This one’s not too hard to answer, although the first answer that comes to mind is sort of sidestepping the issue: I’d say that the most positive thing I’ve gained from my gaming experiences has been a damn solid group of friends. Most of them I’ve met through cons, clubs, friends or RPG discussion lists on the Internet. I wouldn’t trade any of them in for quids. We’ve not done as much gaming as we’d perhaps prefer, but it’s made up for by the fun we almost always have when we’re in the one place at the same time.

How have games helped you with personal growth?

Games have helped me better my capacity to think on my feet and my skill in presenting to an audience, both things I’ve had problems with in the past. I’ve also found them to be good lessons in planning, thinking ahead and keeping a commitment for something long-term; many’s the time I’ve been tempted to ditch campaigns I’ve been playing in the face of some seemingly-insurmountable obstacle up until a solution presented itself.

How do you feel about your children (if any, now or in the future) eventually playing role playing games?

Speaking strictly hypothetically, I’d be more than willing to encourage and join any young ‘uns of mine in the hobby. I wouldn’t try pushing the hobby on them, as from personal experience it’d be a sure guarantee they wouldn’t be interested. But if a child of mine ever started sneaking RPG books in brown paper bags to his room, I’d probably drag my old books off the shelf, just to make him feel more comfortable.

As I wrote, the above is a hypothetical exercise; I see myself becoming a “Crazy Uncle Rob” instead of a Dad. :-D