Electronics at the Gaming Table

One of the blogs I follow is about roleplaying games (RPGs), called Gnome Stew. In a recent entry one of the "gnomes" wrote about players checking their phones, etc. during a game. For context, this would be at table-top RPGs (TTRPGs), where use of electronic devices and their potential for disruption has been a topic of debate over the past several years.

The author of that blog presented both pros and cons for device usage in TTRPGs. I appreciate that because most writing on the topic has been very one-sided. When small devices became common enough— and powerful enough— that players using them at the table became a big discussion in the TTRPG community, most writers took a paternalistic, just-say-no approach.

The urge behind making "No electronics" a house rule is understandable. Phones, tablets, etc. used inappropriately during games are huge distractions. Players who descend into watching YouTube videos or reading news or social media feeds mentally dropping out from the game. Even worse is when they distract others, too, e.g. by laughing out loud at the cat videos they're watching or interrupting others' roleplay to shout, "OMG, did you hear about what the {president, other party leader, governor, pop star of the week} just said?!?!"

Even if all you see are the negatives of device usage, setting a policy like a "Thou shalt not" commandment will not work with adult players. Much of the advice in recent years has worded as a parent would browbeat and punish a misbehaving child.

And the truth is that phones, tablets, and small laptops are more than just tools of distraction. They're enormous helps when used well. I can't imagine sitting down for a game anymore without a character sheet open in one window and background documents, SRDs, and rules PDFs queued up in various tabs. I frankly roll my eyes at players who are high-tech in other aspects of their lives yet sit down at my gaming table with a rat's nest of faded papers they can't their own Hit Points in without loudly rummaging around for 15 seconds. Nowadays it's like, if you don't have a device with you to organize and access information, you're not prepared.

Of course, the negatives of devices are real. Those examples I gave above about cat videos and blurting out outrageous headlines in the middle of a game aren't hypothetical or exaggerated examples; they've all happened at my gaming table. Devices are tools, and tools can be used for good or ill. So how do you limit the ill?

I find these types of disruptions are best handled not with rules specific to device usage but when treated like any other form of disruption. It's worth remembering that not all disruptions are device-based. TTRPGs have always struggled with distractions such as players wanting to catch up with each other before starting the game. Then, too, there’s the challenge of how much "meta" talk / BSing there is in the game vs. deep roleplaying. And how to manage snack/meal breaks without trainwrecking the session too badly is practically an art form. The best approach is to build a consensus among the players about how and how much of these to allow while keeping the game fun for all.

Covid-19 Booster Shots?

There's been a lot of discussion among experts about whether we'll need Covid-19 vaccine booster shots. Scientists from the companies that make the vaccines, along with many public health experts, point to evidence that immunity is weakening in people after several months. If so, we'd need boosters to keep our immunity at the 90-95% level initially measured in the vaccines. Even Dr. Fauci has said he expects boosters will be necessary. The Biden administration said a few weeks ago it expects to start delivering boosters later this month. Other experts argue that the evidence is inconclusive, and/or that available vaccine doses are better delivered to people who have no shots rather than people who've already had two.

Today a committee of advisors at the FDA voted against, 16-2, recommending boosters be made available to everyone 16 and older. But they also voted 18-0 to recommend boosters for people age 65+ and "those at high risk of severe Covid-19"— whatever that means— 6 months after they get their first two shots. Source: CNN.com article 17 Sep 2021. The committee's recommendation is not binding on the FDA or the CDC, which must approve before any doses officially are given.

Why did most of the FDA advisors vote to recommend against widespread booster shots? It turns out they were vocal about it, as another CNN.com article (17 Sep 2021) remarks. The arguments against boil down to 2 basic reasons. One, there isn't enough data yet. Two, the available doses are better used on people who haven't received any yet than on providing a 3rd shot to those who've already gotten two.

I'm of mixed mind about these reasons. For argument one, I agree with getting proper data, but "we need more data" is also a cop-out. How much data a person needs is subjective. Meanwhile, how many people will get sick and die or suffer long-term illness? Covid-19 is only as little of a mess in the US as it is— "only" 42 million cases and 673,000 dead as of today— because the vaccines were given speedy emergency use authorization.

Argument two, that available vaccine doses are better directed toward the unvaccinated, is valid in theory but ignorant of what's happened in the US over the past several months. Experts at the WHO have been making this argument for a while, and for global health it's understandable.A few months ago only 10% worldwide were vaccinated. Poor countries had vax rates in the low single digits. But today the global vaccination rate is 31.5% (source: Our World In Data, retrieved 17 Sep 2021). Globally there are still people who want vaccines but haven't been able to get them.

Here in the US, though, it's a different story. Vaccines have been freely available for months. 55% have been fully vaccinated and about another 10% have gotten one shot. The remaining 35% or so who haven't gotten the vaccine don't want it. They are refusers. While a very small number have valid medical reasons why getting the vaccine is dangerous, most of that 35% are people who refuse for political reasons. They've fallen prey to disinformation peddled by people seeking self-aggrandizement despite the enormous threat people's lives and livelihoods they cause. Special clinics that were swamped delivering shots back in April are closed up now for lack of demand. Saving doses for the refusers will not improve overall public health here. The Covidiots won't take them. So let's open them up as boosters for those of us willing to take personal responsibility for not just protecting our own health but helping to solve this pandemic.