Politics interfering with gaming

[diaglo]

I don't even understand how anyone manages to call a person with radically different (i.e. opposed) politcal & ethical positions a "friend" - an aquaintance, yeah, but "friend"?
However, I *can* usually ignore the religious believes of most people - as long as they're not going down some kind of fundamentalist road...

:shrug:

if i accept them as friends i do it unconditionally. we don't agree on every issue and in some cases we don't agree on most issues. but i don't hold that against them. nor they me.

 

[beepeearr]

I've gamed with lots of players who don't share my political leanings, primarily because most of the people I used to hang out with didn't share my political leanings either. But only once have I ever had it become a problem at the gaming table. Some of our gaming group had arrived about 30 minutes early, and I was finishing off a reply E-mail to my best friend, and best man at my Wedding, who I hadn't heard from for about a month, due to him being over seas in Iraq, and had survived a possibly fatal incident. I told my players what I was doing, and that I was just finishing up.

At which point one of my players who happened to be a Junior High School teacher stated "Oh, well then I hope they kill him next time."

At that point I had no desire to game with this person or even associate with them ever again.

 

[Pielorinho]

At which point one of my players who happened to be a Junior High School teacher stated "Oh, well then I hope they kill him next time."

At that point I had no desire to game with this person or even associate with them ever again.

That's not even about politics. None of my friends gets to wish death on any of my other friends, and remain my friend. That ain't how it works.

Daniel

 

[fusangite]

At which point one of my players who happened to be a Junior High School teacher stated "Oh, well then I hope they kill him next time."

That's not a difference of political opinion. That's someone being loathesome scum. I oppose the war; half the reason I do (mistaken or not -- that's not up for debate on ENW) is because I want our guys to live.

At that point I had no desire to game with this person or even associate with them ever again.

Good move. Based on some stuff I've read elsewhere, I think in your case as in the OP's case, this isn't about political differences; it's about people being jerks.

And I have an official "no jerks" policy for my games that I encourage everyone to adopt.

 

[beepeearr]

Those were my thoughts as well, When I told her to get out of my home and that we wouldn't be gaming with or even calling her again, she see didn't see it as her being the jerk, she saw it as me being "intolerent to her political beliefs" (actual quote by the way), and that I didn't have the right to kick her out of the game or my home, and that I was just being a closeminded intolerent bigot.

 

[gunter uxbridge]

Its weird...I game with two group, and both have some players that overlap into both games. In the game that I DM in, politics never comes up. Ever. We focus on the game and that's about it.

In the other one, it comes up all the time in little jabs and barbs and comments that I really don't agree with, but pretty much have to let pass. I don't exactly wear my political affiliation on my sleve, but when you hear the things you believe in being belittled its kind of hard not to shoot back. I just bite my tongue and have a good time.

 

[Wormwood]

Have you ever dropped a group or just a player due to politics?

Yep. Twelve years ago I left a long-standing group because at least an hour each week was wasted arguing about politics. I don't mind the occasional discussion or reasoned debate—but not yelling and name calling.

It was like live-action Internet.

 

[Mistwell]

Personally, I think if you can't stand people because of their politics, you are putting way too much emphasis on politics in your life. You start seeing people of differing political persuasions as your enemy or foe.

When in reality, almost everyone in the political spectrum means well, they just disagree on how to acheive the best thing for everyone.

I agree.

Probably abut 80% of my friends have a diametrically opposed political view than I do. We discuss politics all the time (though not while gaming). It's never interfered in the friendship. If I cannot appreciate and objectively listen to the other sides opinions, than my own viewpoints are probably very flawed. My views should be challenged, otherwise how can I know if they hold up? It's just part of being an adult with critical thinking skills for me.

That said, we try not to talk politics, or music, or food, or anything non-D&D-related when gaming. Because if we do, we get distracted and don't actually get any playing done. We do not always succeed at this goal (because hey, they are friends I usually have not seen in a week or two), but we try.

If someone disagreeing with your political viewpoint annoys you to the point where you cannot handle playing a game with them, or being friends with them, or socializing with them, then I think you should look deeper inside yourself and figure out why. I don't think it's a healthy thing to be that self-focused.

 

[Mistwell]

My old group was composed of people with similar political leanings, so it wasn't a big deal. My current group, I don't know them well enough, so have avoided the topic.

But outside of gaming, I worked with a guy several years ago and we shared an office. His is a great guy and I truly miss working with him, but we were polar opposites politically. During the run-up to a major geo-political event a little more than three years ago, we had some seriously heated arguements in that office. Our boss came and talked to us one day and we both told her that there was nothing to worry about because we understood how to put it aside and remain friends.

Best thing about it was that we both were the type to try and articulate good arguements for our respective position, rather than just scream rhetoric at each other. I know I learned a lot about how people on "the other side" saw the issues and developed a better understanding of that position. It didn't change my own views and I don't think I change his in any significant way, but it was worth every heated moment.

By the way, I too suggest you vent about this a bit over at http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/ in the senate section.

 

[eris404]

Hellhound, I do have to ask, though (and I apologize if I missed this) - does it only come up in out-of-character conversations or does it tend to leak into the game itself (such as the player's character spouting his beliefs "in character."). Does he always want to bring up political stuff every time you see him or is this only an occasional thing?

I think a lot of this situation has to with that last question. We have had a few people (very few luckily) in our group who have purposely egged people on because they liked to argue or liked to make people angry or liked being "right" and shouting other people down. In reality, it wasn't so much about their political beliefs as their personalities, that basically they weren't good people who knew how to act in a mature fashion. Those people didn't last long in our group.

I think it really depends on your perception of this person. If you see him as an OK person with terrible politics, then that's one thing, but if you see him as simply as a jerk, then that's something else entirely.