Why I Love Tabletop Games

The d12, finally getting its time in the spotlight.

At one point in time, every tabletop gamer is asked a specific question by someone who isn't apart of the hobby. The person asks, "Why do you play these games? Why do you spend so much time and money on them?" Everyone has their own preferred way to answer that question, with some preferring to keep it short and to the point while others like to give more in-depth explanations about why they care so much.

Seeing that I'm writing this post dedicated to the subject, you can probably guess which side I fall under. 

Like most of you, I have numerous reasons to justify my love for tabletop games. However, I don't want to make this post a long diatribe about how these games are amazing and why I care about them so much. Instead, I've boiled it down to three main factors that keep me coming back to this hobby. 

First, roleplaying games give me an unique outlet for my creativity. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always loved to create stories and worlds during my free time. Its why I usually have a pencil and a notebook near me at all times. These games allow me to channel that creativity into something that I can share with my friends. However, unlike a short story or a novel, I get to see these ideas grow and evolve based on my players' contributions and interactions. 

I also love how you can change and warp these games to either fix problems within the rules or to better fit your preferences and play style. When playing a video game that just so happens to have a rather nasty glitch, you can't really do anything about it unless you are the game designer or have those skills. However, you can simply change or ignore rules within a tabletop game that ruin the experience for yourself and your group. You can also add rules at your liking and personalize the game to some degree. 

Finally, and most importantly, I love the social aspect associated with tabletop gaming. Life can be tiring and its really relaxing to gather around a table with a few of my best friends to play a roleplaying game such as Pathfinder or a board game like Settlers of Catan. While we play these games, I get to spend time with people I truly care about, having a good time whether we're working together to save a village from a tribe of vicious goblins or building settlements and roads in an attempt to gain the most victory points. All that matters is that we enjoy ourselves and the time we have with each other. 

Next to comics and movies, gaming is one of my biggest passions in life. I've been apart of this hobby for over a decade and I see myself remaining a part of it for many years to come. I love these games so much I decided to create this blog so I could share my love with like-minded individuals and discuss different topics that exist within the hobby. 

You know why I love tabletop games. Why do you?