Gaming and cultures

[Voneth]

Okay, I know that gaming in the U.S. is seen as "geeky." But I have "heard:"

Germans love games to the nth degree and RPG sit on the shelf right next to their dozen copies of board games and war games.

The French see RPGs as something actor wanna-bes do.

In Brasil, games are rare, but they are played by those who outgoing and educated more than introverted

I haven't seen heard of anyone from or in the Middle East who RPGS (Arabic)

I've never got around to asking any of her Queen's subjects how gaming is perceived in their lands.

So can any verify if these trends are true, patented false, or stereotype?

 

[Tsyr]

Being from america, I wont' be much help, but I will make a comment about Germany... My highschool a few years back had a german exchange student... He had never played any RPGs (acording to him), but he had heard of a number of the ones we played, including some I didn't think got much press outside America (Rifts, for example). Mind you, one example is far from statisticly relevant.

 

[Agback]

I've never got around to asking any of her Queen's subjects how gaming is perceived in their lands.

In Australia we learn most of our stereotypes from American TV and magazines.

If, rather than learning from the USA that RP gamers are geeks, I had relied on observing those I played with, I would have concluded that in Australia RP games are played by highly-educated martial artists who like Macintosh computers and the works of Jack Vance.

Regards,


Agback

 

[Altin]

Re: Re: Gaming and cultures

In Australia we learn most of our stereotypes from American TV and magazines.

If, rather than learning from the USA that RP gamers are geeks, I had relied on observing those I played with, I would have concluded that in Australia RP games are played by highly-educated martial artists who like Macintosh computers and the works of Jack Vance.

Regards,


Agback

Well, unlike my fellow countryman I've found the Australian gamer to occupy the cultural/social attributes generally associated with the geek (ie. they tend to have been marginalised in high school because of wierdness or inteligence, they are into comics, computers, fantasy books & so on). The difference may be a consequence of the fact that I am Sydney-based and move in university-gamer circles, however. In any case, I don't personally believe that this has much to do with imported American stereotypes but then freting about being invaded by American values is something of a national passtime down here so I'm not surprised to see that view put forward.

Places like Critical Miss would suggest that gamer 'geekness' is an English thing as well. I can also contribute some general hearsay of gaming not being seen as very odd in Germany. Also, I have some Danish roleplaying magazines from the early 90's which, from memory, broadly conformed to geeky perceptions.

Yours,
Altin

 

[Voneth]

Re: Re: Re: Gaming and cultures

In any case, I don't personally believe that this has much to do with imported American stereotypes but then freting about being invaded by American values is something of a national passtime down here so I'm not surprised to see that view put forward.

Yours,
Altin

What values would that be?

After watching Farscape, I think I'd love to have some Austrailian values transfered to America.