scott and I carried on a lengthy correspondence about the art of Kenpo all the time I was on my mission. I played a little bit with various mission companions who also studied the martial arts and answered a lot of questions for myself about the true mature of the martial arts in light of all my experience.

And when I returned, married and life settled and I was recentered and happy once again I followed the call anew. And synchronistically I found a Kenpo school. I trained for a year or so and my instructor left for California. So I was left to my own devices once again. Back to the drawing board brought me back to my roots of kung fu, and I studied with Wing Chun videos, Northern Shaolin videos and even some Hung Gar and Hsing I. All the while looking for something to settle on. It seems that after all my study and practice I was the one year wonder and things would fizzle again and again. Was there a pattern I was supposed to be seeing?

At any rate I am now working with Doc Fai Wong's Plum Blossom Federation and studying Choy Li Fut in his distance learning program. I won't go into all the reasons I made that choice, but so far it's good--really good.

Which of course has me realizing--long ago--that one of the main constants in my life, one of the things I always come back to, besides gaming is the martial arts. Connection? Not sure, but of my longtime gaming friends 67% are into the martial arts. And a disproportionate number go into the military as well. Looking for adventure like I was? Not sure. Any ideas? I am really intrigued by this fact. I even once heard a radio piece on NPR about gamers heading off to fight in the war on terror as Paladins against injustice. It was a touching piece.

Especially in light of the Israeli Military's opinion that gamers should not be allowed in the armed services because their tendency to fantasize made them unstable for military life. Hmmm. They may have something there too. What the heck does that mean?

Lots for me to think through.

You?

Star Trek Modules

And I'm not talking for the Star Trek RPG. I've been rewatching my old TOS DVDS and realized: 'Hey, with a little tweaking these would make great D&D adventures!'

Okay, maybe I had been up too late, but think about it before you dismiss it so easily. Think about "A Piece of the Action" cast as a city or even an entire kingdom overrun by rival thieves' guilds. Our erstwhile players have been sent in by a neighboring monarch or deposed lord to somehow settle the mess. They obviously can't take all of the thieves and assassins out, they'd have to negotiate, compromise and use their non-combat powers do a great degree in order to navigate the complicated politics of gangster states.

And just think of all the cool infiltrations into the trapped labyrinths of the thieves' guilds HQs. Cool stuff if you ask me.

Any more good Trek D&D adventures come to mind?

Going to watch some more episodes tonight : - )


Chris

Hackmaster Basic

Okay, HM Basic is out. I'm out of touch with my 'puter during the summer, so I missed it by a wee bit.

Let's just say it's my next purchase. It looks, well ... good. I expected it to be.

Check it out:

http://http//www.kenzerco.com/product_info.php?products_id=670

The PDF previews look good and classic KODT. But will the game live up to its predecessor? I'll give you a review as soon as I get my copy read. And again when I actually play it : - )

But I'm still not putting down my 2e books yet.

Will it ever end?

I haven't stopped Gaming

Just Blogging. Sorry about that. For any who still peruse my new postings. I'm trying to get more blog savvy too. Shorter posts : - ) and better coverage out there in the wide world of netdom.

I'm currently working on developing a 2e campaign for the school club centered around Greyhawk. I'm amassing all the content now and priming the creative pump for the first storylines.

Is 2e Classic gaming? Well, it has its issues, but to be honest I'm going 2e 'cause it's obviously what the KODT were playing. And since HM is going to change the system to A&8's technology I'm waiting to see the basic set before I make the leap. It should be out soon, if not already.

Give me your two cents. 2e Classic? Dumb to go with a game because it's what the KODT play--after all my searching give me a better reason.

peace,

Chris