the Multivitamin Theory of Gaming (it's in there somewhere)

I've been meaning to post this, but the really interesting girl I've been emailing lately made a related comment, so this is reprinted from my letter to her. (It took me five days to finish the letter back to her. That's way too long, even for a huge multifaceted letter answering some sticky questions like "what do you do for a living?" *sigh* and "what's your ideal first date?" *whimper* I'm smacking myself for taking so long... but this one says things like 'comicbooks are cool' and mentions things like GURPS in passing, without prompting. I swear, she brought it up. She's friendly, intelligent, monogamous, actually writes back, and seems to have a reasonable worldview. If she writes back this time, all my worry will be worth it. I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm just trying to keep from scaring her off , and the more we talk, the more we'll know about each other. Step by step, slowly, carefully... ah, man. *sigh*)

I've come to suspect that the reason gaming inspires such addicti--eh, devotion is that it engages several different types of mental function. It involves social, creative, and logical skills, but in such a way that if your level of Function A is below that of the others around you, your above-average Function B will compensate, justifying your pressence in the group long enough for you to learn more Function A skills that will help you in the greater world as well as gaming circles. This, in turn, begets gratitude and a sense that gaming is good for you: "I gained greater confidence from roleplaying." "I learned to think on my feet and improvise from running games." "I still remember how to do algebra because it's useful in GURPS." I didn't do a study or ask around. Those are just my personal testimonials. *shrug*