I was very interested in Sam Mustafa's comments about how the rest of the world looks at us, your editorial about your feelings on the matter, and Duncan Adams' article "With HAWKS to the Fort."
I happen to be in the mid-40s and have been gaming since my age was measured in single digits. I encountered the derogatory comments in the 70s from my peers in High School that were too young and missed the anti-war protests of the 60s. I think they just needed to express their angst in not having their own "cause", so my friends and I bore the brunt of their naming calling of war mongers, etc. I was too young to really have anything intelligent to say that didn't include profanity. Now, I realize, that I enjoyed the mental stimulation of the game, the social contact with other kids, and the pageantry, chivalry, glory, etc. These were, of course, naive concepts on my part and some service time in the Infantry and a few decades of life experience has taught me otherwise.
I don't believe that the games we play are simulations of warfare. To me, we play games. In that context, I have no problems with imagining my Highlanders making a glorious charge in the flank of the British line and changing the results of Culloden. I certainly, as you point out, am not gaming the British hunting down and killing of the Clans, as was done in real life.
The issue seems to be the context of our audience when the members of the audience has a certain emotional relationship with the particular period of warfare we happen to' be gaming. In Sam's article, he mentions that both of them comment on, from their perspective, the recentness of the wargame period in question (WWII) and in both cases, the individuals have personal identification with one of the periods that Sam wargames.
I don't game anything after WWII for the same reason. I grew up watching the Vietnam War on television during dinner time and find that I have no interest in the period. I don't delve too much into my personal feelings, but I don't feel compelled to justify this to myself. I play other periods (many) that are WWII or earlier. My feelings, of course, are neither here nor there except given that I am a wargamer, I enjoy my hobby immensely and I lose no sleep from guilt... I do lose sleep from writing up scenarios and painting, but that, as they say, is a different matter. My personal view is relevant when I use it to try to understand other people's view of my choice of wargaming as a hobby and, specifically, my choice of periods to game, if those choices make other people uncomfortable.
Many of my work associates, friends and neighbors have expressed interest in our hobby, the soldiers I paint, the rules and how they are used to play with our toy soldiers. I haven't encountered any direct disapproval from anyone for many years. If someone hints at the topic, I tell them I am playing with toy soldiers and it's a lot like chess, but more complex and fluid, and then I usually give them a 2 minute summation of a game or how scales of man/figure ratios work or reflecting the range of a musket range against a scaled ratio in miniatures with time and documented movement rates of troops.
It could be that the popularity of fantasy and science fiction gaming, in many cases using exactly the same methods historical wargames use, is a function of the gamers wanting to play with toy soldiers, but also wanting to avoid any psychological connection with the real life combat. It could be that it doesn't have anything to do with it (more likely, just better marketing by the fantasy game manufacturers).
I try to be sympathetic of the audience I am addressing when I am talking about our hobby. I play with teenagers in my neighborhood and have approached the chess club and history department at the local High School. I explained that the games are intellectually challenging to the chess club sponsor. I explained that the games help to understand our national history to the HS History chairman. I also explained that the games add participation in an otherwise less-than-hands-on activity. I use the American Civil War and the American War of Independence as my mediums to explain our hobby. Both seem to have been received well without any judgement that I am a disturbed person.
In conclusion, I guess I have no conclusion. I don't evangelize "the hobby" to anyone. I share some passions I have and if people are interested in learning more, I do what I can to help them find what their area of interest. I love collecting toy soldiers and organizing them and painting them and reading about history. If someone wants to contest my manifestation of this because it takes the form of wargaming, bring it on. If they are offended by what I (or we) do, I will discuss it with them. I have never changed the religious or political convictions of anyone and I don't believe I will change the emotional convictions of someone with a particular connection to a period of conflict that I game. I just try to be sensitive to their needs and sympathize with what they may be thinking or feeling. If their views are so strong they feel compelled to be in conflict with my on what I do for a hobby, I feel just as strong on the matter that I am not hurting anyone, they don't need to participate and there are far more urgent issues in the world than them giving me grief about having toy tanks from WWII in my collections.
So much for the long windedness. I relinquish the podium.
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© Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum
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