Why I Oppose Paid Games
by
, September 29th, 2017 at 14:27 (47748 Views)
First of all, this is not aimed at any one individual or group of individuals. Instead, it is an explanation of my views on an activity, not on the people who engage in that activity.
For the record, when I use the term "paid game" I am referring to RPG sessions where the Players pay the GM to run the game for them.
As the title of this blog indicates I am opposed to paid games. I find the idea... distasteful, even cheap. While I hold no ill will to those who do engage in paid games, it is not something I can support or even condone. Others will, of course, hold different views, and I respect the people who hold those views, even though I may disagree with them and they with me.
Role-Playing Games are exactly that: they are games. Games are ment to be a fun activity, typically shared between friends. True, most activities grouped in under the "games" umbrella are competitions, but RPGs are different, even unique in that the Players don't compete with each other, nor do they compete with the GM - well, at least not in a properly run RPG, anyway. Yes, there are a handful of board and other games which are co-operative, but even with most of these the Players are competing against something, usually the clock or some other random element such as a deck of cards or such-like. No, it is only in the RPG hobby that the unique aspects of this "non-competition" are found.
So these games are unique, and are shared among and played by friends. As a GM I construct my games with care because I'm presenting something that I can enjoy with people I want to spend my time with: my friends. When I put together a new group I'm not looking for just Players; I'm looking for friends, both old and new. When we sit down and game we're not just rolling dice and playing at being "Murder-Hoboes"; we're building a relationship between friends and telling personal stories. I find it... uncomfortable to pay or be paid to be someone's friend.
Can you imagine paying someone to play a game of tennis with you? I don't mean as a coach or with both of you being paid to play as a spectacle, but just as a "friendly" game between two people? I know it could happen but its certainly different from just two friends having a game.
Then there's the idea of corruption. As a paid GM, do I go easy on the Players because I'm afraid that if I'm "too tough" they won't come back and therefore I won't make as much money. Or as a Player to I insist of having an easier time of things for the same reason. I know that this can happen in a regular game, but surely the temptation is greater when there's a direct, tangible reward on the table. We all know (those of us who have gamed for a while) that the best games and the best stories are the ones where the Players aren't handed everything on a silver platter (or even a copper platter, for that matter). And even if as a player I don't want the GM to go easy on me, how do I know that this isn't happening even sub-consciously on the GM's part when the GM's getting paid, and therefore I'm not getting a "true" RPG experience. Again, this ties back to trust and to friendship: how can I trust a "friend" who is only there because money is changing hands?
On a different note: How much hubris does a person have to have to think that they're a good enough GM to charge others for the privilege of playing in one of their games? I've been GMing for over 30 years, and I've gamed with a number of other GM's over that time who were as good or better than I am. And where as I'm one of the most arrogant, stuck-up know-it-alls that I know, I don't have the sheer balls to think I'm good enough for people to actually pay me - well, actually, I do. I just don't think that much of myself to actually go ahead and charge people. And I can't imaging any of the other GMs I know - the true Master GMs - changing people either, for the same reasons that I'm outlining here.
The more I wrote, read, re-wrote and re-read this blog the more I realized that the best analogy to this situation was one of sex versus "making love". Sex is fun, it is shared between two (or more) people (depending upon your personal level of kink), and is usually done by those with a relationship; with friends (or lovers). True, you can participate in a "one-shot" one-night-stand; in a series of "casual" encounters with people you know; but the best sex is when it moves beyond just sex into "making love": when the campaign of the physical act takes on the spiritual aspects and you find yourself sharing an intimate story with someone you trust and respect and genuinely care for: your "friend".
While you can certainly pay for and be paid for sex, you can't really pay for or be paid for "making love", because the trust, intimacy and "friendship" just isn't there.
And its the same (to my mind, at least) with paid games: you can't really get the full effect of the game when you have to pay someone to run the game for you - its like paying someone for sex: you get the physical act, but you're missing out on the deeper, more spiritual level.
So why do people pay for a game? I suspect its similar as to why people pay for sex - its "easier" than developing a relationship with a "friend", or its because its quicker to pay someone for a "one night stand" or series of "one night stands" to satisfy their passing "fix" than it is to take the time to find and develop the friendships necessary to fully enjoy this fantastic hobby. Its the "quick fix" versus the "delayed gratification", where everyone knows the delayed gratifications is way, way better in the long run!
I know it can be hard to find a gaming group - its hard to find a true friend and partner, too. But my advice to Players (and GMs) is stick with it, keep looking, and don't limit yourself to just the "popular" gaming systems but expand you horizons and try different systems. A lot of good GMs run games in different systems than the "popular" ones, and we play Role-Playing Games, not just a single game. And if you still can't find a game, seriously consider running one yourself: you become the GM - it's really not that hard, and yes, everyone can do it. After all, most RPGs are designed to be GM'd by 12 year olds - you're smarted than a 12 year old, aren't you?
And don't get me wrong - there's nothing wrong with showing your GM some love and appreciation, especially if they do run a good game. Chipping in and helping out your GM with some of the costs of running the game (buying Rulesets, Tokens, Maps, or Adventures and other Modules for your GM, or even your own Standard FG License) is a fine way to say "Thank you" for putting on a good game, as is the exchange of Christmas and Birthday Gifts as friends do (as my own group does).
So that's my take on paid games. I think SmiteWorks has taken the best stance they can with the topic, and I applaud them for the stance that they have taken as a decent compromise to the situation. But me personally: I don't like paid games, I don't support paid games, and I don't believe paid games are necessary; just deceptively convenient. I also strongly believe that those who participate in paid games are missing out on the full experience of the RPG hobby, which I consider is a real tragedy.
Good Luck and Good Gaming,
"And may all you rolls be 20s"