Revenge of the Gamer

Me with Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal

It isn’t often that we catch a glimpse of our childhood dreams once we’re adults.  Between grocery shopping, soccer games, work and balancing our checkbooks we lose the magic and wonder we felt when we were children. 

One by one dreams fade to might have beens, and we’re left with a sense of nostalgia and loss as we try to figure out how we got here.

Once in a while we undergo an event so magical that it recaptures our fire.  It renews our drive to fulfill those childhood dreams, and reminds us what we can accomplish.

Saturday was one of those events.  I drove down to San Jose to be a Stormleader for the signing of the twelfth book of the Wheel of Time, A Gathering Storm.  I knew the second Brandon spoke that this day was going to change my life.

He began with a pair of stories which showed what a regular guy he really is.  The first could have come from my own life.  Brandon and I are the same age, and like me he devoured every fantasy novel he could find as a kid.  He also had a paper route, and used every spare dime to buy more novels.

The Eye of the World

Brandon went to the bookstore every week to see what new books had come out, something I remember doing at the same age.  On one particular trip he found a fat book with a blue cover, the Eye of the World. 

Like millions of fans the world over that book excited Brandon’s imagination.  In it Robert Jordan created a living, breathing world and it inspired Brandon to want to tell similar stories.  This floored me to hear, because it’s s exactly the same reaction I had when I discovered the book back in high school.

Brandon’s second story was about how he was chosen to finish the Wheel of Time.  I’d always assumed he’d applied for the job, but apparently he woke up one day to find a voicemail from Harriet.  He was just as shocked as any of us might have been in his shoes, but also elated.  It isn’t every day you’re asked to complete the fantasy epic that inspired you to become an author in the first place.

Harriet definitely made the right choice.  Having read the A Gathering Storm I can tell you that not only does it do the series justice, but has me more excited for Towers of Midnight than I have been for any book I can remember.

So, back to the signing itself.  As I mentioned I was selected to be one of five Stormleaders who were responsible for keeping order and making sure things went smoothly.  My job was simple but far more rewarding than you might think.  I took the books from fans and handed them to Brandon.

For three hours I watched hundreds of Wheel of Time fans approach Brandon all wearing the same rapt expression.  They shared a love for the world Robert Jordan created, and nearly every one was grateful to Brandon for picking up the reins and seeing that we get the ending we’ve craved for nearly twenty years.

The fans asked questions about the next two books, about mysteries from the series and about his other books (most of which I have to admit I haven’t yet read).  The crowd was excited and some even took the time to dress up.  My favorite pair were a Whitecloak and a Redarm featured in the picture below.

A Whitecloak and a Redarm walk into a bar

I was surrounded by people who loved the series like I did.  They brought gifts for Brandon ranging from a hand crocheted tapestry to a minted Tar Valon mark actually cast in silver.  And, of course, our illustrious leader Mary even brought giant cookies made in the form of the Aes Sedai symbol.

By far and away the most popular character was a balloon trolloc that Jason from Dragonmount brought with him to the event.  Harriet dubbed the trolloc Bubbles, and he was definitely the show stealer for the day.  You can see how intimidated Jason is holding him.

Jason and the evil trolloc Bubbles

The love people have for the Wheel of Time continues to amaze me.  It borders on reverence, and for good reason.  No series I’m aware of is as long or as detailed, and I’ve never seen any series bring together such a disparate crowd.  The youngest was about six, and the oldest was pushing eighty.  One woman even brought a french copy of the book, and it was clear that the Wheel of Time has lost none of its meaning when translated to other languages.  I feel priveleged to be a part of it, in my own small way.

Earlier in the article I mentioned how this was one of those events that recaptured my sense of wonder.  Seeing Brandon sit at that table and share his love of the Wheel of Time with so many fans was inspiring.  It showed me what I wanted to do for a living, and reaffirmed that I am on the right path.

I looked at this man, who was by his own admission a regular nerd just like me.  I looked at what he’s accomplished and realized, wait a second I can do this too.  I should be doing this.  I was meant to be an author.  I will get my novel published.  The whole day fired me up, and Brandon’s encouragement was priceless. 

I’m going to follow his advice.  Never give up, keep writing.  One day it will be me sitting behind that table signing copies of my book, and when that day comes I’ll owe Brandon a thank you for renewing my drive to live my dreams.

It was a hell of a weekend.  Thanks for everything Brandon.

I’ve played video games for decades and roleplaying games for even longer.  During my tenure as a gamer countless friends and family have asked me how I can waste so much time.  This question usually comes when they realize that I spend  30 hours or more a week gaming.

