What's the deal with this "Go Play" thing? I understand the idea is to encourage people to get away from just talking about RPGs and back to actually playing them. Am I wrong?

Well, that's all fine and dandy, but isn't part of the allure of any hobby (and maybe particularly gaming) all of the ephemera that goes along with it?

"Go Play" is a simplistic take on what makes hobbies like gaming so appealing: just playing the game is only part of the allure.

For example, you really don't need so many dice, but many gamers have TONS of them. You don't really need to post on gaming fora, but lots of people do, including myself, obviously.

Also, what's so wrong with talking about gaming anyway? What if you don't have any suitable gamers to "go play" with? Why is collecting gaming products solely to read and enjoy so wrong?

I agree playing is a core experience of the game, but it certainly isn't the only one that's important.

These are just a few questions, and I'm very interested in your feedback. What are your thoughts?

Albert Dupontel once said "Look at how well formed nature is, they put uniforms on arseholes so that we can recognise them more easily".

I think the same applies in this situation to people who plaster themselves with that particular logo and slogan.

EDIT: Okay, I don't really mean that I think people who sign up to this thing are arseholes but it does rub me the wrong way simply because I'm not particularly fond of popular movements, particularly when they're so simplistic.  I'm not a number... I'm a free man!

How does it strike you if you read the "Go" as being more like "Go team!" than "Go get a job and a haircut, hippy!"?

In my experience it's at least part of both ... "You should go play, like, right now, because it's cool!" plus "Playing is cool!  Yay for play!" plus more than a little "Heh!  I'm a geek!  It's fun!"

And, of course, the origin was entirely non-message-bearing.  It was just "I'm a person who plays RPGs.  Go me!"  A little sign from one person to another, inspired by many, many similar such signs that people plaster on their car bumpers.

But hey, if you want to get het up about it, I suppose your current tack is as good a one as any.

My recent Gamemastering Renaissance (if we can call it that), wherein I try to de-program myself from thinking too goddamn hard about gaming, was inspred in part by this "Go Play" nonsense.

I guess you read in it what you want to, or what you think to.  Me, I found it (and lots of other things, I must emphasize) reminding me not to worry so much about being awesome and reaching for high goals and yadda yadda BLAH, and to instead just kinda say, "Screw it.  this tiny little plot worked in high school, it'll work again now."

I neither advocate nor discourage the meme.  I got somethin' out of it and I'm movin' on.  Everyone else can embrace or reject or bedevil or deify or make to or whizz on it.  I got NPCs to rip off from movies and TV.

It seems to me that it has helped some people as Dr Rotwang testifies, has amused some others and personally I don't give a crap (not about it helping the Doc, that's great, I mean personally the Go Play thing does nothing for me and so I don't give much of a crap about it either way).

I fail to see anything to object to though, if it doesn't help you or amuse you what the fuck does it matter?

That said, to answer the OP, for me the hobby is about play.  The rest is folderol, a word I don't get to use often enough so thanks for this opportunity.

Quote from: Balbinus...[F]olderol, a word I don't get to use often enough so thanks for this opportunity.

This word is now officially my favorite thing to say out loud, along with "Monkeybutt" and "Goddammit, I got biscuits in da' car!"

And I might clarify: I'm not testifying to The Power Of Go Play.  It was more like "Dude, I tripped on this thing while I was running with the duh-scissors".

Quote from: Mr. AnalyticalAlbert Dupontel once said "Look at how well formed nature is, they put uniforms on arseholes so that we can recognise them more easily".

I love that quote.

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Quote from: Mr. AnalyticalEDIT: Okay, I don't really mean that I think people who sign up to this thing are arseholes but it does rub me the wrong way simply because I'm not particularly fond of popular movements, particularly when they're so simplistic.  I'm not a number... I'm a free man!

Yeah, this is so popular. Soon everyone will have one, just like the renaissance I see in the future of the RPG market. :rolleyes:

For me GoPlay is so small, I don't see how anyone can get their shorts in a twist based on your rationale.

It doesn't bother me--I'm with Max on this one. People want to celebrate playing RPGs? Rock. People want to use it as the secret handshake? Erm., okay. If it skews towards a particular demographic that's probably because of where it originated (Story Games, I believe) but I think the message, over all, isn't a bad      one.

-Marco

Quote from: mattormegI understand the idea is to encourage people to get away from just talking about RPGs and back to actually playing them. Am I wrong?

Yes, actually, you are wrong.

It's a sticker to put on your car to recognize other gamers. That's all. Nothing more (though some people took it upon themselves to make it mean more).

So all your other comments? Yeah, pretty much not applicable. Sorry.

-Andy

Quote from: Andy KYes, actually, you are wrong.

It's a sticker to put on your car to recognize other gamers. That's all. Nothing more (though some people took it upon themselves to make it mean more).

So all your other comments? Yeah, pretty much not applicable. Sorry.

-Andy

Andy, I appreciate that was the original idea, but that hasn't got much to do with the online usage does it?  Regardless of the original idea, for which hopefully it is still being used, it also has quite another use now and I think that's what Mattormeg was talking about.

After all, all these avatars, they're online things aren't they?  On rpg.net there was a whole thread with avatars being designed for people to use, online again.

So yeah, your point is right but it's also wrong.  The original intent and the online variant are not the same thing and Mattormeg was talking about the online variant, though the offline purpose might also be interesting and is worth noting in passing.

(reply to Andy, cross-posted with Balbinus)

In that case it's a poorly-constructed message. It should be "I play". But then the "Go" symbol would make less sense than it does.

Actually, I think the way that Dr. Rotwang has taken the message is pretty positive and something that I'm trying to cultivate myself, albeit without the insignia which I personally don't like.

Quote from: Elliot WilenIn that case it's a poorly-constructed message. It should be "I play". But then the "Go" symbol would make less sense than it does.

Actually, I think the way that Dr. Rotwang has taken the message is pretty positive and something that I'm trying to cultivate myself, albeit without the insignia which I personally don't like.

It's a question of tone, if you read it like a cheerleader "gooooo, play" as in play is great, then it makes sense.  If you read it in the imperative, "go play, now!" then it is less positive.

It was meant in the same way you'd say go team or go the Redsox or whatever.  Not as an order.

Eh, the green background and triangle, both of which are symbols of "go!" in the imperative (one for automobile drivers, the other for audiovideo interfaces), don't convey the "goooo, play" concept very well.

Quote from: MarcoIt doesn't bother me--I'm with Max on this one. People want to celebrate playing RPGs? Rock. People want to use it as the secret handshake? Erm., okay. If it skews towards a particular demographic that's probably because of where it originated (Story Games, I believe) but I think the message, over all, isn't a bad      one.

-Marco

The message, and especially the subsequent interpretation of the message, is a highly ironic one given where the whole fad/fashion came out of.

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