Cultural Differences between UK and USA

[TornadoCreator]

This is something that cropped up in the Average Games thread that I thought we could elaborate on.

I've noticed, particularly in the Entertainment industry that people assume that UK and USA are the same culturally because we speak the same language. This couldn't be further from the truth.

If you take Japanese people and British people they'll consider what may or may not offend people, and become somewhat aware of cultural differences. But Americans, not a chance. One of the best examples is food. In China it's considered to be a statement of dissatisfaction to clear your plate of food during a meal, it's a non-verbal comment on the generosity of the host as it is expected that they serve slightly more food than is wanted. In UK it is considered an insult to not clear your plate of food, and is considered to mean that the host is a bad cook who served food that isn't good enough. You put these two things together and you have an issue as the Chinese people keep refilling the plate of the the English guys who are full but don't want to leave the food in case they offend someone.

In TV shows, Films, and Video Games it is usually Americans that are the focal point. Even if the game is far future sci-fi, it's still set in America. For you guys in USA there's a distinct sense that the game belongs to you guys, for us this isn't the case.

As I've said before I'm both a socialist and an atheist, which makes me in the eyes of many Americans, especially in the south, some kind of cross between Ming the Merciless and Skeletor, but here I'm only slightly more right wing than my friends and family who are proper Liberals (not your wishy-washy "Democrat" idea of Liberals, the Democrats are considered center-right wing by UK standards). I find many of the things in games confusing, like, why the hell is "communism" somehow evil in every game. You play an FPS/stealth game set in USA or where you're playing as Americans and you'll at some point have to take out "communists"... Communists are people who believe that all property should be without an owner and that we should all live together as a community, sharing all our worldly wealth. It's liteally the politics of sharing. How is this evil? Sure, it's easy to corrupt such a system and both USSR and China proved this, but that's Fascism not Communism.

Sometimes though it's the little things that crop up. Things like patriotism. People in games are often say things like "God bless America" (which is stupid, why would God bless just America but I digress). Here in the UK, patriotism is done by psycho nationalist neo-nazis. You see someone waving a flag in UK and it's NOT the world cup, they're probably mentally ill. (you know football, that game where you kick a ball with your feet as opposed to the American fuck-up sport you jokingly call football and that the rest of the world mocks your for playing). In America, ever business and house is flying the flag... why? Is it incase you forget which country you live in?

Then there's beer. Americans love their beer which is hilarious because American beer is AWFUL. It has no flavour and it's got the alcohol content of a babies fart. In UK, beer is different. People like the pub, not the beer, where as in USA people drink beer at home then go to a "bar" where they're usually standing up rather than sitting down. I don't know anyone who drinks beer at home in UK. Whiskey, perhaps, but beer, no... but then there's the fact that you can't drink till you're 21 which is hilarious. In UK the legal drinking age is 5... yes you read that correctly, 5 years old. You can't buy alcohol in a pub till you're 18, but you can drink wine with a meal in a restaurant, if ordered with an adult. I've seen shows where the bride at her own wedding isn't allowed to have Champagne because she's "only" 20 years old! She's old enough to vote, join the army, drive, get married, and to own a fucking shotgun... give the bitch a glass of wine already! At my aunties wedding I had Champaign and I was 13.

Speaking of age, the age of consent also makes everything no longer make sense. I've played multiple games where they try to have "tension" and social morality, by at some point indicating that the young woman you're possibly going to be having sex with is *gasp* 17... which in America is apparently 5 years old. In USA, if you're 17 the very concept that someone would find you sexually attractive is sick and twisted, but if you turn 18 the following week it becomes OK to treat them like a sex symbol. HUH? I'm sorry USA but you're crazy. Sex with a 17 year old does not make you a pedophile, it makes you a lucky sod, sex with a 7 year old... that makes you a pedophile. Does no-one in America realise the legal age in almost all European countries is 15. (it's 14 in many Eastern European countries, and it's 13 in Spain). The UK has a legal age of 16, however there are by-laws which basically state if a 17 year old is having sex with his 15 year old girlfriend... he's not a crazy kiddy-fiddler. It's when the 58 year old mentally grooms the 15 year old that we have the problem... (oh and there's a bill currently being reviewed to lower the legal age in UK to 15). Technically, somewhere I have a tape in my house that legally counts as child porn... why, it's of me when I was 17 having sex with my 16 year old girlfriend. We got bored one day and decided to film ourselves. The hilarious thing. It was entirely legal for me to look at her naked, touch her naked body, and even have sex with it, but photographing it and looking at the photo is apparently one of the worst crimes imaginable. Funny stuff America.

So yeah, those are just a few of the things I find jarring about American culture in our games and in general. What do you guys think?

[dsheinem]

I've noticed, particularly in the Entertainment industry that people assume that UK and USA are the same culturally because we speak the same language.

Who thinks this? Where? No one I have ever encountered thinks that the US and Uk are the same culturally, nor have I ever seen a show or film that makes this assumption.

I am fighting an urge to lock this inane thread full of generalizations and misunderstandings before you embarrass yourself further or it turns into a flame war...

[MrPopo]

I find many of the things in games confusing, like, why the hell is "communism" somehow evil in every game. You play an FPS/stealth game set in USA or where you're playing as Americans and you'll at some point have to take out "communists"... Communists are people who believe that all property should be without an owner and that we should all live together as a community, sharing all our worldly wealth. It's liteally the politics of sharing. How is this evil? Sure, it's easy to corrupt such a system and both USSR and China proved this, but that's Fascism not Communism.

The Cold War cemented into the American mindset that the USSR = communism, whether or not it actually matches up with what Marx thought communism was. And even real communism is still anti-American. The idea of share and share alike kicks off a "freeloader" warning bell in our heads.

