June 2nd, Day one of 365 blogs about me. This should be interesting (with a pic. lol)

     Dice. Those are just some of my dice, and yes, that is a huge mound of dice. And "Why do you have them?" you might say. Well, I am a geek, a dork, a nerd. In other words a gamer. Now, most of us have played games, but, we wouldn't fall under the category of "gamer". Why is that? Well, Do you consistently check forums on other peoples games and see what they are doing? Do you talk to people from around the country for hours on end about favorite characters? Do you get really grumpy when something happens that disrupts plans for game time?  Do you have a lot of publications fueling your ideas for current and or future games? If you have answered yes to some of those questions, you may be a gamer. I answered yes to all of them of course.

     Now, I started when I was 8, it was a local game with friends of mine from the neighborhood. I started by playing a  human wizard, who met his demise by tripping on a rock while running away from combat. I tripped, cracked my head on another rock, and died. The next game, My newly-dead wizard's twin brother, who also happened to be a wizard showed up. He lasted a little longer.

     Now, since I was so young, and it was something that really into, I took my books everywhere. Now, friends of my mother saw these books in my hands, and in my backpack, and saw how much I loved them, how much I was into them, and felt it was their duty to question my mother on her choice to allow me to play. Which she told them, "I have questioned my son, he knows that what he is doing is just a game. Back off. When he starts to get delusional and thinks that he can cast spells, then I will get him to stop" Now, I wish I could cast spells, Magic Missile would have been a handy one here in these past couple of weeks, but alas, I can't.

     As I grew up and lived my life, people felt the need to question my love of gaming. I remember one church member asking me, "How can you play Dungeons and Dragons and still think that you are a good Christian?" I looked at the woman, and plainly said. "It's a game Honey, I know the difference. Do you?" She wasn't too happy with me. Dungeons and Dragons is a game, It is a means of escape from our lives, It is a way to socialize with our friends, and it is a way to feel a small sense of power in our lives, being able to control someone who ultimately benefits the world and know that they do. In other words, an ego boost.

     Now, I will play Dungeon and Dragons until the day I die, I will teach my friends and family how to play if they want to learn, and I will always have a fantastic time doing so. I am a gamer, and damn proud of it.