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<blockquote data-quote="DreadPirateMurphy" data-source="post: 4993984" data-attributes="member: 20715">Some of those strike me as modern conceits, so in a sense they could be considered &quot;for the game&quot; in the sense that many gamers probably couldn't care less about the lack of availability of credit or the need to eat what was available rather than having a huge selection based on modern logistics and agriculture.The lack of racism and sexism seem more like good marketing...only a small percentage of females are going to want to play a game where they have to either play a male character or make up reasons for why they aren't treated like chattel.&nbsp; Even by Western cultural standards, their absence is more an ideal than an accurate reflection.The lack of social stratification does strike me as unusually American.&nbsp; If I were to live in Korea, for example (and we have discussed this as an option), I would be cut a lot of slack for being an obvious foreigner.&nbsp; If I really wanted to fit in and spend a long time there (i.e., many years), I would have to learn a tremendous amount of subtle differences in speech, family relationships, and acceptable polite behavior based upon status.&nbsp; Addressing a significantly older co-worker as an equal would be considered an affront -- and justifiably so, since anybody who knows the rules would only do so as a deliberate insult.&nbsp; Linguistically, I would have to adjust to interpreting cues of speech in a culture where just saying &quot;no&quot; isn't always acceptable.&nbsp; It is likely I wouldn't have access as a foreigner to services like credit cards from Korean banks -- things that would be much less of a problem for a Korean in the U.S.Korea is a technologically advanced democracy, and it is no more socially conservative than some parts of the U.S. or Europe.&nbsp; The consideration of status is different, however, and plays a role in many things American citizens take for granted.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="DreadPirateMurphy, post: 4993984, member: 20715"] Some of those strike me as modern conceits, so in a sense they could be considered "for the game" in the sense that many gamers probably couldn't care less about the lack of availability of credit or the need to eat what was available rather than having a huge selection based on modern logistics and agriculture. The lack of racism and sexism seem more like good marketing...only a small percentage of females are going to want to play a game where they have to either play a male character or make up reasons for why they aren't treated like chattel. Even by Western cultural standards, their absence is more an ideal than an accurate reflection. The lack of social stratification does strike me as unusually American. If I were to live in Korea, for example (and we have discussed this as an option), I would be cut a lot of slack for being an obvious foreigner. If I really wanted to fit in and spend a long time there (i.e., many years), I would have to learn a tremendous amount of subtle differences in speech, family relationships, and acceptable polite behavior based upon status. Addressing a significantly older co-worker as an equal would be considered an affront -- and justifiably so, since anybody who knows the rules would only do so as a deliberate insult. Linguistically, I would have to adjust to interpreting cues of speech in a culture where just saying "no" isn't always acceptable. It is likely I wouldn't have access as a foreigner to services like credit cards from Korean banks -- things that would be much less of a problem for a Korean in the U.S. Korea is a technologically advanced democracy, and it is no more socially conservative than some parts of the U.S. or Europe. The consideration of status is [I]different,[/I] however, and plays a role in many things American citizens take for granted. [/QUOTE]

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