Roleplaying and politics.

[BiggusGeekus]

uhmmm...some of would say things are already like this.

Well, about the dairy lobby maybe.

When I lived in DC proper I used to see members of Party X and Party Y hanging out all the time. I honestly don't think there is a lack of empathy (Yes, I've seen the latest rounds of political ads from X&Y). There are distinct differences in how some pols feel about their role in solving an issue or even if a pol is needed to address it.

The rest of the bile is of no more relevance than "White Wolf vs. WotC" arguments that crop up from time to time. You're always going to get headcases who feel that their team is better for everything no matter what.

Incidentally, I'm a member of Party X and my wife is a very active member of Party Y, she writes stuff for them and does some analysis work. That's done more than gaming ever would!

 

[diaglo]

Incidentally, I'm a member of Party X and my wife is a very active member of Party Y, she writes stuff for them and does some analysis work. That's done more than gaming ever would!

true enough.

i'm a member of Party O
and my wife was a card carrying member of Politique C

she had dealings with what Party E did during a war in another region of the world. and what members of Party D did to help free prisoners of conscience.

she also testified and went into the Congressional Record.

 

[tzor]

You know I hate to be down on the idea, but I don't think it would, in and of itself, be a great idea. There are a lot of good things about role playing ... if there wasn't I wouldn't like it so much. But if you want to promote role playing you need to promote it because it's fun and entertaining.

Role playing in and of itself doesn't make you see things through different eyes. But a good campaign, run by a good GM, with good players, can allow people who are open to the idea of seeing things through different eyes to see things through different eyes. In one sense, it's true with a good book, or a good movie; but roleplaying adds an interactive element that one cannot get with passive reading and watching.

There is a strange irony in that you don't want work and play to be the same but often they tend to have similiar elements. I'm sure that many computer programmers like to play computer games. While a direct game of diplomacy might not interest a diplomat or a game of law a lawyer, both would bring their experiences to whatever they played.

 

[The Baron]

One of my roommates is an avid fantasy fan and loves gaming. He is also pursuing a career in politics. Does his gaming ever enter into political discussion? Let me see if I can piece together this conversation we had. It might be slightly mangled due to the problem of memory.

My friend is what I have termed a "connector." He's a social butterfly. He loves to bring together people of various backgrounds, ideologies, etc. He'd love to get a staunch liberal and conservative in the same room and try to show the common ground between them. He said it something like this:

ROOMMATE: "I wanted to show John and Bill <warning: made up names> that they were actually talking about the same thing. Because most people, when they are arguing about something political often have the same ends but don't realize."

ME: "So you were trying to explain Wisdom <note the big 'W'>."

ROOMMATE: "Exactly. But they didn't play DnD."

I hope this comment came off as funny as it did when he said it. Of course, we did both have a few drinks in us. Perhaps you should have a drink or two and then reread this post. Then it will be funnier. But maybe not. In any case, you'll be more drunk.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I think the last thing we need is a good role-player politician. I already feel that it is nearly impossible to know what most politicians really think or what they are really saying. If I know they are good role-players I'll be even less inclined to believe them. Give me a lousy role-player whose own personality shines through in everything he (or she) does, then I can really judge how I feel about his beliefs and ideals and how well he'll represent me.

Of course a Roll-player politician would not be much better:

"Mr. President, it's time to speak with the trade delegation. We need to convince them to lower their tariffs."

"OK, I'll make a Diplomacy check...26...how'd I do?"

"Uh, sir...I think you actually have to talk to them..."

 

[Henry]

Actually, I think REAL role-assumption would work better than simply being a gamer; the majority of RPG play emphasizes a more superficial form of role-assumption, rather than a real "get under their skin" kind of experience. The difference between RPG play and actual role-assumption exercises is more like the difference between radio dramas and stage acting.

As a result, being a gamer will promote limited understanding, but most of the time differences portrayed will be stereotyped or ignored, rather than truly dug into. It's the same reason so many players on these forums say that they as DM's won't allow people to play PC's of the opposite gender.

 

[Henry]

The Baron, would you mind if I stole this for a .sig quote? It may be the funniest thing I've read all month.

I hope this comment came off as funny as it did when he said it. Of course, we did both have a few drinks in us. Perhaps you should have a drink or two and then reread this post. Then it will be funnier. But maybe not. In any case, you'll be more drunk.

 

[The Baron]

The Baron, would you mind if I stole this for a .sig quote? It may be the funniest thing I've read all month.

Please do. Send royalties to:

The Baron
123 West Baron Street, Apt 1
The Barony of Baronia, BA 12345

 

[Dirigible]

A good political party should contain:

Minister of Defence (fighter/meatshield type)
Minister of Health (cleric/wand of CLW-on-legs type)
Minister of Security (rogue/trapfinder-on-legs type)
Minister of Technology (wizard type)

The fifth member should be a Minister of Entertainment, if possible.

I'm inclined to agree with Henry that roleplaying experience might serve to make a politician more... hmm, agreeable, at the surface level, but not really improve his or her abilities in any useful way.

 

[Dogbrain]

Roleplaying games, from my observation, do very little in the way of opening minds to different ways of living life. The majority of play I've seen does not delve deeply into difficult questions and bring out broad understanding in the players of the human condition. What I've seen, even in those games that pretend to address Great Matters of the Psyche, is very shallow in this regard. Does this make roleplaying bad? No. For the vast majority of gamers, it's a PASTIME. It's a way to relax and enjoy themselves.