Late to the party?
Edit: Woops! Went off on a tangent. Damn you, wonderful ADHD/OCD/Crazy, I love you! I'm Dutch(slightly-German)-Brazilian, born and raised American. I've spent half my life in Brazil, I've been wealthy and I've lived in the ghetto or been homeless at the worst points, I've traveled quite a bit and come to see some truly amazing things, places, and people. The world is a beautiful, incredible, special place - if you only know where and when to look.
I've been gaming since I was 8 years old. Used to have to lie and pretend I'm anywhere between 20 to 33. I made the mistake of informing a guild of hundreds that swore by me like Jesus on the cross, so to speak, and it all came crashing down the day I stupidly admitted I was a 10 year old. I did that a few times, always hoping people would grow the hell up and just accept that a kid can somehow effectively run a large group of adult players - but no. Didn't happen. Thankfully I had a few folks, typically young-20's, teens, and ironically late 40's-60s players that accepted me. Its the late 20s to late 30s crowd, and some early 40s, who were usually the torchlight of ignorance en masse.
Thankfully I'm now 23, turning 24 on Feb. 13th of 2016, and a grown-ass man with beard, car, (ex-)wife and all. Joy.
Ah, the good ol' days. I secretly loved having people try to guess my age. Funny enough, it meant so much to me and I was so "worldly" that people often thought I was in my 30s or late 20's. Nowadays I give such little a !@#$ about people's opinions that I can act like a teenage dickbag while discussing complex scientific concepts, absolutely confusing the bloody hell out of anyone watching. Its funny how some people are kids to the end then finally man up, while others are old-souled and become veritable children as they "mature." Fun, fun, fun!
To the 13 year old Malaysian - I respect you, who you are, and what you do. Forget what the ignorant may claim - you are a special breed and its people like you who grow up and accomplish great things in the world.
If it weren't for my social experiences in gaming and leading, I'd likely never have become a poet, musician, freelance writer, award-winning debater, editor of a literary magazine, narrator, public speaker, businessman, business manager with a special gift for human resources, a volunteer counselor for victims of childhood and sexual abuse, and more. I don't say this to brag - because I kind of suck at all of the above, but I give it the best I can. If it weren't for games like these, I'd NEVER have the experience, wisdom, and sheer BALLS to try it all, if any.
Running guilds as a kid taught me to lead, follow, and care about the group, rather than myself. I learned that a well-oiled social structure functions like a perfect machine - and that its a leader's job to take care of the most ignored yet vital aspect: the emotional well-being and enjoyment of its members. If you don't keep the players happy, they walk away... Or worse, they defect. Rebel. Spy. Disorganize. Lash out in some shape or form, all due to the fact that they come to the game to be entertained and release stress, yet the damn game is giving more stress than it relieves. If you seem to be running on a stress deficit, the whole ship will go down 'a flaming.
Such is the way of life. Funny, to this day I have massive arguments with people who say videogames are garbage and a waste of time. I talk them into considering certain perspectives, then show them my scifi novel work, communities like Bay12, and especially my writing I've done as a roleplayer over the years, and people go "Wow I thought it was all grand theft auto and call of duty. I had no idea there were games like this!"
The Alpha and Omega lesson: judge not, lest ye experience by the virtue and blood of thy very hands.
