Whether it’s a dimly lit corner of a convention hall, the acerbic waft of cleaning chemicals from the nearby restrooms, or a Saturday afternoon outside the local strip-mall gaming store, gamers have always enjoyed telling tales of games long since over. It could be a tale of the time your 2nd level paladin made his last stand against the forces of the evil overlord Rezmork, or that War in Europe game when you opened up the second front in 1943 and actually raised the Stars and Stripes in Berlin by mid-’44. Or maybe your tastes run towards electronic gaming and you fondly recall the time in Counterstrike that you made the perfect headshot, and no, you weren’t using any hacks.

Yes, gamers definitely enjoy reliving the glory days, whether they be of triumph or disaster. As long as it’s memorable, the legend will live on. But more than just old war stories gamers enjoy telling other gamers exactly how long they’ve been playing.

“Oh, I’ve been playing D&D since the blue box.”

“I remember when SPI games were $8 and you could get them at KB Toys.”

“You kids have it easy, I can recall many an afternoon spent fooling around with boot disks in an attempt to get Harpoon to run.”

For some gamers the length of time you’ve been involved in the hobby is some sort of badge of honor. In fact, it’s often more than just a badge of honor, it’s almost territorial markings, as if someone who just discovered wargaming is less worthy than the old grognard who still has a shrink wrapped copy of Afrika Korps on his shelf.

Now, from the perspective of a reviewer, the more knowledge a gamer has, the better. When a reviewer can tap into their well of old games to compare and contrast current titles, that’s always welcome. It may not always be needed, but it definitely does enhance their viewpoint. So yes, for reviewers experience is definitely something helpful. But how necessary is it for the average gamer?

I would say not very. If you have never, ever, touched a wargame and then pick up a copy of Defiant Russia and enjoy it, excellent! If your first foray into fantasy strategy is Dominions II and you end up loving it, bravo! Chances are once you’ve been exposed to something you enjoy you’ll then seek out more of the same, and over time your knowledge of the hobby will grow.

Time after time though I keep hearing gamers feeling the need to describe just how long they’ve been into gaming, as if that really mattered. And for the record I have been guilty of it myself. Why, in a recent email when asked if I do any RPGing I couldn’t simply respond with “Yes, I do.” but “Oh yeah, my RPG days pre-date my first computer, an Atari 800.” Did I really have to respond like that, to make sure that it was known that I’ve been RPGing for decades? After all, if you started gaming six months ago or six years ago, does it matter?

No. Yet I do it, my other gaming buddies do it, and judging from all the forum posts and letters to the editors in various publications, thousands of others do it too.

If you talk to a film fanatic do they tell you how long they’ve been watching movies? Do sports fans do it? Literature lovers? In music, well, you do see it when someone likes a particular band. “I’ve been listening to them since their pre-signed bootleg days…”

So what is it about us gamers that we feel the need to validate our gaming knowledge? Is it that since gaming has always been under attack, whether it’s from real attacks like the Jack Thompsons of the world, or the general social stigma of the hobby, that our time of service is a testament to how dedicated we are to the hobby? That being a vet means that you’re truly serious about gaming and you’re not some wannabe jumping on the gaming bandwagon because of World of Warcraft or The Settlers of Catan?

Obviously I don’t have the answer for everyone else but for myself I think I do it mostly to simply share my love of gaming, and to let people know that hey, if you want to talk games we can definitely talk games. If you feel passionate about something don’t you want to share it after all? I would guess that is the reason most people do it. As gamers we love our games, and we love sharing that knowledge with other gamers. I just hope that we don’t sometimes scare off newcomers who think they need to be part of some sort of exclusive club to be a gamer.

-Scott

“I think it’s wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly.” - Steven Wright

Behold! Saturn is on the rise and Venus is in the cusp, and I, the amazing Krol (available now for birthday parties and corporate events), come to you with wondrous predictions most fantastic! I have drank the dragon’s blood, bathed in the pale moonlight, and danced with the nymphs of the Forest Beyond the Park-n-Save Lot, all in an effort to provide YOU, gentle reader, with the top ten predictions found in the world of computer gaming for 2006. So gather round my Orb of Foresight and let us take a mystical journey into…

Ten Computer Gaming Predictions for 2006

1. There will be more WWII themed shooters, but still no shooter based on the Salt War of 1611.

2. First person shooters will have crates in them, and the crates will contain items.

3. A gaming magazine and/or website will write an article about how computer gaming is still strong in the face of the new consoles. The same magazine and/or website will feature many ads for console games.

4. Duke Nukem Forever will not be released.

5. Computer wargames will dominate the marketplace to the point that even hot babes will want to game Operation Soltice, the 11th SS Panzer’s drive to attempt to relieve their trapped comrades at Arnswalde. (Oh wait, this should go in my Ten Computer Gaming Fantasies for 2006 blog…)

6. Uwe Boll continues to make movies based on computer games. He will secure the rights to Tetris and declares it will be one of the finest movies ever made, besting not only Citizen Kane but also Bio-Dome.

7. Some idiot who happens to own a computer game will do something stupid, and attorneys, congressional leaders, and self-proclaimed media experts will blame the game industry.

8. Grand Theft Auto: Chocolate City.

9. East European real-time strategy games will continue to expand the number of units you can control to the point they will boast “One million units on screen!”. Unfortunately, one million units on screen will just look like one giant 17” pixel.

10. People will still make lame predictions about the coming year. Hey wait—THE PROPHECY HAS BEEN FULFILLED!!!!

-Scott