I wish I had mod points. Most libertarians today would not want to live in a utopia of their own creation. The whole premise of libertarianism as it stands today is not only flawed, but also unrealistic and harmful to society.

You just won the internet. Well, Slashdot for the day at the very least. :-)

Dominating a social situation is not just about talking, it's about other social cues (eye contact, affable attitude, sense of humor, and generally being likable) and even content (i.e. knowing what to say and what not to say, being able to speak intelligently or even bullshit intelligently, and even knowing enough to sometimes just shut up).

I just think that it's a function of emotional and social intelligence on the part of the person doing the socialization -- a battle of wits, if you will, between them and the recipients.

You must be really ugly, then! ;-)

All kidding aside, I'm terribly sorry to hear that, no one should have to go through that in life. While I consider myself pretty pedestrian looking, I've never had any problems getting women, so I must admit that my outlook is jaded with my own personal experience - I'm not even sure how it would work if I was in your shoes.

But I ask you this in complete sincerity: have you considered plastic surgery? If your physical appearance is that appalling, I'm sure a combination of a healthy lifestyle (which, it sounds like you had when you were younger) and a little bit of surgery can have you looking like a champ.

I'm not sure how old you are, so that may not be an option worth pursuing at this stage (then again, if you *are* older, you probably have enough financial resources to get something like that done). But perhaps it's something worth considering?

"There lives are certainly likely to be more interesting from someone who doesn't game's perspective and their odds of landing a partner outside of gaming increases thusly."

Just because the game play is interesting does not necessarily mean that it will make *you* interesting, or more importantly, interest others.

There are some activities that will make you interesting to others and there are some others that won't. Given that the topic at hand is that of guys' ability to pick up women, usually, video games do not fall under the category of activities that women find interesting (and I should know, I married a gamer chick, and even she liked me for my non-gamer attributes - the fact that I traveled, worked out, rode motorcycles, and had a sense of humor she found funny).

If you've traveled, then you have travel stories and can even take her with you when you're hiking in the mountains or chilling by a beach. She knows her life will be interesting with you. If you play sports or work out, you are physically attractive, and have good stamina. If you are good at cards, poker nights are a hoot. If you ride motorcycles or play in a band, it adds to your "bad boy" vibe that women find attractive. Contrast this with playing in a make believe world buying and chasing after virtual elements when you could be out doing things in the real world. You can call it what you want, but being addicted to gaming is certainly a form of escapism, much like being addicted to the television.

Even amongst gamer chicks, I can bet you that, "Hey, wanna go back to my place and play WoW?" is probably a terrible pickup line.

Only time will tell if video gaming becomes a norm such that those who do not game are deemed less interesting.

Far from it. If you'd read my post, I'd stated that I still play video games. In a past life (read: high-school and college years) I certainly played more than my fair share, starting from the days of Wolf3d and Duke Nukem to Quake and Half Life up until probably Halo when my gaming peaked. Soon thereafter, other priorities took over, but I certainly enjoy playing them. However, it's not my focus or my "one hobby" in life. So, it's not that I don't appreciate them - it's just that I question their place in the list of interesting things that I'd rather be doing, and the maturity of those that are obsessed with them.

There's certainly some truth to that. Then again, unfortunately, so do men. People in general stop taking care of themselves once they are in "committed" long term relationships. So, the woman gets fat and the man isn't interested, the man gets fat and the woman isn't interested, and everyone stays in an unhappy relationship for the kids (or because they're too fat to get with other people). Rarely, only one partner gets unhealthy, or one realizes that they're in an unhappy relationship, pull themselves together and sleep with the personal trainer and the lawyer. Even more rarely, both do, and live happily ever after. But mostly, they just get fat and unhappy.

Not if you have a brain.

What does that even mean?

I tried that strategy, but I guess I was just too ugly.

Being in good shape and and being funny count for a lot more than anything else. One of my best friends (who is smoking hot) is married to a guy who looks like a troll, but is one helluva salsa dancer and a math professor, to boot.

So, work on your other skills. Be more social, hit the gym, find an activity (say, rock climbing, cross-fit, martial arts, dancing, or playing an instrument), and just hang out. You'd be surprised how much of a difference that makes.

I stand corrected, and humbled.

Clearly, I pale in front of someone with such a fabulous haircut that will land them all the women in the world. ;-)

Look at how many of us married fat dudes who beach themselves on couches.

I don't think this is necessary limited to men.