Gamers are Great!

I’ll start out by simply saying that Gamers Are Great!
Of course that may be a sweeping generalization, but so be it.

I just love it when you can meet people from far away that share a common interest. There’s immediately a level of familiarity that you can connect with.

I’ve had previous experiences of this when moving from one location to another. The first instance that comes to mind is before we had our family full of kids and my wife and I moved across the country for an internship. We were a little apprehensive, but still felt good about the move. However, it wasn’t until we met another couple that completely opened their home to us that all the uneasiness was put to rest. Our second day in town we found a local church of our denomination and were immediately greeted by a nice couple who invited us for dinner. They then let us stay with them until we found a place to live for the summer. It was amazing how immediate and how welcoming they were and we believe that it was because of the common beliefs and interests we shared.

The last couple days I’ve had similar feelings as I’ve meet other distant strangers in the gaming world. As I’ve mentioned in other entries, we listen to a number of board game podcasts. Well, two of those we listen to originate in Indianapolis, Indiana – “Game On! with Cody & John” and “The Spiel”. So when my business travel schedule showed Indianapolis this month, I thought it would be neat to meet the podcasters that I listen to on a regular basis. And I was happy to hear that they were very open to meeting – and of course, playing some games.

And here’s where I’ll echo that Gamers are Great.

I arrived in Indianapolis on a Sunday afternoon and our first stop (good thing my coworker I’m traveling with is a great sport too) was to meet Cody and John. Not only did they agree to meet, but John completely opened his home to us for the afternoon. Here we are, complete strangers who only met via the internet, and he welcomes us warmly into his home. And not only that, but it turns out it was John’s birthday. So everybody give a shout out to John – Happy post birthday!  Then give a shout out to his great family too! They’re all very nice.

Then tonight we were able to meet up with Stephen from The Spiel and were likewise warmly received. Of course, with the busy schedules that we all face every day Dave wasn’t able to make it and we didn’t get to take a peek at The Spiel’s “padded cell”. But we did get to visit a good while with Stephen and get in a good game of Scopa (better for he than me, but fun nonetheless). And I’ll take him up on his open invitation to visit the padded cell next time I’m in Indy.

So for all of those who listen to Game On! with Cody & John and The Spiel, I just have to say that they are as nice and welcoming as they sound on the airwaves (or digital audio waves). They are down to Earth guys who enjoy games and are very friendly. And for those that haven’t yet listened to their gaming podcasts, I’d recommend you give it a listen.

And here’s a reminder that the world is filled with fantastic people. If we can be open to new experiences and meeting new people, then we’ll always be able to find friends all over the world. And I’d highly recommend that you reach out and see if there are some game groups in your community or local board game conventions where you could make new friends. Don’t think that the gaming world is just full of basement dwellers. It’s full of great people with great families.

It’s great to take part in a community of individuals around the world that love to play games and just have fun. So cheers to you all!