Gamer Diplomacy

I recently got back from a great trip to Mexico. While there, Sue and I had lots of good experiences with many, many kind and friendly people. However, other experiences led me to make an eye-opening observation.

Before now, I've heard some Americans make unfortunate, prejudiced comments about Mexicans. And this last week I experienced the contempt that some Mexicans have for Americans (unfortunately, I saw plenty of tourists earning that contempt, but that's another story). Sue overheard a Mexican guide offering a Spanish-speaking couple lower rates on a special trip, stating flatly that he charges Americans more. (¡Tengan cuidado, amigos! No asuman que todos los americanos no pueden hablar español.*) Surrounded by tourists from all over the world, I heard Mexicans disparaging Italians and experienced firsthand that some Italians have a general disdain for both Americans and Mexicans. And it goes on and on.

The thing is, all this surprised me. Am I just naïve? I don't think so. I just blissfully forgot that not everyone sees things the way I do. I was lulled into thinking that my experiences dealing with people of other cultures were the norm. See, over the last decade and a half, I've come in contact with hundreds -- if not thousands -- of warm, friendly folks from all over the world. I've received kind, funny, and informative letters and emails from people in Brazil, Portugal, Japan, Hong Kong, England, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Russia, Greece, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, and many more places. I've watched on the Internet as people from halfway across the world from each other civilly discussed their favorite pastime and exchanged stories, ideas, and advice.

What one thing did these nice people all over the world have in common? They were gamers.

Gaming is a shared experience. Not only do you share it with the people around the table but also, I now am reminded, with anyone else on the planet who plays roleplaying games. It's a universal language. It doesn't matter where we live, or what our culture is, we gamers all share a love of imaginative fantasy, creativity, and exciting adventure. This common ground allows us to look beyond stereotypes, racial and national prejudices, and other small, petty things.

What a great experience it's been to hear from and even get to know game fans from all over the world.

 

* Claro, tal vez algunas de nosotros no pueden usar bien el subjunctivo.... -- Ed.