The Most Annoying Gamer I’ve Ever Met
We've all met them. Those socially-inept, obnoxious, possibly smelly people who you just can't believe can operate in normal society. In fact, they probably don't - gaming is likely the only function they regularly leave the house for. As for the worst one, I could go for the easy answer - there was a guy in my playgroup back in high school that rubbed everyone the
wrong way. To be fair, he wasn't just annoying in-game: we generally found him
a pain to deal with in everyday life.
I've often pondered if this guy was as bad
as I remember. I mean, kids are mean,
right? (He was the paladin in example 4
and the bounty hunter in example 3 from this
blog post) Everyone says and does stupid things when they’re young. But I think I've figured it out. With years
of perspective and maturity, I have to admit that it probably wasn't all his
fault I found him annoying.
I was a big fucking twat myself.
In all honesty, I am probably the first
really annoying gamer I ever encountered. Obviously I didn't realize it at the
time, but looking back I was a total dickwad in high school. I looked down on
people, belittled them, and generally made an ass of myself. I loved to make
snarky remarks and comments about people to get a laugh or make myself look
smart. I got in trouble with teachers a few times for it, and I certainly
didn't have many friends. I'm kind of amazed I had any.
I don't think I've ever flipped a table. But I did punch a hole in my parent's ceiling during a particularly heated game of Baseball Stars for NES.
Fun fact: my wife loves to remind me how
much of a jackass I was back in high school. That's why I love her. She keeps
me humble.
I am deeply embarrassed by my attitudes and
actions when was a teenager. When I see obnoxious gamer nerds these days I
shudder because they remind me so much of myself. I just don't understand why I
acted like I did. Being an awkward nerd in a small town was bad enough - why
did I try so hard to alienate those few people who had common interests to me?
I've got you, babe. Duh, duh. Duh, duh. I've got you babe.
So to anyone reading this who knew me back
then (and I suspect there are a couple of you), please accept my heartfelt
apology for being a douchetard. I was young, and I was an idiot. I'm not that
much smarter these days, but I'd like to think I'm a little more empathic. Or
at least polite.
If anyone else has regrets about being an
annoying gamer, please share them in the comments so I don’t feel so bad. Or
hit me up on Twitter @CDGallantKing
and we can ruminate together. If you
forgive me (or feel bad for me) please share this post with those handy buttons
below.
(A
variation of this question came up in the February D&D Blog challenge. I didn't get to it at the time but I thought it
was an important conversation that should be revisited.)