"Thoughts From a Girl Who Disagrees With Chase Davis' Opinions About RPGs in High School Society"

by Alaelia ("Laelee") Carter

In his editorial, Chase states, "The fact that gaming in such a way requires one to think, and not only that, but understand the plot of complex games such as Xenogears, or Final Fantasy Tactics is more than enough to shut the RPGamer out from the rest of society."

What exactly is being implied here? Does this mean Mr. Davis considers himself mentally superior to people who don't play RPGs? The statement makes it seem like he thinks other teenagers who don't enjoy this particular type of game lack the mental capacity and intelligence to play and understand an RPG. A good 98% of my friends don't even know what RPGs ARE, much less like them, but they're certainly not stupid! On the contrary, a large number of them are also ranked in the top 10% of our entire sophomore class, yet THEY don't play RPGs. Therefore, not liking RPGs in CERTAINLY not a sign of a person's lack of intelligence. what I think is this: If someone doesn't like RPGs, it's not because they're not 'stupid', 'unimaginative', or 'narrow-minded' (although in SOME instances, narrow-mindedness IS the case, but the same pertains to ALL other types of activities or tastes that people like, and not just RPGs!). If someone doesn't like to play RPGs, it's simply because their opinions differ from yours. Everyone has their own opinions, and just because sometimes you don't agree with someone else's opinion doesn't mean that their opinion isn't as good as yours!

And isn't Mr. Davis being a little hypocritical here? He states, "But I ask you, my friends, what exactly is a "life?" If this life they speak of involves running straight to the hair stylist and getting my tips frosted, followed by a jolly excursion to the mall to purchase some grossly overpriced designer clothes, I would take indulging my imagination through a spot of RPGaming any day." First of all, I happen to LIKE shopping. But that's just my opinion. However, he's accusing others of not accepting his opinion in liking RPGs, yet he turns right around and bashes other people's concepts of what is fun and what isn't! And, hey! Give something new a try! Just because it's not something that you don't think you'll enjoy, doesn't mean you won't like it!

Personally, I like RPGs. I find them fun, absorbing, amusing at times, and even emotional at some. I can recall several instances when I was even moved so much that I cried during certain scenes. I remember the way I just sat in front of my TV, with tears streaming down my face and the controller dangling limply from my hand, during some parts of Xenogears. I like RPGs; to me, it's just like reading a very good book.

But that CERTAINLY does NOT mean that I am a "loser", or a "overweight comic store clerk, or underweight nerdy kids with glasses" as Mr. Davis stated that RPG players were perceived. And neither do any of my friends, classmates, or peers think I am a "loser" or a "nerd" or any other of those adjectives. I have a lot of friends, and I certainly don't consider myself in need of a "life". No one has ever, to my face, told me to "get a life" as Mr. Davis says they will. I was a cheerleader until I quit my freshman year, and I'm a rep in my school's student council, as well as in the honor society. I've also been in band, color guard, and now I'm on the dance team. I also go out with friends a lot, and I have a lot of other interests, too. Just because I also happen to like RPGs does not mean that I lack what is commonly known as "a life". Also, I do not live my life "in a fantasy world, wasting their lives away locked away in their homes with a pet Chocobo living in the garage" as stated in Chase's editorial. RPGs should be a hobby. If you DO live, breathe, and eat RPGs, and "waste your life away locked in your home", maybe you should also try to develop some other interests, too.

Teenagers deserve more credit. Not everyone is as superficial or narrow-minded or ruled by stereotypes as people think. If someone is labeled a "loser" or a "nerd", it's not because he or she has an interest in a certain type of video game. That has nothing to do with it at all! And if it really matters to you all that much, why do you care so much what other people think of you anyway? It's what YOU think that matters, when it comes to yourself.

Original Editorial: RPGs in High School Society