While your character may be an extremely useful tool for self reflection and growth, the real beauty of the game as a tool for growth is neither we nor our characters are isolated. Our characters interact with other PCs and NPCs and we interact with the GM and other players. Like all groups, there are certain dynamics that take place in the gaming group.
Once upon a time, the gaming world was far different. Once upon a time, the worlds were bright and colorful. Once upon a time, Good was Good and Evil was Evil. Now, that world is gone.
In this film, the main actors play themselves not only in the real world, as geeky gamers, but as the noble characters they are role-playing within the game. It's a brilliant concept, and one wonders why it hasn't been done before now. Considering overall entertainment value, the sheer amount of extras included with the DVD, and the fact that I laughed till I cried even on a fourth viewing, I can do no less than give The Gamers the highest rating possible.
This is a very special announcement here on Gamegrene. Would the owner of the car with registration plate T15 RQX please come immediately to the parking lot? Oh, and we're also starting up a new multiplayer wiki-based world-creation game for everyone to play. It's called Ghyll. Ghyll is only defined by entries in an encyclopedia, and it's the players' responsibilities to write that encyclopedia. There are four rules.
Whereas the other Gaming DVDs I've reviewed take occasional sharp pokes at themselves, the 60-minute-long Dungeons & Dragons Experience has no such silly laugh-out loud moments. This is a serious documentary which approaches the issue from a more scholarly point of view. Which is not to say that it's less entertaining -- far from it. It may very well be my favorite of the lot.
I feel I must say it takes quite a bit to shock me, but now that I have read the entirety of The Book Of Erotic Fantasy published by Valor Project, Inc. I am shocked. What I am shocked about is not the presence of exposed breasts, the usage of the word "fuck" or the presence of devices known as cock rings (these are all things I am already pretty familiar with) but the fact that the sexual content is handled in a mature manner suitable for game use.
Life With the Dice Bag is a documentary about Role-Playing Games and those who play them. Shot between 2002-2003, it is constructed almost entirely of interviews with actual game players, clumped together topically to give a rough overview of the hobby. For the role-playing gamer, this is an hour-and-a-half look in the mirror, warts and all.
In game systems with both intelligence and wisdom as ability scores, the player is presented with several challenges. First and foremost among these is the challenge of playing a character with a higher intelligence or wisdom than the player. I don't know the answer to this question, but I have a few ideas about "how do I roleplay a discernable difference between the two abilities?"
Uber Goober is a 90-or-so-minute documentary about Role-Playing Games, taking a look (not quite in-depth, but a bit more than cursory) at the hobby itself through the eyes of the people who enjoy it. The overall tone of the film is of gentle self-mockery. The gamers, game designers and, indeed, the filmmakers all seem to be in on the joke.
I have a hard time walking into a bar. Why? Well, I'm afraid I'm going to bump into another human who is really a Player Character. And, after that happens, I know I'm doomed. Anytime two or more PCs meet in a tavern, it means they have to go on an adventure. It's a bylaw of RPGs.
