I like to keep things as upbeat as possible on the ol' Gameblog, so I'm not going to get too deep into the fiasco surrounding Zachary Houghton's resignation as an ENnies judge. It's a damn shame Zach felt he had to go because, as I said when he was running, he's my kind of gamer. His voice in the process made the ENnies far more relevant to me.
But I wanted to post because some people have decided to call Zach names for his harshing on some behavior of the other judges. That's totally understandable in a situation like this and Zach's a big boy who can take care of himself. He doesn't need me defending him. However, I must object to the one or two interested parties who felt the need to drag Zach's family into the mix. That's across the line.
Let me put it to you this way. I used to repossess cars and foreclose houses for a living. I've been called a lot of things over the years. One time this woman called me an asshole over the phone because she thought she had put me on hold and was talking to someone else on her end of the line. Another guy wrote a letter to my superiors referring to me and my co-worker Laurie as "the spawn of Satan". Once or twice someone told to me to my face that I was ruining their lives.
Never once did anyone bring my family into it. Not once in twelve hundred repossessions, a similar number of court cases, and maybe 50 or so home foreclosures. Anyone thinking that some stupid award for a stupid role-playing game merits that level of jackassery has completely lost perspective.
Sadly, many gamers have never moved on with their lives . . . games are a hobby, NOT a source of idenity or self-worth.
ReplyDeleteI believe the greatest handicap to the growth of our hobby is NOT public opinion or quality of materials, but the gamers themselves.
One encounter with an intelligent, obese, under-achiever who is convinced he/she can do no wrong . . will turn a teenager (and his/her friends) away from our hobby for life.
Nothing more pathetic than adult NERDs and the self-absorbed cliques that they form. . .
"I have seen the enemy,
and it is US." Pogo