These are not the cracks you're looking for...

15 asses out of 4,000 is an exceptionally good ratio for a gaming convention if you ask me.

S.

Sagrilarus wrote: 15 asses out of 4,000 is an exceptionally good ratio for a gaming convention if you ask me.

S.

I'd love to see the algorithm that allowed you to reach such a well-defined ratio.

Hey, hang on a second. That dude working on the plumbing? He gets a pseudo pass as do all working dudes that have to bend, stoop, squat to do their jobs.

Happens to me when I'm hooking up a car sometimes. Can't be helped. I can't synch my belt any tighter than I do. I'd cut circulation off to my legs if I did.

The difference between me and the guys at game evens, is that I immediately pull my pants back up ASAP.

Dudes with flat asses have the same problem.

My point is that plumber's crack is not a fat problem, it's a fashion industry problem. With lower waists on all clothing these days, it's not a matter of if, as much as when.

Columbob wrote:

Sagrilarus wrote: 15 asses out of 4,000 is an exceptionally good ratio for a gaming convention if you ask me.

S.

I'd love to see the algorithm that allowed you to reach such a well-defined ratio.

Trust me, you don't want to see Al Gorithm's ass. He has terrible eczema.

Michael Barnes wrote:

You know, I want non-gaming folks to walk into a gaming convention or a gaming event and see what's going on and think "wow, this looks really awesome- I want to try this out."

But take a long, hard look at those hairy man-asses hanging out of ill-fitting pants. Take a long, hard look at those fat slobs that obviously care more about Magic cards than taking care of themselves or making themselves look presentable. Those disgusting butts are, my friends, the public face of hobby gaming.

There is nothing in these images that looks awesome. It does not look fun, regardless of the fact that these people are playing one of the greatest games ever created. It looks repellent.

If all the nasty man-ass disappeared tomorrow, it wouldn't change the impression of boardgaming (or Magic) much, if at all. That impression is a couple of notches above the bronies that we were talking about earlier, and a couple of notches below being a WoW player (for the Gen X and lower) or a model train enthusiast (for older farts, such as me).

RobertB wrote:
If all the nasty man-ass disappeared tomorrow, it wouldn't change the impression of boardgaming (or Magic) much, if at all. That impression is a couple of notches above the bronies that we were talking about earlier, and a couple of notches below being a WoW player (for the Gen X and lower) or a model train enthusiast (for older farts, such as me).

I tend to disagree. There would be a huge change in the impression made by Magic players.

There would no longer be a dirt-caked sweat impression made on the seats...

RobertB wrote: If all the nasty man-ass disappeared tomorrow, it wouldn't change the impression of boardgaming (or Magic) much, if at all. That impression is a couple of notches above the bronies that we were talking about earlier, and a couple of notches below being a WoW player (for the Gen X and lower) or a model train enthusiast (for older farts, such as me).

There's your solution right there: introduce a euphemistic-sounding term that the gaming community can use to describe their subculture ("social gaming", for example), and append the word "enthusiast" on the end.

It works for anything. "I'm not a shut-in who watches too much porn, I'm an erotica enthusiast."

Now there's this article going around.

Over the years I have acquired 20 or so close friends who play Magic the Gathering. They are a diverse group: men and women, large and small, socially awkward and smooth. I have friends in this group who follow every sporting event and others who just don’t care. I have married friends, single friends, polyamorous friends, straight friends, gay friends.

And this is why I get so angry and sad when an article like this goes viral. Because instead of seeing the diverse group of fascinating, empathetic, and unique people that are allured by the complex game of Magic, they see a bunch of overweight slobs who dress poorly.

Let me get this out of the way too: in no way do I blame the victims in this situation. There have been calls of “well if they had found clothes that fit, they wouldn’t have been in this embarrassing place. Maybe this is a wake up call for them.”

Sorry, you don’t get to dress your cruelty as a public service message. Even if this was meant as a PSA (which the creator alleges was part of his inspiration), this is a terrible way to do it. Publicly embarrassing strangers for how they look is absolutely unacceptable. The photographer specifically chose to focus only on these people, thus this is the perception that outsiders see of who a Magic player is. Way to make a PSA that hurts the community as a whole.

Even my bleeding-heart liberal white guilt social justice (yet fully covered) ass has its limits. And let me tell you something, when someone points out a problem in your community, the problem is not their fault for pointing it out. You want Magic players to be treated with some kind of respect and dignity? Then talk to them about comporting themselves in such a way that invites it. Don't get pissy at the guy who pointed it out. We're not talking about shaming people on their body or social class or whatever, we are talking about pulling up your goddamn pants, an activity that is available to nearly everyone. (I'm not even talking about the "urban" (black) style of low-hanging pants, because those dudes at least have their boxers on.)

What is this article even proposing? Here is what it is claiming:

1) Don't take pictures of exposed man-ass at Magic tournaments
2) Now everyone respects the people playing the magical wizard card game

That's not how it's going to work. And it's true, that if everyone there was dressed in nicely-fitted suits you'd still have people cracking wise at the nerds.

And it's not like this guy went out of his way to do this photoshoot. I could have done a similar one at Unity Games, and I'm betting Conn Con this weekend will provide some raw material, should anyone be interested. How many people saw the images and thought, "Huh? At a gaming event? Really? I've never imagined such a thing!"

Nerds need to organize a few fewer "Hooray For Watching Buffy!" parades and clean up their fucking house. But then again, I'm just a big scene-hater.

Now you've got me hoping that somebody at the convention/tournament is washing the seats, but I'm not optimistic.