Amen, this right here (Destiny)

by Earendil, Monday, June 22, 2015, 15:20 (3681 days ago) @ Kermit

I think a lot of people struggle with the idea that a gaming session is something worth planning and scheduling, like it is going to a show or any number of other enjoyable social activities. I've said before that some of non-DBO friends don't seem to get it, responding to attempts to plan things with "Yeah, I might be on then." I understand adult responsibilities, but for activities that require a certain headcount, that means you don't usually get to do that activity unless you can commit to the thing ahead of time. Expecting it to work out any other way strikes me as almost childishly naive.

As a married guy without kids yet, a hundred times this. I think the problem many of us still face is that gaming is not seen by others as a social activity with the same social consequences for canceling.

Take these two conversations:

Other people - "Hey, want to grab lunch with us?"
Earendil - "I'd love to, but I'm grabbing a drink with my brother"

Other people - "Hey, want to grab lunch with us?"
Earendil - "I'd love to, but I'm playing video games with my brother"

Perhaps you and I can see those as equal social responsibilities, but many people do not. They don't understand why you can't just not play video games and accept their invitation. They may respect the fact that you game, the same way they respect that you watch TV. But like TV, it's not (often) seen as a social activity that is a valid excuse for not hanging out. To my Wife's credit, she is slowly coming around to the idea. She still has a hard time responding to other couples when they ask us to do something, and her response has to be "We can't, my husband is busy gaming tonight".