You know how it goes: your well of party conversation runs dry-how many variations on inane weather banter can there be?-so out comes the deck of cards or a board game. Soon you find that you and your friends are up until obscene hours of the night playing poker or Monopoly as the stakes get higher and the competitive spirit kicks in.
Gaming is more than just a way to pass time. For some reason, many people find themselves cutting off all sense of shyness and constraint whenever they roll a pair of dice or deal a deck of cards. What is it about playing games that makes people shed their sense of self-consciousness?
Games have long been a social activity. "While people have been playing games for centuries, the idea of a 'gaming league' has been around for only 30 years," says Ben Paris, president of the Gamers Guild of McGill and a U2 student of History and English Literature. Members of McGill's gaming organization participate in three types of games: role-playing, collectible card games, and strategic board games. Here at McGill, and all over the world, role-playing games are dominating the gaming industry.
"The creative facet of role-playing games attracts many players," says Grace Seybold, a U3 East Asian Studies student and member of the Gamers Guild. Players are especially drawn to those that possess an element of the surreal, such as Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons.
"Role-playing has that whole kind of Lord of the Rings fantasy appeal," says Gregory Hum, U3 Education. But what is it about fantasy experience that made Lord of the Rings such a huge hit in the first place? "Part of the allure of fantasy role-playing is the ability to step out of your ordinary life and assume the role of a fictional character," says Paris. "It's kind of like acting in a movie but without all the pressure."
While gaming gets your creative juices flowing, it also makes you, well... smarter. "Board games contain a strategy aspect that appeals to a lot of people because they really like to embrace intellectual challenges," explains Seybold. Yet not all board games are your average Scrabble and Risk. "The McGill Gamers have a lot of exotic games that you wouldn't normally find in stores," says Hum.
The latest trend in the world of gaming isn't a new game but rather a new community of players: women. Contrary to stereotypes, gaming is not all male. "More and more women are joining in on the strategy and the competition," states Seybold, who is starting her own female gamers league. Nevertheless, most gamers are still men. "Women only make up about 10 per cent of our mailing list," says Paris. If any girl at McGill is ever in need of a smart stud, she knows where to look.
The best part about gaming, many claim, is its creative, low-key, social environment. The Gamers Guild participates in gaming conventions at local and international levels. They are hosting their own convention called
ConjurationX in Verdun on March 5 and 6. "You'll meet a lot of people [at the convention]," says Hum. "It's a different group of people than you would meet elsewhere."
The Gamers Guild holds informal meetings on Thursdays and Fridays. For info, contact mcgillgamers@yahoogroups.com.
