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I think the UK context is *slightly* different, we don't seem quite as willing to pigeon-hole people (or didn't used to).
We didn't care who knew we gamed. Why? Because we were always talking about it or doing it, along with music and yes, girls(who would sometimes get involved - and probably they felt the 'geek' pressure from their peers). I also played chess, football, various board games, etc.
At our 6th form college the Wednesday afternoon games club was ALWAYS packed, male and female.
So when it comes to my adult life I am 'out' with my playign of RPG's and I usually ask what the other person does for escapism - that way they have a 'way in' to my hobby even if they have never played. T.V. and film like Game of Thrones help also because then people often turn round and say something like: 'Sounds cool!'.
I can confirm Strayshift's impressions of the UK/US divide. Although more things unite us than divide us, it's the differences we notice. : )
Our experience of US schools is through TV and film, and we can expect these to be exaggerated. However, there must be a core of truth to have any resonance with the (presumed US) audiences. All these groups (jocks, nerds, and lots of others) seem mutually exclusive. This is not true in the UK.
A friend of mine visited the states and told me that in the changing room all the black guys were at one end and all the white guys at the other; kind of a voluntary segregation. That would be very weird here! I'm not saying that there are no racists, but racism isn't so built into the conciousness over here.
In the US there is a problem with people believing that D&D is satanic. The US is the only country of the top 20 developed nations that is (mainly) religious, with the other 19 being (mainly) secular. In the UK it is just 'not done' for a politician to talk about any personal faith; it's a private matter and it would be very uncool to do so. When Tony Blair 'came out' as religious it caused quite a stir, but he only did so when he knew he would never be up for election again. In contrast, in a survey Americans were asked a hypothetical question; if you were convinced a candidate was clearly the best and were about to cast your vote for that person, would finding out this fact make you change your mind and not vote for them any more? Then they were given the same question for several different 'facts': would you still vote for them if they were catholic? Jewish? Muslim? A woman? An atheist?
I don't have the figures in front of me but I remember my reaction to the answers. Something like 98% would still vote for that candidate if they discovered that he was a catholic, maybe 90% would not be swayed by the discovery that he was jewish. Only 80% or so would stay true if the candidate were female, around 70% if he was a muslim...and only 40% would stay with an atheist candidate! You're voting for a politician, not a priest! You like him enough to think he's the best candidate, then change your mind on the grounds that he's not religious? That took my breath away! It seems that it is almost mandatory that a political candidate must talk about his faith in order to get a job in government! In Europe we find this state of affairs absolutely astonishing!
Which explains why we haven't had the 'D&D is evil' reaction over here. We have had the 'D&D is nerdy' thing. I was once asked about it (since I never feel embarrased about my hobby), and explained role-playing games to him for about ten minutes, to his bemused expression. After I finished he said, 'So...which one of you dresses as a nurse?'
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I can confirm Strayshift's impressions of the UK/US divide. Although more things unite us than divide us, it's the differences we notice. : )
Our experience of US schools is through TV and film, and we can expect these to be exaggerated. However, there must be a core of truth to have any resonance with the (presumed US) audiences. All these groups (jocks, nerds, and lots of others) seem mutually exclusive. This is not true in the UK.
A friend of mine visited the states and told me that in the changing room all the black guys were at one end and all the white guys at the other; kind of a voluntary segregation. That would be very weird here! I'm not saying that there are no racists, but racism isn't so built into the conciousness over here.
In the US there is a problem with people believing that D&D is satanic. The US is the only country of the top 20 developed nations that is (mainly) religious, with the other 19 being (mainly) secular. In the UK it is just 'not done' for a politician to talk about any personal faith; it's a private matter and it would be very uncool to do so. When Tony Blair 'came out' as religious it caused quite a stir, but he only did so when he knew he would never be up for election again. In contrast, in a survey Americans were asked a hypothetical question; if you were convinced a candidate was clearly the best and were about to cast your vote for that person, would finding out this fact make you change your mind and not vote for them any more? Then they were given the same question for several different 'facts': would you still vote for them if they were catholic? Jewish? Muslim? A woman? An atheist?
I don't have the figures in front of me but I remember my reaction to the answers. Something like 98% would still vote for that candidate if they discovered that he was a catholic, maybe 90% would not be swayed by the discovery that he was jewish. Only 80% or so would stay true if the candidate were female, around 70% if he was a muslim...and only 40% would stay with an atheist candidate! You're voting for a politician, not a priest! You like him enough to think he's the best candidate, then change your mind on the grounds that he's not religious? That took my breath away! It seems that it is almost mandatory that a political candidate must talk about his faith in order to get a job in government! In Europe we find this state of affairs absolutely astonishing!