Sometimes though it's the little things that crop up. Things like patriotism. People in games are often say things like "God bless America" (which is stupid, why would God bless just America but I digress). Here in the UK, patriotism is done by psycho nationalist neo-nazis. You see someone waving a flag in UK and it's NOT the world cup, they're probably mentally ill. (you know football, that game where you kick a ball with your feet as opposed to the American fuck-up sport you jokingly call football and that the rest of the world mocks your for playing). In America, ever business and house is flying the flag... why? Is it incase you forget which country you live in?

That's the kind of thinking that lost you the Empire. Americans as a general rule are proud to have been born here and live here. And also, American football is better than European football because American football is war distilled into a sport.

Speaking of age, the age of consent also makes everything no longer make sense. I've played multiple games where they try to have "tension" and social morality, by at some point indicating that the young woman you're possibly going to be having sex with is *gasp* 17... which in America is apparently 5 years old. In USA, if you're 17 the very concept that someone would find you sexually attractive is sick and twisted, but if you turn 18 the following week it becomes OK to treat them like a sex symbol. HUH? I'm sorry USA but you're crazy. Sex with a 17 year old does not make you a pedophile, it makes you a lucky sod, sex with a 7 year old... that makes you a pedophile. Does no-one in America realise the legal age in almost all European countries is 15. (it's 14 in many Eastern European countries, and it's 13 in Spain). The UK has a legal age of 16, however there are by-laws which basically state if a 17 year old is having sex with his 15 year old girlfriend... he's not a crazy kiddy-fiddler. It's when the 58 year old mentally grooms the 15 year old that we have the problem... (oh and there's a bill currently being reviewed to lower the legal age in UK to 15). Technically, somewhere I have a tape in my house that legally counts as child porn... why, it's of me when I was 17 having sex with my 16 year old girlfriend. We got bored one day and decided to film ourselves. The hilarious thing. It was entirely legal for me to look at her naked, touch her naked body, and even have sex with it, but photographing it and looking at the photo is apparently one of the worst crimes imaginable. Funny stuff America.

We actually do tend to have "within 3 years" laws for the case of the boyfriend who has a birthday before his girlfriend.

[BoringSupreez]

In TV shows, Films, and Video Games it is usually Americans that are the focal point. Even if the game is far future sci-fi, it's still set in America. For you guys in USA there's a distinct sense that the game belongs to you guys, for us this isn't the case.

The US and Canada is the single most important market in the industry. In a sense, the game does belong to us, just like it used to belong to Japan. Be content with the fact that Europe has such a large presence in the PC section of gaming.

I find many of the things in games confusing, like, why the hell is "communism" somehow evil in every game. You play an FPS/stealth game set in USA or where you're playing as Americans and you'll at some point have to take out "communists"... Communists are people who believe that all property should be without an owner and that we should all live together as a community, sharing all our worldly wealth. It's liteally the politics of sharing. How is this evil? Sure, it's easy to corrupt such a system and both USSR and China proved this, but that's Fascism not Communism.

Communism's basic assumptions and mechanics assume that people are basically good deep down. This couldn't be farther from the truth, and that's why communism will always fail. People are greedy, selfish, and narcissistic. An economic and governmental system based on Communism is incredibly easy for jerks to exploit, and so it always will be. The only reason China has been doing so well lately is because they are becoming less and less committed to communism, and are adapting more capitalistic ideas. A communist nation will be evil to an extent, and that's why they are portrayed as evil enemies in video games and movie. Besides, most of the biggest movies and games are made by Americans, and we were locked into the Cold War with Russia (communist at the time) for nearly 50 years, so there is no large amount of love for communism here in the US.

Anyway, are you trying to create a war here, Tornado? This topic isn't going to go anywhere nice.

[TornadoCreator]

Anyway, are you trying to create a war here, Tornado? This topic isn't going to go anywhere nice.

Not in the slightest, if we can't casually discuss our differences, poke fun at them occationally and get a giggle from the odd stereotype whilst considering how it effects our hobby and the way we see things in general without it becoming a real argument... well that's quite sad really isn't it.

I'm sure there are things that make no sense to Americans that Brits do, like how the British seem pathologically afraid of having fun. You have to talk them into it. "Oooh, well... Ok, let's be a bit naughty then shall we?"... shut up, just eat the damn biscuit.

Apparently everyone else seems to be taking this a whole lot more seriously than I am. See what I mean about cultural differences people... Americans, no sense of humour

[noiseredux]

honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about.

[AppleQueso]

Anyway, are you trying to create a war here, Tornado? This topic isn't going to go anywhere nice.

He's not trying to create a war, he's trying to create a tornado.

But yeah I'd say starting a thread about cultural differences with a huge post filled with nothing but sweeping generalizations and wild assumptions isn't really the best way to get an actual discussion started.

Not to mention the fact that basing your views of a culture entirely on the media it produces is a little silly to me.

[noiseredux]

Apparently everyone else seems to be taking this a whole lot more seriously than I am. See what I mean about cultural differences people... Americans, no sense of humour

oh I get it... pointing out how one group of people is different from another group of people is comedy! ...cutting edge comedy.

[dsheinem]

Anyway, are you trying to create a war here, Tornado? This topic isn't going to go anywhere nice.

He's not trying to create a war, he's trying to create a tornado.

But yeah I'd say starting a thread about cultural differences with a huge post filled with nothing but sweeping generalizations and wild assumptions isn't really the best way to get an actual discussion started.

Not to mention the fact that basing your views of a culture entirely on the media it produces is a little silly to me.

Very well stated. A nice way to end the thread.