Labels and Boxes...Good or Bad?

Joe · Post by **Joe** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:08 pm

I'm sure you have heard your dose of labels.

Rules light,

Rules heavy,

Old school,

Sandbox

New school,

Retro

Clone

Hybrids

etc

etc

etc

Even names seems to carry it's own labels...

D20 games

OGL games

Regardless they seem very popular because I cannot play rpgs without being exposed to a new label.

Some may think these labels serve to streamiline communication.

Others might think they carry too much baggage and only skews communication.

What do you think?
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alcyone · Post by **alcyone** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:14 pm

I am getting a headache anticipating this thread's contents.
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Joe · Post by **Joe** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:16 pm

A little bit of patience should fix that...otherwise try aspirin.
Sorry had an editing nightmare arise...when I looked there were 3 threads posted...doh!

I think I have it down now...
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GameOgre · Post by **GameOgre** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:06 am

I like them in general. Lets me know what to expect. Not always right but then...what is?
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GameOgre · Post by **GameOgre** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:08 am

Also with no labels people will jump to the wrong conclusion anyway!
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Sir Osis of Liver · Post by **Sir Osis of Liver** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:53 pm

You need another category...don't really care about labels. The only label I care about at this point is that it's not 4e or D20. Beyond that, I really don't care.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 5:56 pm

Sorry you will have to pencil don't care in...if you care enough to do so.
It only gave me four options to post. I tried to post something similar but it only showed the first four.

Surely though you have some form of opinion about labels in a bigger picture do you not? I included game labels because of the nature of this forum but there are many others in life that I would think you have some opinion of.

Let's see...I'll try to avoid the obvious political labels we hear used daily.

How about...

Agnostic

Spiritual

Religious

Progressive

Darwinian...or how I prefer (Believer in spontaneous generation myth)

Creationist

Global Warming advocates

Global warming Skeptics

Green

Breeders

Nose breathers

Ivy leagers

Bible thumpers

Eye candy

Hotties, betties, babes,

Beefcakes, studs, boy toy

Eye candy

Dolphin friendly

Anti- (Fill in the rest)

Pro- (Fill in the rest)

Environmental

Maybe...

Emo

Goth

Stoner

Preppie

Jock

Skater

Enlightened

Bigots

Elites

Pacifists

Hawks

Haters

Premaddonas

Socialites

Recluses

Eccentrics

Jerks

Debutanntes

Larpers

RPG'ers

CCG'ers

Wargamers

Dorks

Nerds

Don't forget the ethnic labels we use. The labels we apply to art, music, science, and philosophy.

Then we label...or categorize things we see in nature under a complex dichotomy.

So do you still harbor no opinion on the labels we use?
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 6:00 pm

Labels are needed to have conversation. They define the limits of what something is by saying what they are not. Or, you could be a caveman and point, grunt, and hope someone understands you.
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Joe · Post by **Joe** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 6:11 pm

Could you not describe what an Ivy leager or a Pacifist is without the label, and minus the grunts?

You have a point that language in it's base form uses words to symbolize concepts.

But when the meaning of the label...let's use Old School as an example means two things to two different people, is the use of the label conducive to accurate conversation (Communication) or does it hinder?

For example Serl if I used the a label such as OGL in conversation and told you I was designing a game under the OGL does that express anything about my game except for what license it will be published under?

Pehaps the listeners mind jumps to crunchy rules, feats, skills, etc.

When the speaker is only thinking of free use of names, game terms, etc.

So the label had OGL but the concepts expressed missed the truth by a mile.

So while the word blue...or box may be a "label" for the object that is of a certain color and form this is not the sort of "label" I am speaking of.

So once again, are labels truly needed for conversing?

Could I not explain an Ivy leagr or a nose breather without all the other baggage that the label carries?

Edit: Though this is great discussion. I don't wish to digress but rather get a feel for what most folks think about labels and if they find them more useful or not.
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Deogolf · Post by **Deogolf** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 8:12 pm

I hate labels, but they do help most people identify with most things - good or bad.
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Sir Ironside · Post by **Sir Ironside** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:49 pm

I like labels, though they only really work if bot parties know what it means. It is also a way to talk in code in front of someone that has no clue.

In the DJ world a superstar DJ means the exact opposite of its meaning. Oh the irony when you talk about that person who has no clue what it really means.
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