I really didn’t grow up all that geeky. I was an offbeat kid, a weird kid, a not-fitting-in kid. But I wasn’t a geek. I read Tamora Pierce novels, but I also read any other book placed into my hot little hands. We couldn’t afford a lot of video games, so I didn’t play those. It wasn’t until I was 15 that the door swung open and I learned about the types of stories, games and people that I would love as an adult.
I was a server at a pizza place. At a table in the back corner of the restaurant, a few guys I sort of knew were playing a card game I’d never seen before. It was Magic: The Gathering. I joined them after my shift, and never really stopped hanging out with them. I mean, years later, I married one of the guys who was sitting at that table. I played my first game of Dungeons and Dragons with them, my first game of Settlers, and built my first MTG decks. I fell in love with games, and since then games have been how I’ve made new friends and broken the ice (We Didn’t Playtest This At All warms even the most nervous seatmate).
Playing games is a great way to watch my friends be creative and daring. When I game with my friends, I get to see sides of them that I wouldn’t encounter at a movie or over dinner. It’s fantastic to learn something new with my friends and family and to watch them explore a new rule set or style of game. I get to show them a side of me that I don’t often use, either. The swashbuckler who taunts roadside brigands, knowing I can deliver a deadly strike at any time. A bard who puts his life on the line to keep the party safe with protective buff spells. A psionic wilder who lurks in the corners, daring the bad guys to mess with her friends.
When I joined twitter a couple of years ago, I never could have predicted the amazing people I would consider friends and the creative projects I could discover and be a part of. I never know what cool game will pop up on Kickstarter next, or which conversation will yield a wicked adventure hook. With these new online relationships have come new games and new ways of thinking about why I play them.
Gaming is what brought me from a lonely small town high school kid to an adult who gets to talk about games, make dice bags, and be friends with awesome people who share the same passion. With games, I can explore new parts of my creativity and imagination with my friends. So thanks to games, now I’m an offbeat, weird adult who fits in perfectly with all the other offbeat, weird gamers out there.
I love every second of it. Let’s play!
