*big breath*
inhale pink, exhale purple ... inhale pink, exhale purple ...
Right now,
Thursday, October 6, 2011
I Don't Know ...
What the heck I am talking about. I mean not at all. Half the time I'm confused and the other half of the time I'm confused. Blasted gaming industry. Bless their greedy little hearts. Forget that too. I'm liable to break into a rant at any moment.
*big breath*
inhale pink, exhale purple ... inhale pink, exhale purple ...
Right now,
*big breath*
inhale pink, exhale purple ... inhale pink, exhale purple ...
Right now,
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The idea of "the OSR" being some zombie-fied hive-mind is laughable as all hell. But, if someone has a lot invested in being a "lone creative genius" they might find it advantageous to perceive things differently.
ReplyDeleteNow, the "OSR" isn't some cult.
No one is going to ask you give up your power, soul, or mind. Ideas and waves of thought will run through any group endeavor and some people may react negatively to ideas which they disagree with, find distasteful, etc.
I think I'm just about the only DM who prefers percentile dice for thieving skills.
This sort of mixing of ideas and occasional friction will be present in any group creative endeavor. Working with ideas as a group (or groups within a larger group) is part of the point. And part of the challenge. It's not "group-think." It's exploring shared ideas and joint experimentation.
For a good example of someone doing their own thing, see the work of Zak S. Also, see Zak S. for a good example of someone working with others in the community (the posts labeled Gygaxian Democracy are a good place to start.)
Now, one of the issues is this: Have you ever developed an interest in something, solely for the purpose of sharing with someone else?
For myself, my son is a good example, here. Little dude loves Mario games. No quite my cuppa. But because he loves Mario, I chose to cultivate an interest in those games, so I could share them with him and because he wanted me to do so.
Issues of love and creativity are very much involved here. And everyone has to find their own answers.
But, if you're going to share your doings with anyone, even those who already share your passions, there's going to have to be at least a little give and take. Whether it's merely listening to their ideas, or going further and working with them in a joint fashion, which may or may not involve levels of change, depending upon the nature of the project.
Some people don't like working with others, for that reason alone. But, the necessity of expanding your ideas and working in an inclusive fashion with others, is one of the points of a joint creative endeavor.
If a person is afraid for their own individuality, they may have a real problem working in groups (or making friends.) It's not about losing yourself. It's about choosing, to some extent or another, to share in the emotional reality of partners, friends and co-workers.
Strictly speaking, it's about love, and all the sticky wickets that implies.
Which doesn't mean that everyone who prefers to work alone is doing so out of fear. And I'm certainly not suggesting that you have to or should do anything.
Hey thanks James. I've been to your blog and really respect what you do there. And like many of your posts I find your comments here very helpful. I Actually find and prefer constructive crticism and disagreement as it causes me to to reconsider my own opinions.
ReplyDeleteYou know the real problem I have right now is that whenever I think I've made some decisions or come to some conclusions as to where to take my gaming, I ditch it at the last minute because it doesn't sit right with me.
Call it whatever you like, but it still feels like my gaming is dead. Not sure why but it does. And I'm completely lost as to how to resurrect it.
Here's a thought experiment you may find of use:
ReplyDeletePick one of the plans you've been drawn to and follow through on it, in your mind. Construct a daydream. You'll be looking for those feelings to arise, where it doesn't sit well.
More exactly, your mind will weave that feeling (or others, bearing on the problem) into your daydream, and that is what you're looking for. Follow it through. Words, images and feelings will come to mind, through association, that will help explicate.
Once you get the knack of this, you can use it to pull forth and interpret all sorts of info from the deeper levels of the psyche.
The trick is learning to be aware of the meaning of your own symbols. Daydream interpretation is basically the same as Dream interpretation. It's also a lot easier than it sounds. If the idea of such an endeavor interests you, feel free to drop me an email with any questions, etc.
I was in the middle of typing a comment in the other topic when my wife emailed me last nite about Steve Jobs and the evening took on another slant. But here was what I was thinking:
ReplyDeleteRemember that deal a few years back about learning everything you need to know about life by the time you are six or whatever?
I call it the 'pee in the pool' theory. You are in the pool with a bunch of other kids.Lots of kids. They tend to group into different areas of the pool. The primary activity of most of these children is seeing who can whiz more than than the rest.
You spend a little time checking out the groups, moving from one to the next until you find one that isn't in a pissing contest and seem to be talking about something that interests you.
You are home.
There are lots of people in this world I can't hang around, virtual or otherwise. So I find the ones that make sense, at least to me, and life goes on.
Gaming is especially easy because the people are just like the game-if you are not having fun then you're not doing it right.
Gravitate to the folks you like, avoid the ones you don't and don't waste precious energy and time on the negative.
There are some folks out here who need serious mental help. They can all guess at who they are. Just my two cents.
We group together here man because we like people and ideas. I've stated that AD&D1e was my game that launched all this into orbit and Major Tom ain't coming back I don't care what anyone says :)
As for blogging, you just do it. It's like Zen. You write what you feel and for its own sake. Then it is honest.
In other words, I might disagree with some choices you might make but I will defend your right to those choices because you allow me the same.And that is what the game is all about.
Old and cliched it might be but I believe in the Vulcan IDIC- Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.
Just follow your path and write what you feel like writing. And change is the only thing that we can count on in this crazy world. If you decide to change game systems 4 times over the next 4 weeks that's cool. You are learning new things as you go. If you decide to devote all your time to one system and study it like the Dead Sea Scrolls that's cool too because you'll be the go to guy for anyone interested in that system.
It's all good.