Which explains why we haven't had the 'D&D is evil' reaction over here. We have had the 'D&D is nerdy' thing. I was once asked about it (since I never feel embarrased about my hobby), and explained role-playing games to him for about ten minutes, to his bemused expression. After I finished he said, 'So...which one of you dresses as a nurse?'
I think one of the biggest misconception about the US that other countrys especialy European countrys have is the fact is your countrys are in generaly already homologous. The US on the other hand is a salad. You guys already have had your wars to wipe out the Catholics...or whatever ethic group you care to name. Or you guys have already kicked out your outcasts(and mostly sent them here). You guys already have hundreds if not thousands of shared history, culture and religion.
The US it still maturing...but I would say we are dealing with these issues a whole lot better than you(meaning Europe) did in the past. Though admittly we had Europe to learn from. And the human race has a whole matured a bit.
Also to futher point out how we are not homologous I have never had the a reaction the "D&D is Evil" in America either. Well except once. I really don't think it as common of a thought in America as people assume.
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The problem with people from the US is they think that Europe is full of neat homologous little countries.
Let's talk about Brittian shall we...
When the British were dissolving their empire a lot of people from around the Empire fled to Britain because of the troubles their new nation was having or Britian offered financial opportunities that did not exist in their own countries. Britain has a significant proportion of immigrants from all over it's former empire.... From the India, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South East Asia, all over Africa including Egypt, from the Middle East and that's not including the immigrants from the "white" colonies...
Catholics make up the 2nd largest religious group they were oppressed sure but they weren't kicked out.
The Puritans were got rid of... A bunch of religious nutters that banned sport, pubs and Christmas. Faced with that group of arsehats I would sign up with Cavaliers over the Roundheads any time.
Then we need to talk about the Kernow, Manx, Cymru, Gaels, Jordies, Scousers, the people from Wessex and the people from Essex, and so on.
France is in a similar position, with the fall of its Empire...you have Algerians, Syrians, Moroccans, Senegalese, Vietnamese, and so on, as well as all of the various people's from the various regions within France such as the Bretons and Basques to name a few.
There Re large migrant populations in most European nations.
Europe has had time not to make things simpler it has had time to make it more complicated.
@ Sara Marie and others: Sorry.
@ The 8th Dwarf and Malachi Silverclaw or anyone else: If you guys want to continue this discussion I suggest doing so via PMs as such a topic in the off-topic area could be quickly derailed.
I am currently enrolled in a medium-sized private university in the Midwest. I have been gaming for less than a year (since June), Pathfinder since December, and have been GMing since December. I learned to play 1eAD&D from my father, and now I run PF at home and at school.
The most stigmatization I've received is a few girls in the theatre (I'm and acting major) giving me disapproving looks. Some people at my slightly-religious school heard the game was evil from their parents or church. My players are generally very well received. The party I am currently running is all female playing female characters, save for one guy who wanted to play Seelah. The party consists of my gf, her roommate, a friend of hers who lives down the hall and her roommate, and that roommate's boyfriend. The game started because the girl down the hall really wanted to try D&D, and the rest of us were happy to oblige.
So as a whole we're pretty free from ridicule, and almost entirely female. If it adds to the discussion at all my gf's roomie is Latina, and my PFS buddy. I'm hoping that by next semester I'll have her GMing! She is wanting to run a game based in the world of Ni No Kuni
The "D&D is satanic" thing was kind of a fad in the 80s, I guess, the very few people I know who buy any of that are much older, there are Christian groups now that play D&D, self-described fundamentalists even. High school isn't as segregated as its portrayed, really it's a bunch of people and 90% of them think that they're total outcasts and the people with the most money and highest charisma do a bit better but that's about it.
Most of the "jocks" at my school were all around high achievers who took advanced courses and cared about their GPA because their parents pressured them a lot to get into a good college. If they weren't playing D&D it's because they were busy getting in enough studying and extracurriculars.
@firefly
That assessment seems pretty spot-on. When people find out I roleplay the first question is usually asking how they can get into it too. The only people I've ever heard say it was satanic was my overly conservative ex-gf, her annoyingly prejudiced and anti-magic parents, and my grandma who is just running off info from the 80s. Like I've played at her house and as long as we don't actually say "Dungeons & Dragons" everything is perfectly fine.
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I'm sorry. I missed the question. What are we responding to specifically?
Is it:
What are the typical gamer stereotypes?
Do you feel you fit the typical gamer stereotypes?
Do you feel you don't, and why?
If the thread is about "gamers and gender stereotypes" I have many stories about those. Some are my personal experience, and some are experiences I've seen happening to gamer friends. I can certainly tell you being a teenaged girl in the late 80's and early 90's and gaming was very different than being a teenaged boy in the same era.
If we can clarify the question of the topic I am more than willing to give my $0.02.