One
of the hardest parts about living in the modern
world is fully comprehending the younger generation's addiction to
technology. Sure, I grew up in the era of the television. Like any
kid of the Baby Boom generation, I had my favorite tv programs that I
enjoyed tuning into it each week. Did it ruin my night if I missed my
favorite programs? Hell no! Why? Because I had other competing
interests. Boys of my generation would have rather been outside
shooting bb guns with their friends, or, on a rainy day, reading
comics or eventually Robert E. Howard novels, than spending the whole
day in front of an electronic device.
I
am thoroughly convinced that my generation will be the last
generation that has hobbies that do not require batteries or a power
outlet. The difference between my generation and the generations that
came after us, is that Baby Boomers know how to put technology in its
rightful place (as a necessity or, otherwise, in moderation). We do
not allow gadgets to consume all of our time. I am also convinced
that Baby Boomers will be the last generation that savors a quiet
corner and a good book.
Why
am I waxing philosophical about technology and the importance of
reading? Last weekend, I was talking to a young man who was ready to
dip his feet into historical gaming. The young man in question, Chad,
got introduced into the hobby at 16. He mostly plays 40K and fantasy
games. I told him about Blucher, a basic but fun Napoleonic rule set
that I thought might be a good intro into historical gaming, both for
the visual appeal and for the ease of learning the system.
I
started my adventure into wargaming right about Chad's age, 19, with
an older gaming group that primarily played Napoleonics and Ancients.
Empire and WRG . So I thought it would be kinda cool to start Chad's
journey into the same period that I came to love at his age. Chad
bought a copy of the rules, last one on the shelf, and I told him
that I would provide the terrain and the minis. I would come up with
a scenario, and we would throw down the next Saturday at 11am (plenty
of time for two games in a day, if he was so inclined).
Next
Saturday comes. I get to the store early to set up the table. I had
rebased and touched up some Napoleonic figs that had not met a game
table in over ten years. I dusted off a few buildings, and freshened
up the grass on my battlemat. Setting up the table and pulling out
those old minis felt really good. It made me realize what I missed
most about the hobby. I was excited about the period and rules , and
I had hoped that Chad was meeting the game with the same level of
enthusiasm as I was.
Chad
arrives with the rule book in one hand and his phone in the other. I
give him his forces and quickly explain what every unit is. He
half-listens, while checking his phone. I tell him that I will move
first, because I know the rules. Thought it might give him some
newbie jitters to go first.
I
quickly move my forces, feeling like an elated kid again, already
itching to base more troops up for the game when I get home. His
turn. First question from Chad, "How far can my infantry move?"
His eyes on his phone as he asks. I quickly answer his question, and
watch as he tentatively moves his Russian horde forward. Next
question, "How far can my men shoot?" He's smiling down at
his phone when he asks. My answer this time, "What do the rules
say?" He shrugs his shoulders. I say, "Well, look." He
reluctantly puts down his phone and slowly flips through book. Guess
he never heard of a table of contents, and I waited anxiously as he
carelessly flipped through pages in an obviously half-hearted attempt
to find the answer to his question. I gave up, got his attention, and
went down the line of his troops, explaining the shooting range for
each of his troop types. Two turns later, things are moving along,
somewhat, when Chad suddenly asks me, "Are hills considered
rough ground?" Finally, I had had enough. My reply, "Chad,
did you bother reading the rules?"
His
answer was discouraging but sadly not uncommon. "I was kind of
busy." This, this was it. I put down my rule book and my ruler
and let him have it. I said, "So let me get this straight, I
rebased every miniature on this table, touched up their paint jobs,
and touched up all of the terrain, as well as reread the rules, and
you could not be bothered to do one thing: read the rules."
Chad
started to stutter. He is a nice kid at heart; he's just lazy. He
said, as if this were the EPIC excuse of the year, "I worked 18
hours this week." He bags groceries at the Kroger. "18
hours!" I said, clearly exasperated. "I worked 55, Chad,
and I still managed to get this game table-ready by the weekend."
I then asked, for future edification, if he intended to read the
rules. His answer, gentlemen, "Well, reading is not really my
thing." Yeah! Your thing is your god damn phone! "So you
expected me to read the rules for you then?", I ask. Wide-eyed
silence is golden. We never finished the game.
Call
me a crybaby or a snowflake, but I just started picking everything up
off the table and putting things back in their respective boxes and
cases. Chad's looking across the table at me like I have just gone
crazy. He finally asks, "Did I do something wrong?" I kept
picking up my troops, putting them back in the box. I finally took a
deep breath and answered. I explained that I had put a lot of time
and effort into preparing for the game and relearning the rules. I
told him that I have no problem helping him learn the rules, but that
when I host a game for someone, the least I expect them to do, is
read the rules in advance. Is that too much to ask? It did not used
to be. I would have been ashamed to show up to the club at Chad's age
without having read the rules in advance. It's called participation.
Participating in game is not just about pushing someone's minis
around. It is about actively engaging in the hobby, ie, painting
miniatures, researching the period (for historicals), building
terrain, and reading the damn rules.
If
this new generation of gamers can not be bothered to, at the very
least, read the rules, then gentlemen, this hobby is surely and
truly dead, once my generation of gamers dies. Why? Because we will
be the last generation who feel it is our DUTY to be a contributing
member of the gaming community. You see it's all about
prioritization. I use my free time productively, because gaming is
more important than my phone, and reading rules, at least for my
generation, is a pleasure, not a chore. But how do you teach
prioritization to a generation that can not even be bothered to open
a book and look up the word?
