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News & ArtsMonday, June 15, 2009
Books Except Maybe for Sexual Intercourse
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 12:36 PM
This essay by Brent Hartinger (titled "Everything I Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons") claims that almost all of his skills—reading, history, math, philosophy and ethics—came from the role playing game.
If it weren’t for Dungeons & Dragons, I couldn’t have done any of these things well.If I hadn’t found D&D, would I have discovered some other passion as a kid? Video games? Sports? Horticulture? It’s possible. But it’s almost impossible to imagine that any of these activities would have given me such a long and varied list of skills and interests.
Thing is, I'm sure someone else could write as compelling an argument for comic books, or for movies, or for photography.
(Via the Dizzies.)
1
From AD&D (not the basic and pedestrian D&D), I learned the difference between a Fauchard and a Guisarme.
I also learned how to dismantle a prismatic sphere.
I have both of those listed on my resume.
I am unemployed.
I also learned how to dismantle a prismatic sphere.
I have both of those listed on my resume.
I am unemployed.
2
I encourage everybody to develop esoteric interests, be they dorky or weird. Interests are interesting. People who just shit on other people for their interests are boring as hell. Attn: Trolls.
3
I could write the same article about Video Games. Love of Video Games lead me to wanting to learn to make them myself which involved learning to program.
I think if you're an intellectually curious person you will learn no matter what your interests are. How a child grows up to be intellectually curious is a matter for debate, however.
I think if you're an intellectually curious person you will learn no matter what your interests are. How a child grows up to be intellectually curious is a matter for debate, however.
4
You could totally do this for sexual intercourse, especially in this country. Sex is politics is philosophy is feminism is biology is communication is conversation is ethics is history is any number of things.
Bringing math into sex is a little more difficult, but, hey, it's not impossible.
Bringing math into sex is a little more difficult, but, hey, it's not impossible.
5
The difference between the other things you list and D&D is that D&D is a social activity that depends on cooperation. Books, movies, photography and video games are solitary activities. All of these except photography are also passive -- you are consuming something created by someone else. In role-playing the creativity is the product of interaction.
7
I've been playing D&D on a weekly or bi weekly basis now for going on 15 years.
I woulsnt go as so far to say that I've gained some fountain of insight due to my weekly nerdery, but it did help me cultivate my imagination. It is also a great source of basic mathematical and critical thinking skills.
But, in all reality (and despite the stereotypes associated with gaming in general) tabletop gaming is a social experience. I've met a lot of really really lame peple via gaming, but some really awesome ones as well.
I woulsnt go as so far to say that I've gained some fountain of insight due to my weekly nerdery, but it did help me cultivate my imagination. It is also a great source of basic mathematical and critical thinking skills.
But, in all reality (and despite the stereotypes associated with gaming in general) tabletop gaming is a social experience. I've met a lot of really really lame peple via gaming, but some really awesome ones as well.
8
Carollani's so right I'm repeating it verbatim:
I encourage everybody to develop esoteric interests, be they dorky or weird. Interests are interesting. People who just shit on other people for their interests are boring as hell.
I encourage everybody to develop esoteric interests, be they dorky or weird. Interests are interesting. People who just shit on other people for their interests are boring as hell.
11
@9 I am just starting with the forth edition now, I never though i would like D&D until i tried it, now i am sorta obsessed with it.
14
@9 i started playing a few years ago, firmly into my 20s. I recommend it, if you have a buddy who DMs (dungeon master, the person who kinda makes the game happen...) and a few other homies who would like to play. It's a cheap get-together activity that can also involve beer and drugs, if you're into that. Though cocaine can really slow down the action as there is a lot of room for tangential thinking in D&D.
15
Remember, if it wasn't for half-elves, we wouldn't have America so accepting of President Obama.
In actual practice, women frequently respond to men who are leaders or icons in a specific field. Money is only one measure.
Ok, that plus it helps if the guy gives great ... um ... head.
In actual practice, women frequently respond to men who are leaders or icons in a specific field. Money is only one measure.
Ok, that plus it helps if the guy gives great ... um ... head.
17
D&D definitely helped me develop several skills, including skills I would use years later to complete my Masters in history. Not because I played it, but because it compelled me as a DM to create my own fantasy settings, which meant creating geographic areas, weapons, governments, social movements, ethnic and racial groups, cultures, histories, languages, etc. I think my favorite D&D activity was reading the sourcebooks and modules--the amount of thought and creativity that went into a lot of it astounded me. Aside from all the text, stats, tables and graphs I created (which would help me with demography years later), I also practiced my drawing and cartography with illustrations, diagrams and extensive maps. I think my whole liberal arts/social sciences nerdom can be traced to the obsessive work I did in junior high to create interesting game environments for players. Of course I went a little crazy and had complex democratic governments, in-depth historical monographs, developed political economies, and all this other shit D&D never needed or wanted. I would like to hear stories about movies, novels, sports or comic books inspiring this level of geeked-out obsessiveness. Of course, I did draw comics too.
18
It's absolutely a jump-off point for so many other interests. Not every D&D player finds him- or herself compelled to follow up those other interests, of course. But I have pursued information on:
- biology/ecology and geology/meteorology (for world design)
- urban engineering
- medieval arts and sciences
- "real world" magic, ancient religions, and mythology
- military history, tactics, weapons, fortifications, armour, etc.
- horses
That's just D&D. When I run a modern-era or science fiction RPG campaign, there are vast fields of other stuff to look up. For example, when Dr. Destroyer needed spent nuclear fuel to power his global mind control device, he plundered the Hanford nuclear reservation - which was a whole
research project in itself.
Whenever I've gone out to do research for an RPG, it's invariably opened up other fields of interest. I don't just research something for a game and then walk away. Usually I come home from the library with armloads of books and pore over them for the next three weeks, and then they trigger some other impulse to research. It's fun! Geeky fun, but cheap and educational.
- biology/ecology and geology/meteorology (for world design)
- urban engineering
- medieval arts and sciences
- "real world" magic, ancient religions, and mythology
- military history, tactics, weapons, fortifications, armour, etc.
- horses
That's just D&D. When I run a modern-era or science fiction RPG campaign, there are vast fields of other stuff to look up. For example, when Dr. Destroyer needed spent nuclear fuel to power his global mind control device, he plundered the Hanford nuclear reservation - which was a whole
research project in itself.
Whenever I've gone out to do research for an RPG, it's invariably opened up other fields of interest. I don't just research something for a game and then walk away. Usually I come home from the library with armloads of books and pore over them for the next three weeks, and then they trigger some other impulse to research. It's fun! Geeky fun, but cheap and educational.
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