I began shooting at age six — where most kids’ first gun is a plastic toy, mine was real and used to keep the crows out of the garden. I didn’t eat store-purchased meat until I was a teenager 1, and by nine I was adding to the family larder (though in tiny proportions compared to my father’s contributions. He would disappear for a weeks at a time in the fall and return with whatever game had been legal to hunt during that stretch.)
As an adult, I joined the military and learned to see guns as a way to dissuade those who would do us harm (and as the pointy end of retribution for those who didn’t take the hint) 2. I gained an appreciation for their usefulness and a healthy respect for their responsible employment.
Firearms were essential to my family’s well-being and I will always recognize them as valuable survival tools. I still go shooting as often as I can in my free time.
So, as the designer in charge of guns (and other player progression and rewards), is my experience with firearms the primary source I draw from to do my job?
Of course not.
