Over thinking it?

Yesterday I was accused of over thinking a topic. Have you ever been exposed this sort of abuse? I hope not; it is foul.

By my nature I am nerdy kind of guy, a software developer by trade. My brain was wired a specific way to solve society’s specific software problems – how is that for an ego. If God wanted me to be a musician he would have made me taller, given me a receding hair line, some musical talent, and a dandy personality – I would look something like this [^], However, God already made one of those, so to be unique he shortened me up, rewired my brain, added some weight around the middle, and gave me a snarky personality.

What was the topic you ask? “Theorizing about artificial physics in an artificial environment for mostly entertainment value.” Sounds inherently heady, eh? Let me translate one more time … I was writing the rules to a role playing game. No longer does it seem so heady; it is just plan nerdy, personally I like the first description better. I had no idea the level of commitment that role players have to their role playing systems. They should have a dummies book “Talking to gamers for dummies” I would recommend a copy to everyone after this discussion.

Recall I am software developer, which is really a code for a person who breaks a lot of systems to discover the limits of the system. Have you ever tried to talk to an extreme gamer? That is hard enough, but to tell them that their system is broken… oh my, let’s just say I found thin ice; where’s that book when you need it? First rule when talking to a gamer, their preferential game system is law; second rule, don’t tell them there world is broken. Some key words that may hint you have discovered the game system: 3Dr2, WOD, Second Ed, gurps, d20, etc.

From my perspective I am trying to dissect and understand the physics of the artificial world, what are the important elements? Per our understanding, if I jump off of a cliff, I need to account for some forces acting on me. More specifically, I need to know the interaction between me and the planet, (am I on the moon, or earth). How much atmosphere does the location have? A thick atmosphere, like earth, could limit my falling rate (before I splatter). What if I have a cool-fancy-state-of-the-art Acme 4000 Jet pack, how does that affect my impending doom?

What if I asked all of these questions in relation to d20? Holy cow, you would have thought that I kicked the gamer’s child. Not only was I told that gravity is non-essential force in the d20 system, but Acme does not produce products in this alternate reality. Uggh. I began to feel that I could not win… And then my witty opponent allowed frustration to get the best of him. You could see the frustration start in his left hand; wash across his face, and out the other side. It was classic. As the frustration touched his lips, I was downright accused of over thinking his system. I am still in shock, days later.