A Meditation on Summer Rain

"I'm still crazy. The rain feels good. I love to walk in it."
"I don't think I'd like that," he said.
"You might if you tried."
"I never have."
She licked her lips. "Rain even tastes good."
"What do you do, go around trying everything once?"
"Sometimes twice."
--Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

I went for a walk in the rain today. My job occasionally requires that I deliver miscellaneous documents in downtown Erie, which gets me outside and out of the basement where I usually work. Today it was raining.

It was beautiful. Let me tell you about it.

The rain begins to fall soon after I leave the law firm where I work to begin my rounds. Drop after drop pelts from the sky, spattering almost soundlessly on the sidewalk. Soon they fall more heavily, a quiet tinkling becoming a robust chatter as the rain dances on the newly paved roads. Rain runs off of rooftops in silver cascades and pours from invisible gargoyles to the street below. Leaves chatter and murmur in the growing downpour.

With a rush of joy I leap from under a protective awning into the summer rain. It is a happy rain, I tell someone later. Some rains are cold and cruel, cutting to the bone. But this is a playful rain, warm and gentle to the touch. It leaps around my feet as I frolic down the street. It runs down my face and soaks my hair. I tilt back my head and try to taste the rain, but it scurries away from me.

I love the rain. It is a reminder of what is good and wholesome about the world. Rain always seems to leave the city a little cleaner and more human than before it came. Rain washes away the dirt and ugliness, leaving sparkling beauty. When I walk in the rain, I feel connected to nature in a way that I normally only feel when deep in the woods, far from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. The wildness in the rain invigorates me and inspires me.

People do not seem to appreciate the rain. All around me I hear people complaining about the weather. They are scurrying for cover or opening umbrellas or hiding beneath newspapers. I do not understand why this is. Have we forgotten the simple joy of rain? The city cringes and wilts beneath it. What a shame. In our passion to master our environment, we instead just tune it out. Are we so far gone from the natural cycles of life that a summer shower becomes an inconvenience?

Alas, I am on the job, or I might jump in the puddles or just sit and watch the rain pour down as the breeze blows off Lake Erie and swirls through the streets of Erie. The time passes all too quickly and I am back in the office. "Wet outside", people comment. I just smile and say, "Yes, but it's a happy rain."

By now you're wondering what any of this has to do with gaming. It is rather simple, actually. I believe that both game design and game play are art forms in their own right. That means that it is possible to approach them as an artist. Just think: when you game, you are creating art. Pretty neat, eh?

But what makes for good art? Lots of things, certainly. Technique is important, as can be training. But one thing stands out ahead of all these items. A true artist has to live. It is not enough to know your theory or your technique. You need to have experience in life. You need to experience the true, the good, the beautiful. Without this, any art that you produce, whether gaming or otherwise, will be flawed and lifeless. Good art is vibrant and full of life because the artist is vibrant and full of life.

The effects of this experience of life will show in two ways. First, you will find specific inspiration in the experiences that you encounter. I can point to many inspirations for Alyria that were drawn from my daily life. Would you be surprised if I told you that there is a huge clock tower near my workplace? What if I told you that I am a devoted fan of Bladerunner? What if I told you that an article on electricity theft in the Wall Street Journal inspired the lightning jacks of the Web? I know that I am not alone in this. As I recall, Underworld's Head Count system, using coins instead of dice, was inspired while Gareth-Michael Skarka was playing with the change in his pocket while waiting for the subway. I am sure that many of you could also share similar experiences.

But, more importantly, this experience of life will inspire in you the passion to create. I was invigorated by my walk in the rain. I was inspired, well, to write this column. I wanted to share my feelings with everyone around me. I wanted to write about the beauty of the rain. This passion is what feeds my game design. This ought to be what feeds all game design. The best artists are those with a passion for their work. Without the experience of life to motivate you, eventually the pursuit of the art will become dry, a dull repetition of empty ritual. How many people have burned out on gaming for just this reason?

So, let me challenge all of you. Just for one day, put down your d20s and your rulebooks; your G/N/S, GEN and stances; your probabilities and your systems. Put them down and be part of the world around you. Walk in the woods. Read a biography. Go outside and gaze at the stars. Examine the intricacies of a leaf. Live a little, and it will show in your gaming.

That's enough pontificating for the day. If you need me, I'll be outside, dancing in a puddle.