RPGs and the Image of Cool

I am a big proponent that RPGs aren't looked at fondly by the masses, and it is a BIG challenge we as gamers face.

On one of the forums I visit it was brought up. Here is my response:

Are roleplaying and the people who do it cool?

No, we are really no better or worse than any other group of people participating in a harmless and fun passtime.

Does roleplaying and the people who do it have an image of cool?

No, we are considered to be some of the worst of the worst before getting into people doing immoral, illegal, and deviant passtimes.

Which is total retarded bullpuckey, but image means more than content.

(Explains how Mike Bay is still allowed to make movies.)

Someone made a good point on the Penn & Teller show Bullsh*t. If American Football was invented recently it would be outlawed or decried all over the place as being overly dangerous and a threat to our youth as thousands of injuries have happened over the years and quite a few fatalities.

Yet a harmless thing like videogames has tons of anti game crusaders.

Why? Its all about image, and what is socially acceptable, not the actual reality of the situation.

Alcohol kills and destroys thousands of lives every year but if any nation tried to outlaw it there would be a damned riot. (Just see United States Prohibition in the early 1900s!) Its taken multiple family members from me to the point I hardly have any left alive. (And even fewer one could say are doing well thanks to it.)

Why is it defended? Its a way of life and so established its not going away, and the reasonable explanation that most people who partake of it are perfectly fine and not getting into accidents, fights, or drinking themselves to death or poverty.

You can put this same line of thought to RPGs which maybe have a tenth of a percent of actual relatable "damage" to the users of it, but thanks to image its considered horrible.

Luckily we ARE doing better on image than the 80s with Pat Pulling and her reactionary nonsense though.

But sadly, perception always beats reality. It keeps political parties going, starts pointless wars, gives religions power, and helps the people who enjoy staying stupid and ignorant keeping to this status quo.

I'm not sure what else one can really say.

Keep gaming and to Hell with anyone who says otherwise.

Just please make sure you aren't one of the bad eggs who makes the rest of us look bad.

I guess it just sucks to be gamers. But there has to be something to it if in spite of the image it has we keep doing it in spite of all the obstacles.