>> GAMES > GAMING CULTURE

Updated Repost - Fair is Fair

Okay... I know I promised that I would lay off the reposts for a while... Well, too bad... deal. However, this lie is not without merit...

With Football season about to go into full swing and major magazines defending the roleplaying antics of grow men pretending to coach football teams, I felt compelled to give my thoughts on Fantasy Football...

AKA...

Dungeons and Dragons without the Wizards and Elves... Though, judging from the average defensive linemen, it does have Orcs!

Observation 1 – Sports freaks and gamers look very similar once you peel off the first layer. Note, gamers have the long greasy locks and swill Mountain Dew. Sports junkies have the “lucky” ball cap and swill Coors (or any other domestically flavored water pretending to be beer).

Observation 2 – If a gamer wears a shirt proclaiming his skill at fragging or game company support, he or she is taunted as a freak. Ironically, if a sport fan wears the same smelly ass Seahawks jersey day in day out, he or she is just “hardcore”. Damn, I want to be hardcore… Think folks will leave me alone if I wear full plate armor?

Observation 3 – When a sports fan blows off social engagements to go hang with his or her friends at a sporting event, well, that’s simply “the way they are, just have to work around it”. However, if a gamer blows off an engagement, they tend to get the “girl (or dude), you should just dump their dorky ass, come on”.

After making these observations I have come to two conclusions. One, it’s just not friggen fair, and two sports nuts are bigger dorks than gamers; they just have better public relations people.

Anyway, onto fantasy football.

From the Fantasy Insights website:

Fantasy football allows fans to take an active, personal role in professional football, therefore increasing their enjoyment of the game. The fan gets to create their roster of players by drafting talent from actual NFL teams.

From the Wizards of the Coast website:

Dungeons and Dragons is the original tabletop fantasy role-playing game. Together with your friends, you lead daring heroes through the treacherous dungeons of your own imagination. Fabulous treasure and fiendish creatures await you.

That doesn’t really sound all that different. Except for one thing. See, in D&D you at least control EVERYTHING that goes on. All you really do in fantasy football is sit around and hope the guy on TV doesn’t screw up.

Again, from Fantasy Insights:

Leagues are usually formed with 10-14 of these fans, who now become owner/managers of their own unique roster. A draft is held, where all the league members get together with each drafting 14-20 NFL players. Head-to-head, weekly competition between these various paper teams are then held throughout the season. Each team chooses a starting lineup each week. Points are scored based on the actual performance of the NFL players (i.e. 6 points for a TD, 1 point for every 20 yards). The team with the most points gets credit for the win. At the end of the season, one owner emerges as the champion.

One more time from Wizards:

Create characters with almost limitless options and without restriction. You emerge from the last dungeon, tired and spent, with experience for new skills, gold for new weapons and gear- and the need for healing from the trials you’ve faced.

Both games have their version of player or character advancement. Both have a point system depending on the difficulty. Slay an Orc you get a couple experience points, but if you smite a Dragon, whoa buddy. Sack the quarterback you get s few points, return a kick-off, well, you get the idea. Role-playing has player characters and non-player characters (PCs and NPCs). Fantasy Football has Keepers and Non-Keepers.

I do want to point out that I have nothing against fantasy football fans. You have what you like and I have what I like. As is mentioned on both web sites, the point of the game is “to have fun”.

But, I still don’t get why you’re cooler then us…