I'm looking for "war stories"...

[Dr. Awkward]

(If this thread is in the wrong place, please move it for me.  I debated for a long time where to put it, and this seemed like the closest thing to a "general" area.  Thanks.  -B)

My page (The Escapist) is getting ready to have its 8th birthday, and it's usually around this time of year when I start thinking about changes and new things that I'd like to add to the site. I've got one idea for something I've been wanting to add to it for some time now: War Stories.

This would be a collection of anecdotes from people who have encountered some form of negativity towards gaming, and neutralized it or even turned it into a positive.

A good example would be a story I got from Phosphor Rose, who began to have a problem with people standing in front of the store handing out religious tracts and scaring customers away.  So, Rose began to offer discounts to customers who brought in a tract, and bigger discounts to those who managed to bring in several different ones.

I'd like more of these - the kind of stories that can inspire others to do the same.  The focus here is neutralizing a negative, or at best, turning it into a positive, rather than making it worse.  (Yes, that means that stories that end with "So we told 'em we were worshipping the Devil!  Hur hur hur!" will be rejected.)

If you've got such stories, I'd love to hear them and post them on the page.  You can post them in this thread, PM me, or send them to waltonwj@aol.com.  Remember that any stories you share will be posted to the site, unless you specify otherwise.  Please let me know what name or handle you would like attached to your story - or if you'd like to remain anonymous.  Also, if a game store is involved, include a plug if you wish!

Thanks in advance!
- Bill

(EDIT: grammar)

[Ron Edwards]

Hello!

Welcome to the Forge, Bill. I'm honored to have you here.

As for the right forum, that's a bit of a good question, but for now, let's stay here. I'll hunt up some relevant links for this topic too.

War stories, folks!

Best,
Ron

[LordSmerf]

A little clarification: are you specifically looking at overt negatives that are countered, or perhaps some misunderstanding.  I pretty frequently encounter people who are not openly hostile towards gaming, they just don't know anything about it other than what the media has said.  A discussion on what gaming actually is to me generally tends to bring people around.  Is this what you're looking for, or were you more interested in overt attacks against gaming that were countered?

Thomas

[Dr. Awkward]

Welcome to the Forge, Bill. I'm honored to have you here.

As for the right forum, that's a bit of a good question, but for now, let's stay here. I'll hunt up some relevant links for this topic too.

Thanks for the warm welcome.  I've been lurking for some time now, so I know that these sorts of things aren't the usual topic of conversation here - but the truth is that I figured I'd be sure to get some intelligent answers here.

I pretty frequently encounter people who are not openly hostile towards gaming, they just don't know anything about it other than what the media has said. A discussion on what gaming actually is to me generally tends to bring people around.

Good point.  In my book, setting people straight about gaming counts as turning a negative into a positive - it's just not always a "hostile" negative.  So I'd be happy to post your stories.

Really, what I'm after are stories that gamers can read and learn from - stories that will stick with them in the event that they ever run into a similar situation.  Anything that fits that bill is welcome.

- Bill