Because It’s Fun!

Hello again Stuffer Shack. How are you? Good? That’s awesome. Really. I love to hear that. Now now, I can see that look on your face. Uncle Anthony is here and he probably wants to rant long and hard about some grand theory to GMing or take another sociological look at the game table. You’re right, I do want to do that, but I also want to talk about something else. Namely, why do we play these games?

Don’t give me that look. It’s a simple question, y’know. Why do we play these games? More to the point, why do you play these games? Are you looking for an escape from the mundanities of reality? Do you get a thrill out of empowering yourself through the mind and your imagination? Do you just love playing with numbers and crunching mechanics? Maybe you like the social aspect of it all? Whatever the answer, the part that a lot of people fail to mention when talking about why they play our hobby of choice is this: it’s fun.

Take a second and think about that. Think about what it means. We play these games because they are fun. We tell these stories because in doing so we have fun. It’s a simple concept really, but that very simplicity also makes it so very easy to forget about. How many times have you stopped and just taken a moment to realize that this thing you do is fun? How often have you gotten so caught up in crafting that epic encounter, that befuddling puzzle, or preparing notes for that crazed arch villain that you forgot to have fun?

If you’re a regular GM, I’d be willing to wager that it has happened at least a few times. Not to say we GMs have it bad, just that our position – the custodians of the games we are in – often makes us think about everyone else’s fun as a priority and thus we put our own on hold. This is an admirable trait, but ultimately not one that I think we need to uphold with such fervor. This is a game, yes? Games are supposed to be fun. We are supposed to have fun when playing the games. For the GM that means you should also have fun when preparing the game. Trust me on this one.

If you are not having fun when you are preparing your game, your players will know. They’ll feel it when you are running the game. If you aren’t having fun when you put the pieces together, you likely will not have fun when the pieces need to be presented. That lingering feeling of “this is work” will come out, and it will have an impact. This can work for you, sure. Sometimes. But it won’t work all the time, and over time the feeling will grow and grow until the game itself is not fun. At that time, what is the point?

On the other hand if you are having fun while you prepare for game. If statting out that monster and planning the next encounter has a grin on your face from ear to ear as you imagine and wonder at how the players will handle this session, that will come out as well. It will come across when you play. Your excitement will carry the game, and things that could have been mechanical hiccups, or other small issues, will simply vanish and be smoothed over.

That is, ultimately, all I wanted to say today. Have fun with your game. Have fun while playing your game. Have fun while planning your game. Have fun while talking about your game. Gaming is fun. It is one of the most amazing hobbies I’ve ever seen and it has a lot of power. But it is still fun, and that’s really all that matters in the end. Right?