Last week Michael Goldfarb responded to criticism of he candidate with an odd rant that was more insulting to gamers than bloggers. Here was his response. Now I am an unabashed geek. I preordered Fourth Edition and view a trip to Indiana in August as a great vaction because of GenCon. So I am biased.
What was really suprising about the stereotyping of gamers is how many are conservative or libertarian. Of course at this point the tone deafness of the McCain shouldn't suprise anyone.
Greed Leeds, the President of Wizards of the Coast, the company that publishes D&D, published this open letter to Mr. Goldfarb. link.
August 28th, 2008
Michael Goldfarb
1235 S. Clark St, Suite M
Arlington, VA 22202
Dear Mr. Goldfarb,
I was disappointed to read the disparaging intent of your comments regarding Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fans, both in your response to New York Times editors, and on the John McCain campaign website.
Dungeons & Dragons is a global game with millions of consumers in the U.S. and abroad. The brand is owned by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.
For fans, the game is essentially about heroism and therefore it is not surprising to us that thousands of military personnel play and enjoy the game. Hasbro, in turn, supports the U.S. Armed Forces by sending multiple crates of game products, including Dungeons & Dragons, to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Recently a soldier who saw your comments online said, "Wizards of the Coast (the makers of D&D) has sent care packages to the troops on many occasions, providing free gaming supplies in support of our men and women serving the country overseas to help them decompress after hours. McCain's people should really check their facts before they spout off. Does John McCain have no idea how many GIs play D&D?"
We would very much appreciate you not making any more condescending comments about D&D -- as it is a great game enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Wayne Charness
Senior Vice President
Hasbro, Inc.
I've said it before, everyone who had a tough time in middle school or high school should be familiar with what the McCain campaign is: The popular kids who pick on the outsiders just because they can.