On behalf of gamers everywhere I’m posting this to defend my position.  I want to explain why I spend so much time gaming, and why I think its not just ok but beneficial.

How much TV do you watch every week?

Everyone has a routine.  We get up, go to work or school, and then come home tired at the end of a long day.  An unscientific survey of my friends and family reveals that they do exactly the same thing when they get home each evening.  They collapse in front of the television.

They watch everything from Dancing with the Stars to John Stewart to the evening news to the latest episode of Heroes.  But they all spend a few hours each evening watching television.  In adding those hours up many of my friends found they spent 25-50 hours a week watching TV.

To all those who are shocked at how much time myself and others spend in front of the computer staring at virtual people in World of Warcraft I have to ask, how many hours a week do you watch television?

Why Gaming is Better than TV

Television involves staring at a screen digesting content without thought or interaction.  Contrast that to a game like World of Warcraft, which nearly everyone out there has at least heard of.

In World of Warcraft you log on to hundreds or even thousands of people enjoying the same hobby.  Instead of staring at a TV you have the chance to forge friendships with people from Germany to Austrailia.  These friendships can provide a unique glimpse into other cultures, and even if they didn’t they are still a much more social activity than checking out the latest American Idol.

I’ve met many friends playing video games.  I’ve even met girlfriends and know many people who’ve found and married someone after meeting them online in a video game.  Have you ever found a girlfriend / boyfriend while watching Dancing with the Stars?

The Other Benefits

Video games offer quite a few other benefits in addition to meeting people.  Studies have asserted that children who play video games perform better in hand-eye coordination. Whether or not that’s true, I can point to many other benefits from my own personal experience. 

I can type over 100 words a minute.  I’ve never had a typing course.  So where did these miraculous skills come from? Lots and lots of video games.  The longer I played the faster I got until one day I realized I was no longer hunting and pecking.  I didn’t even need to look at the keyboard anymore.  This skill has been invaluable in my professional career, and once was the reason I landed the job over someone else.

Video games also teach problem solving.  Whether you are trying to guide Donkey Kong up a series of ladders, or are gathering twenty-five people to raid Uludar in WoW, you are identifying a problem and actively trying to solve it.

This sort of problem solving is invaluable in the work place.  I am often surrounded by co-workers who don’t game, and I see a marked difference between us.  When a new piece of software is introduced, or a new procedure is unveiled they tend to look like a deer in headlights.  They don’t do well with change.

My gamer friends at work, on the other hand, tend to adjust quickly.  We master new software easily, and have no problem adapting to new procedures or other changes at work.  Why? 

We spend our free time being challenged in exactly that way.  We enjoy challenges, and whenever we log into a video game we are intentionally picking a series of challenges to beat.

Social skills revisted

Hand-eye coordination, typing and problem solving are three of many benefits that you can gain through gaming.  But none of them are as important as the social benefits.

It’s less true now, but when I was growing up gaming was a closet hobby and most gamers were social introverts who’d blush and stammer if confronted with a *gasp* girl.  Some of them were overweight, but most were just shy.

Video games changed that for several good friends.  Online they found they could open up and chat more.  They branched out and met friends.  Many got involved in large guilds, which opened up another beneficial avenue of gaming.

Running a guild is a -ton- of work.  It requires being able to juggle quite a few balls at once.  You need to take care of 25 or more people every day.  Personality conflicts, scheduling issues, petty gripes…all of these situations will arise and as a guild leader or officer you will need to learn to deal with them.

If you are running a raid guild you have to teach all 25 people to function as a team, exactly as if you were the coach of a sports team.  This can be incredibly rewarding, but takes enormous effort and a diverse skill set to pull off. 

For those who don’t game online when was the last time you were involved in a group activity, much less saw the same group of people very day outside of work?  Raiding in games like WoW teaches you camraderie and teamwork. 

These benefits translate very well into real life.  I know one friend who was almost paralyzed by shyness when we were in high school.  His success in running a guild filled him with confidence, and within a year he’d gotten his first girlfriend and was promoted at work.  Video games transformed his life.

Stop knocking our hobby

I hope I’ve shown at least a few ways that gaming can be beneficial.  If you aren’t willing to accept that, I’m hoping some of the naysayers can at least see that gaming is no worse than watching TV, an activity that most people partake in. 

Whether you play the Sims, World of Warcraft, Borderlands, Dragon Age or pen and paper games like Dungeons & Dragons be proud of your hobby.  Don’t let them make you feel embarassed, because at the end of the day gaming gives us things most people will never find.