ESCAPIST UPDATE - October 23rd, 2007

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD ROLEPLAYERS - The United States Army is hiring roleplayers to help train soldiers to be advisers in Iraq and Afghanistan:

Role players cluster in one of seven makeshift villages that stand out on the rolling Kansas prairie. Large shipping containers, tan and metal, have been modified to resemble homes, shops and even a mosque. Inside, role players have couches, chairs and tables.

Military trainers give the advisers-to-be specific tasks, such as controlling crowds, searching buildings, securing the perimeter or arresting terrorists. Role players are given a rough script that tells them what the soldiers are doing and how they should react.

Cultural awareness is the goal of each phase. For example, advisers learn that chewing tobacco or placing their hat on the ground are disrespectful acts that can spoil an otherwise promising meeting.

...

''It's pretty fun,'' [roleplayer Lee Anderson] said after his performance as an unhappy Afghan, as he kicked a small footbag in a circle with fellow role players. ''You get to mess with soldiers. And it's pretty good pay.''

Throwing beanbags at the soldiers while shouting "LIGHTNING BOLT! LIGHTNING BOLT!" is strongly discouraged, however.

As good as being a professional roleplayer may sound, don't get your heart set on joining up:

Like acting jobs everywhere, there's more than enough interest. Ty Evans, who supervises the local role players for Eagle Support Services of Huntsville, Ala., doesn't have to advertise the positions. Word of mouth has generated a stack of applications.

''If someone quits there are three or four people already in line,'' he said.

Participants work for six days at seventeen dollars an hour. If you do manage to get a position with them, please remember The Escapist's finder's fee!

Read the full article here: article | archive

ANOTHER ALL-NIGHTER - Last December I mentioned a lock-in organized by Franklin High School's Dungeons & Dragons and Anime Club, in which participants spent the evening in the gym playing D&D and video games and watching anime, with the proceeds going towards their trip to Anime Boston.

This year, they're doing it again, and the coverage in The Citizen is a lot better:

Junior Andrew Chippinelli is an enthusiastic member of the Dungeons and Dragons club, speaking about the benefits of role-playing such as learning social skills through various complex character interactions from conversation to diplomacy.

"It gives them their imagination they lost when they were younger," Chippinelli said. "It teaches you to never say everything is impossible because it could have just happened. It helps you with your self-esteem, self-confidence."

...

The club has been well received and supported by school administration. It is also sponsored by Casey Family Services as a positive after-school activity for students.

"We had a lot of questions, a little bit when we went to the school board," Molly Horn said, such as some school board members asking what the club was doing and clarifying what anyone had heard about the game. "Some of the kids were there as well."

Once again, it's good to see positive coverage of gaming that mentions the beneficial aspects of the hobby, as well as a positive after-school activity for young people. Kudos to Franklin High School and The Citizen - and if any of you ever need any assistance, don't hesitate to contact me -

Read the full article here: article | archive

A BRIEF MOMENT OF NATIONAL FAME - It didn't have anything to do with gaming, but your friend and narrator and his family were briefly mentioned in an article on drive-in movie theaters in the October 19th issue of USA Today. Click here to read it if you're interested.