# I pit Alter Reality Games, and post a warning to gamers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716 "2010-01-20T17:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/61 "2010-01-26T06:00:12Z")
a normie? what the hell? Holden, is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/62 "2010-01-26T11:32:13Z")
> [@marochko](#): > > Well not you directly. Just anyone who isn’t a Normie. Which is the category you fall under. Are you still laboring under the impression that I’m a man? I’m not. I’m the mother of a 7-year-old boy who had been into collecting Pokemon cards. I figured that as long as we were spending all that money on cards, we should learn how to play the game. I learned too because why not learn a fun game? We started going to Pokemon league, and found it was so much fun that we wanted to play more and get better at the game. There, we found many nice people, including other kids, parents who learned to play because of their kids, and other adults who just like to play. It’s been almost a year, and we go to league every week, play in tournaments, etc. The only weird thing about it is that I got totally hooked by the game and I’m a much more serious player than my son is. But that’s hardly uncommon in the Pokemon world. The Pokemon bug catches lots of unsuspecting parents. I’ve never played any kind of similar game before. Except for this, I’m not a gamer. I’m not freaky or ugly or creepy or smelly. I’ve become a bit of a league mom, and that’s because the non-playing parents trust me. And I’ve also gotten a lot of those parents playing. Because they _don’t_ see me and the other adults who play as freaky, ugly, creepy, or weird. I can only think of one who is outwardly geeky, but even he’s not freaky, ugly, creepy, or smelly. Just sort of socially awkward. I have no idea what a “Normie” is. Is that a person who appears “normal?” Someone who doesn’t seem like a “gamer?” ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/63 "2010-01-26T13:25:00Z")
I like where he said a game with a 169-page official [rulebook](http://www.wizards.com/magic/comprules/MagicCompRules_20091005.pdf) (Warning: 169-page PDF) is a game for kids under 12. Still chuckling over that one. ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/64 "2010-01-26T15:58:38Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > “No one” is two words. “Noone” isn’t a word. Tell that to Peter No One. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/65 "2010-01-26T21:04:08Z")
Annoying, irritating. But since they didn’t keep your money, there really was no lasting harm done. And personally I don’t see why people are bashing the OP for playing a game. If I want to play Operation or Chutes and Ladders isn’t that ok? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/66 "2010-01-26T21:45:49Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > If I want to play Operation or Chutes and Ladders isn’t that ok? Ugh, no, that’s so immature! I’d expand on my point, but it’s my turn in Candyland–BRB. Note: I’m pretty sure it’s one idiot mocking the OP, and everyone else mocking the idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/67 "2010-01-27T17:01:57Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > I like where he said a game with a 169-page official [rulebook](http://www.wizards.com/magic/comprules/MagicCompRules_20091005.pdf) (Warning: 169-page PDF) is a game for kids under 12. Still chuckling over that one. On the seventh layer of continuous abilities, Magic 2010 gave to me… Five more sub-layers… Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Genericuser234](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5daacb/32.png) [@Genericuser234](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genericuser234)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/68 "2010-01-28T03:59:09Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > I like where he said a game with a 169-page official [rulebook](http://www.wizards.com/magic/comprules/MagicCompRules_20091005.pdf) (Warning: 169-page PDF) is a game for kids under 12. Still chuckling over that one. Ok you win. It’s a game for nerds then. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/69 "2010-01-28T12:50:47Z")
> [@marochko](#): > > Ok you win. It’s a game for nerds then. **Green Bean** , he called you a _nerd_. Strike back. Evolve your Mysterious Fossil to an Aerydactyl so he can’t use any of his evolution cards. For all you know, your Electabuzz might be enough to finish him. I haven’t played a game of Pokemon in ten years. Do I remember the cards well enough? A friend recently told me he could picture me as an Electabuzz. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/70 "2010-01-28T16:59:26Z")
> [@marochko](#): > > Ok you win. It’s a game for nerds then. … Duh? ---
**Author:** ![Genericuser234](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5daacb/32.png) [@Genericuser234](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genericuser234)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/71 "2010-01-28T22:11:33Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > **Green Bean** , he called you a _nerd_. > > Strike back. Evolve your Mysterious Fossil to an Aerydactyl so he can’t use any of his evolution cards. For all you know, your Electabuzz might be enough to finish him.. PFF. I can beat both \*\*Aerodactyl \*\* AND Electabuzz with my lvl 50 Golem… On second thought, sorry about everything I said before. My bad :smack: . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716.md?page=3)