'How Role-Playing Games Made Me a Better Writer'

Not as often as I'd like, do I find articles that blend two of my life passions; books and video games.  (For those of you who don't know, I work in the games industry and will graduate in the fall with a Production Art degree.)  
This morning (thanks Huffington Post twitter), I found a great article that talks about one writer's journey through table top games and how they have in turn influenced his writing.  I've clipped a few of my favorite sections out below, but I recommend reading the full article.  
Happy reading!

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How Role-Playing Games Made Me a Better Writer
By: Matthew Jobin

Tabletop games, like Dungeons and Dragons, which is only one of many game settings and styles that range from gritty war to gossamer myth. Such games are shared stories, with one person acting as writer and director--the storyteller, as it is often called. This storyteller takes on the role of monsters, sidekicks and bystanders, and even the silent influence of the natural world. The other people gathered at the table become the heroes, protagonists of a story made only for them.

" I am also a gamer, and have been since I was eight years old. "

My players and I have experienced tests of our ideals within my games that have served to shape us ever since. Perhaps the events did not really happen, but the ideas and emotions did. Please don't think of us stuck forever in our fantasies--my players are some of the most interesting and accomplished people I know. They are archaeologists and physicists, programmers and lawyers, but they share a secret past. 

"Games, like books, involve conflicts, and conflicts are sometimes physical. "

There is a look that lights up the eyes of my players when the created world of the game becomes real in their minds. It is the same look that comes over someone listening to a good story. I know that look, and have worked for years to find ways to evoke it within the shared, immediate experience of gaming. This has nourished my writing, teaching me how to imitate the workings of the Fates.