This is not going to be my standard article. I won’t be discussing game mechanics, mythological roots of role-playing concepts, fantasy, or anything like that. Rather, due to recent events online involving some friends of mine, I want to talk about the nature of fandom, what it’s done to those of us who fall into the broad category of “geeks” and why I think this needs to change. Fandom has become fanaticism driven by consumerism and devotion to brands and political ideologies. It encourages unhealthy consumption at the expense of everything else in life and it twists enjoyment into addiction. For the sake of our physical, emotional and spiritual health, we as “geeks” need to repair our relationship with the things we enjoy.
This past week, my good friends Viktor Gorchev and The Basic Expert became wrapped up in a truly brain-numbing controversy when they invited firey and somewhat controversial RPG personality Jeffro Johnson onto their Natural Ones stream. This invitation sparked a digital bloodbath as two other RPG personalities (who will remain unnamed) decided to make an issue of TBE and Viktor extending an olive branch to Jeffro. This has devolved into name-calling and lines being drawn online as personal disagreements evolve into borderline legal defamation. I took my own shots in defense of my friends, but this whole ordeal has been handled with all the grace and maturity of children arguing over whether Power Rangers are cooler than Ninja Turtles.
TBE and Viktor are two guys who just want to write and play games and talk to interesting people on their show. Jeffro, although confrontational and even abrasive at times, is someone with a unique perspective on role-playing games. It’s easy to understand why TBE and Viktor would want to talk to Jeffro. What’s not so easy to understand is how or why it affects the two other personalities who threw a fit when TBE posted that Jeffro would be on the show. Allegations of antisemitism have been made against Jeffro, but they are spurious, unfounded and have absolutely nothing to do with gaming. These two people who are causing trouble for my friends aren’t doing so out of some kind of moral obligation but because they perceive my friends as threats to their status in the RPG world. This is because these two personalities are addicted to something that’s supposed to be a hobby. They have internalized this hobby and their perceived status in it as part-and-parcel of their identity. They are addicts, but they are not alone. You see it everywhere in fan circles. People who have slavishly devoted themselves to a game or a book series or a brand. For years we’ve argued that these people are just passionate, but I think it’s time we all realize what it really is. It’s an addiction and like all addictions, it will destroy you physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Why is it that geeks get the stereotype of being pale, overweight and unhygienic? It’s because many forego basic hygiene and personal care in the name of one more game, one more episode, one more issue, etc. Even things like eating and sleeping fall by the wayside with food being reduced to processed junk that’s on-hand and unobtrusive to their real desire. Sleep is often neglected entirely until the body forces it to happen. Few typically nerdy hobbies are done outside so, as a result, the addict only ventures outside when necessary. If they don’t go anywhere, then do they even need to worry about teeth-brushing or bathing? You can see how these things build on each other and compound each other. When these desires overtake a person, the physical results are catastrophic. At a recent convention, I saw people who were in constant pain and discomfort. They wore braces on joints and struggled with basic human functions. This is not a human life. We were meant to be so much more than that.
The emotional atrophy is devastating too. Keeping up relationships with other people is disadvantageous to getting your fix as often as you’re comfortable with, so many relationships will go by the wayside. After all, dealing with people is…messy and uncomfortable. Video games never broke your heart. Besides, with all of the physical issues that have come from this addiction, you might feel that most people don’t want you around. Still, some kind of companionship is required and it comes in the form of online communities made up of like-minded addicts. These online tribes serve to reinforce the addiction in many ways and, like with all human tribes, enemies are quickly identified. After all, they’re addicted to something else. They think what you’re addicted to is stupid or harmful or some other negative description. So your tribes go to war with each other, pulling no punches and taking heads at all costs. You feel no fellowship with these other tribes because they’re the infidels. They are heathens and they will either be bent to your will or perish. After all, they hate you. They hate the thing you’ve built your entire existence around and that’s as good as hating you. From the outside, it seems stupid but I have been on the inside and I will tell you that, in the moment, it feels as natural as breathing. It’s a reduction to our most animal instincts where survival is the only rule. Just as your body atrophies, so too does your mind and your ability to process emotions.
The spiritual toll is the most harmful one. After all, physical damage can be reversed to a degree. Relationships can be mended and healthy emotions can, with work and dedication, be restored. The soul is harder to fix. The soul cannot be satisfied by ephemeral things like movies, games, food, etc. Those things are there one minute and gone the next. They were pleasurable while they lasted, but they only lasted so long. So in order to maintain that pleasure, the addict has to chase bigger and bigger doses of their drug of choice. You’re chasing the dragon. Unfortunately, you’ll never catch it though and you likely won’t realize what’s happened to you until it’s too late. Addiction to media is like every other addiction. It’s a never ending cycle that leads nowhere.
We live in an era where vices are easily obtained. Media is perhaps the most easily obtained. We can mainline movies and TV shows all day. We can download video games directly to our consoles and play them while they’re still downloading. RPGs can be played online without even having to bring people together. It’s so damn easy to become an addict. That’s why it’s so important to fight against that urge. To bring this back around to the beginning, TBE and Viktor are not addicts. TBE is a husband and father who enjoys gaming. Viktor is hustling to build a name for himself as a designer. They have lives outside of gaming and just want to enjoy gaming. That’s what we should all be doing. We can enjoy our time with these games and movies and books that we love, but we cannot let them rule our lives. We have to be defined by more than just what we consume. We have to be complete, healthy, well-adjusted people who are willing to explore new ideas and ponder different points of view. It’s good to like things and it’s even good to be passionate about them, but that passion cannot be allowed to turn into fanaticism. There’s so much more to say on this topic, but I will end here for now. I do hope that this has you reconsidering just what geek culture has devolved into and how we can come out of it.