The Wheatons are Game

I’ve never been much of a gamer. That’s not to say I haven’t played many (non-RPG) board and arcade/video games over the years, but it was never a focal point for me. I sort of slipped through the cracks, timing-wise, with the whole gaming culture.

Dungeons and Dragons was hitting its popularity when I started college (late 70s/early 80s), but I opted instead to hang out with the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) folk. A few short years later came the time-consuming process of trying to make my fortune out in the “real” world. With that as background, some might be surprised that one of the things (among many) that makes me a fan of Wil Wheaton is that he is a lifelong gamer.

When you listen or read Wil discuss his gaming experiences, you can’t help but be caught up in his enthusiasm. His experience is broad and his analysis of aspects of his gaming experience are very insightful and entertaining. If the gaming world wanted a spokesperson, it could do staggeringly worse than electing this particular gaming nerd to that post. He is passionate without being patronizing as he invites the neophyte into his world.

Don’t believe me? Listen to this podcast he did (accompanied by his wife, Anne) on Tiny Odd Conversations (#40) “Getting Gamey With The Wheatons” (the show is about 90 minutes and has a little NSFW language)

It’s a fascinating exploration of a world I was never that much a part of but was curious about. Whether you are a complete noob or a passionate pro, there’s no getting around his honest love of gaming. From that has emerged a wit shared by both Wheatons that infuses the intersocnetwebs with humor, absurdity, and yes…love. (Awwww.) Don’t believe me? Try these on for your amusement:

That they are also vegetarians (as have I since 1980-ish…many, many salad bars ago) only adds to their legend.

Anyway, check out the podcast. And if you aren’t already, you really should be following these two as they lurk (or is it skulk? shimmy? sashay?) about the ‘net.

Anne Wheaton	Twitter: @AnneWheaton
Wil Wheaton	Twitter: @wilw Blog: WWdN: In Exile Google+: Wil Wheaton YouTube: Wil Wheaton’s Stupid Videos

Oh, and as a bonus, here’s the first part of a multi-part series of videos showing Wil in his element, with a few friends playing an intimate game of DnD