The analogy I use in my head instead of games is languages. They both have rules, but “games” implies something fake, not productive, and not to be taken seriously. “Languages” are tools we’re accustomed to using for everyday functional reasons, and it’s clearer that breaking their rules arbitrarily has a more immediate detrimental effect on their purpose (communication).
The most common way I use the metaphor explicitly is during a misunderstanding with a friend. “Wait—what does X mean in Sammish? Z? Ohh, now I get it. In Relsquish, X means Y. That’s why I thought you were talking about Y.”
The nice thing about this model is that, in a game, you expect everyone to know the rules before you sit down to play. If someone doesn’t follow them, they’re either too ignorant to play or cheating. When you’re talking to someone who speaks a different language from you (even if they’re just different versions of English, like Sammish and Relsquish are), occasional confusion is a matter of course. When you misunderstand each other, no one has “broken” the rules; it’s just a mismatch. You identify that, explain in other words, and move on, with much fewer hard feelings or blame.
Haha. Yes, it is. I don’t get to say it much, because I’m Fizz to almost everybody who knows me in person—so I refer to myself as speaking Fizzish instead. I didn’t think it was worth the trouble of explaining that for the sake of the example, though. :)
The analogy I use in my head instead of games is languages. They both have rules, but “games” implies something fake, not productive, and not to be taken seriously. “Languages” are tools we’re accustomed to using for everyday functional reasons, and it’s clearer that breaking their rules arbitrarily has a more immediate detrimental effect on their purpose (communication).
The most common way I use the metaphor explicitly is during a misunderstanding with a friend. “Wait—what does X mean in Sammish? Z? Ohh, now I get it. In Relsquish, X means Y. That’s why I thought you were talking about Y.”
The nice thing about this model is that, in a game, you expect everyone to know the rules before you sit down to play. If someone doesn’t follow them, they’re either too ignorant to play or cheating. When you’re talking to someone who speaks a different language from you (even if they’re just different versions of English, like Sammish and Relsquish are), occasional confusion is a matter of course. When you misunderstand each other, no one has “broken” the rules; it’s just a mismatch. You identify that, explain in other words, and move on, with much fewer hard feelings or blame.
That is very fun to say. Rel-squish!
Haha. Yes, it is. I don’t get to say it much, because I’m Fizz to almost everybody who knows me in person—so I refer to myself as speaking Fizzish instead. I didn’t think it was worth the trouble of explaining that for the sake of the example, though. :)