Living in the Past

[stevekenson]

One thing struck me from my weekend at Origins: a lot of gamer-geek culture is living in the past. Sure, there are new "indie" experimental games, and some mainstream games doing fairly well, just as there are new indie and popular comics, but the overall impression the RPG community gives off is that the Golden Age has come and gone. RPGs were better back in "the good old days," whether that's before D&D 3.5, 3.0, or even 2nd edition (some of the epoch markers of RPG history). Current RPGs almost seem like pale imitators of those mythic giants of times past: flawed and imperfect, to be sure, but larger than life in a way that modern games don't quite seem to equal. There's a lot of new-editionism: resurrecting old favorites from times past in an attempt to recapture the magic they once held. D&D, World of Darkness, Warhammer, the D6 System, GURPS, Shadowrun, Paranoia, Runequest, Deadlands; the list goes on.

Maybe it's simply seeing the hobby with adult eyes (and adult lives and resposibilities) as opposed to the carefree imaginations of kids. Certainly, it's been said the "Golden Age" of science fiction is around the age of 12, and that applies to games, too. No doubt, like many childhood memories, RPGs and campaigns past are seen through the rose-tinted glasses of fond recollection. If nothing else, they were fresher and newer then (and so were we). The Golden Age is always in the past, because otherwise it wouldn't be recognized as a Golden Age.

Some of it seems to be a kind of "fatigue." Long-time gamers like myself have so many games and game products now. I have numerous bookshelves groaning under hundreds of RPG books, with even more boxed up in my office closet and basement. For example, I acquired two books at Origins recently that I discovered I already own, I'd just forgotten. I didn't pick up at least two other things at Origins because I couldn't recall if I already owned them or not. I've got far more RPG books than I could ever use, even if I never bought another one and gamed for the next 20 years. How much more do I need? I think it's telling that the only real d20 products that seem to be doing well any more are things like Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics, which replicate the nostalgia of 1st edition D&D with a "remember when?" style.

My recent experience with comics has been much the same: although I've been a voracious comic book reader since I was 11, my purchases have started to taper off lately. I still have stuff I like, but less and less of it is coming from DC or Marvel. I have zero interest in both their big summer events and new directions. Increasingly, I find myself re-reading stuff I liked, or seeking out older comics (in the form of reprints, trades, and B&W collections) and enjoying them a good deal more. Plus, again, I've got such a huge collection of comics, it gets harder to recall sometimes what I've got and what I've read before.

Maybe it's just a symptom of aging, trying to old on to a past that's long gone in many ways, or a reaction to a world that is changing and shifting away from many of the things I enjoyed in my childhood, but I can't help but wonder how long you can live in the past before the future starts to intrude, bringing harsh reality with it.

Comments

[ptevis.livejournal.com]

Having played Red Box D&D last weekend, I can safely say that I do not long for a simpler time. My Golden Age of gaming is now.

[littlestkobold.livejournal.com]

We're experiencing a similar thing at the cinema too. How many of the big releases of the past few years have actually been sequels or remakes? A large proportion. I guess we're living in an age where we place a lot of stock in the comfort of nostalgia and the past.

[hawthorn-hobbit.livejournal.com]

I have to say, gaming with a bunch of kids last year, the "Golden Age" is generated by your current perspective. Have you seen the shirts with the old Atari images and underneath saying "old school". It's just a form of "Back in my day..." I think part of the issue is relearning a new system, and finding the time to reread the rule book ten times.

The remembering part. You could carry a PDA with a spread sheet of your library and comic collection so you don't pick up doubles. This can come in handy if you ever need to liquidate part of the collection or for some unforeseen accented loose part or all of the collection. You can then insure your collection at the proper rate.

[doccross.livejournal.com]

You are right when you say that the "Golden Age" is always in the past. My gaming GA would probably run from about 1976 to 1998 or so. My comics GA would run from about 1959 to 1975. Those were the days when I was most in the thick of things.

As for when the future intrudes on the rose colored past, well, it varies, depending upon ones real life situation. For me, it was probably the moment Grace and I said "Let's buy a house":) After that, Mr. Real Life stopped being a frequent guest and moved into the spare bedroom:)

On the other hand, Kid/Teen Doc does still live in the attic:)

[balthial.livejournal.com]

I think there's something to what you're saying. When you're young you're more open to new products because they seem so new and interesting. When you've been gaming for a while it takes something weird and indie to feel new and interesting.

Also, in some ways the old days really were better - gaming companies had more revenue and could afford much higher production vales.

Epochs have shrunk a bit

[jrtheotter.livejournal.com]

Do you suppose it's possible that a yearning for a Golden Age of gaming comes about now because now, for the first time, those who were young enough to see the early days of gaming in their peak, childhood years, are not finally old enough to truly be nostalgic?

[drakematrix.livejournal.com]

Ech, I don't think 2nd edition D&D was all that great... I tried it once, it made no sense, and as I will say till the day I die... THE MAGIC SYSTEM SUCKED ASS! YOU FORGET A SPELL AFTER YOU USE IT? WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THAT?

the ONLY reason my old roomate ever got me to play was because he came up with a mana system for my magic, and my other char was a psionicist/thief who didn't need to worry about the magic system.

[xomec.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, the infamous Vancian magic system of D&D: one of the things I'd hoped they'd change in the new edition, but didn't, because it's too much of a sacred cow (although tons of variant systems have sprung up since 3rd edition, including some "official" ones from Wizards).

[jongwk.livejournal.com]

The Golden Age is gone.

Long live the Silver Age!

(Sorry, I had to say it ;)