... and the climb back.

In the last post I talked about how gaming is essentially always educational.  You learn something from doing it.  Even if you don't want to...

... which was the case for me.

What had me disillusioned was not boredom, but lessons I was trying NOT to learn.  Somethings I didn't want to accept, but once I did, my love of the game came back and the problems I was avoiding fell to the side where they belong.

One issue was a personal problem between me and someone else.  (If you're wondering if it is you, it probably isn't... and if you think it is... it probably is).  Ultimately it's a unique situation, and not one directly gaming related.

But another lesson was.  And that came from someone who doesn't even game.  I was bemoaning watching "the Dungeon Masters", and how... again... a movie that should be making us more inclusive, and easier to relate to... once again... made us out to be the kids that were left alone for a reason, when my soon to be wife said:

The problem is this:  There's what you think gaming is... and there's what gaming is.

And that truth really hit home for me.  Gaming has embraced being the nerdy kid in the hall so much that  it has gone from being 'inclusive' to 'exclusive'.  And not for the right reasons.  Gamers almost wear the 'geek'/'nerd' abuse as a flag of honor.  A way to separate us from non gamers.

The exact OPPOSITE of why I got into this in the first place.

So, I have a couple options.  Accept gaming isn't what I want it to be, and walk away... OR make it what I want it to be (well... try anyway...).

Obviously... I'm not one to just give up.  In the next posts from me, I'll talk a little about what made gaming great, what we can do to improve upon it, and post things I find that help show us in the best light possible.