William Gibson on Shadowrun: I’ve just been ignoring it for years, and hope to continue to.
(via Uncle Bear).
Also, Gibson on writing vs. blogging (which is another distraction, I guess, like roleplaying):
The culture of SF, particularly, seemed to me to be studded with truly scary examples of talented writers who had chosen to sublimate their energies in SF’s native (and relatively ancient) fanzine scene, the geniuses of which (and there arguably were a few) eventually (and perhaps inevitably?) evolved their own equivalents of blogging.
It’s the “conversational” aspect, I think, that keeps this kind of writing from really getting off the ground. You see the initial lift into heightened language, into intent, but when the wings begin to wobble (as they invariably will) there’s always the option of safe and instantaneous descent back into a fundamentally informal relationship with the reader. There’s no risk involved.
Unless, if you’re accustomed to playing for higher stakes, it’s the risk of some edge being taken off your game.