Whenever I tell people that I play a tabletop miniature games, I expect a certain amount of eye glazing and an overwhelming sense of they are better than me in some way because instead of doing something that is artistic, intensive, and mentally expansive, they sit on their ass and watch "The Biggest Loser", so of course they must be better than me. I am apparently wasting my money, they are simply wasting my air. I get the "So they are like army men?" or "Is it like a model car?" and to answer both questions...sorta-ish... You assemble the soldiers and units from pieces so they are like a model car, and they are mostly men (of varying races) and machines/guns/animals so the army men analogy is vaguely accurate.
What they don't understand is that past simple aesthetics, they game is much more than pretty models painted up and set out on a big table. Since beginning this game, I have learned basic military tactics just like every general in history, How to do quick math and retain detailed information concerning models to move the game along faster, and the most important I've learned is how to be courteous and gracious - be it win, lose, or me getting rolled like a bum in an alley. This way of coping with things is invaluable in life as disappointment and loss are inevitable, but overcoming them with grace is an amazing feat that even High Exemplar Kreoss cannot match.
If the world can look down on me and other gamers for "being adults that play silly games" than I propose this: Every time I hear these people say they sat at home and simply disconnected from reality for hours on end, remind them they are no better than any gamer. A gamer can "disconnect" with a purpose, with an semblance of progress, and most importantly...with other people...
Until I ramble on at you again,
Michial
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