04-04-2011, 05:08 PM
As I go about the task of creating new articles and editorials for our PBM related site, here, I often find myself wondering what I should write about?
Invariably, many of my articles and editorials touch upon some of the same things. I often find myself saying the same things, over and over and over again - albeit perhaps in a way worded somewhat differently than the time before.
As I emphasize and re-emphasize that PBM isn't dead, hearing that echo may or may not annoy those of you who bother to take time out to pause and read what I write on the subject. But, consider this, if you will: To persuade people to take up the PBM gauntlet, it might be helpful if they start their consideration of that proposition with the belief that PBM is not already dead.
I also have to overcome Internet-based obstacles that take the form of prior pronouncements by others - the self-anointed seers and prophets of play by mail - that PBM is either dead or dying. PBM's death knell was sounded decades ago, during the height of play by mail gaming's golden era. So, from my perspective, the deck is pretty well stacked against me from the get-go.
There's also a lot of Internet noise that must be overcome. Doing a web search for the search phrase "pbm" just now, Google yields a Wikipedia disambiguation page as the very first item listed in its search for that phrase. Both Yahoo! and Bing search engines yield a non-play by mail item for their first place items in their respective searches for the very same search phrase. So, what's a guy like me to do?
If the Internet is to be a battleground for the future of play by mail gaming - arguably even THE battleground, then PBM is going to have to fight for every inch of Internet territory. In the grand sum of things, PlayByMail.Net is but merely a beachhead in PBM's counter-attack on the gaming world.
Ours is a small beachhead. Very small, in fact. In this conflict, we are at considerable disadvantage. If, however, nearly everyone and their brother (of those who have actually heard of PBM's existence, in the first place) thinks that PBM gaming is long dead and buried, then I think that it stands to reason that we may realistically enjoy the element of surprise.
Our beachhead is established. It is growing. Now, we are merely awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. Granted, they may not get here in time to save either us or this beachhead, or they may even never arrive, at all. But, what matters is that WE are here. If the situation appears utterly hopeless, then all the better - for we won't suffer under any delusion of the possibility of success. What better time could you ask for, gentlemen and ladies of the PBM gaming world, to invade the gaming world?
Now, some of you may be thinking, "Hey, Charles, it's a delicate situation that we've got here." So what? Do you like PBM gaming suffering under the seemingly eternal burden of being a dead niche of gaming? Hey, it may or may not be a niche, but if it is, then it's OUR niche!
I'm not trying to conquer the gaming world. Where would be the fun in that? No, what I'm after is an expansion of our existing territory, with "our" referring to PBM gaming.
Just think of it as a bug hunt, and you'll be fine, kid.
Invariably, many of my articles and editorials touch upon some of the same things. I often find myself saying the same things, over and over and over again - albeit perhaps in a way worded somewhat differently than the time before.
As I emphasize and re-emphasize that PBM isn't dead, hearing that echo may or may not annoy those of you who bother to take time out to pause and read what I write on the subject. But, consider this, if you will: To persuade people to take up the PBM gauntlet, it might be helpful if they start their consideration of that proposition with the belief that PBM is not already dead.
I also have to overcome Internet-based obstacles that take the form of prior pronouncements by others - the self-anointed seers and prophets of play by mail - that PBM is either dead or dying. PBM's death knell was sounded decades ago, during the height of play by mail gaming's golden era. So, from my perspective, the deck is pretty well stacked against me from the get-go.
There's also a lot of Internet noise that must be overcome. Doing a web search for the search phrase "pbm" just now, Google yields a Wikipedia disambiguation page as the very first item listed in its search for that phrase. Both Yahoo! and Bing search engines yield a non-play by mail item for their first place items in their respective searches for the very same search phrase. So, what's a guy like me to do?
If the Internet is to be a battleground for the future of play by mail gaming - arguably even THE battleground, then PBM is going to have to fight for every inch of Internet territory. In the grand sum of things, PlayByMail.Net is but merely a beachhead in PBM's counter-attack on the gaming world.
Ours is a small beachhead. Very small, in fact. In this conflict, we are at considerable disadvantage. If, however, nearly everyone and their brother (of those who have actually heard of PBM's existence, in the first place) thinks that PBM gaming is long dead and buried, then I think that it stands to reason that we may realistically enjoy the element of surprise.
Our beachhead is established. It is growing. Now, we are merely awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. Granted, they may not get here in time to save either us or this beachhead, or they may even never arrive, at all. But, what matters is that WE are here. If the situation appears utterly hopeless, then all the better - for we won't suffer under any delusion of the possibility of success. What better time could you ask for, gentlemen and ladies of the PBM gaming world, to invade the gaming world?
Now, some of you may be thinking, "Hey, Charles, it's a delicate situation that we've got here." So what? Do you like PBM gaming suffering under the seemingly eternal burden of being a dead niche of gaming? Hey, it may or may not be a niche, but if it is, then it's OUR niche!
I'm not trying to conquer the gaming world. Where would be the fun in that? No, what I'm after is an expansion of our existing territory, with "our" referring to PBM gaming.
Just think of it as a bug hunt, and you'll be fine, kid.