A couple of weeks ago, a discussion brewed up on Twitter thanks to a magazine article on the wired.com site spotted by @Dice_Dad – see my retweet of the pice and subsequent discussion here.
The article dealt with the subject of diversity in wargaming – or, more particularly, the apparent lack of it, and the role of self-appointed ‘gatekeepers’ who were making it difficult, if not impossible, for women in particular to feel comfortable about getting involved in our wonderful hobby.
The discussion on Twitter was largely very civilised, but of course it occurred to me that what we needed was input from those feeling discriminated against, and this is where Samantha came to the rescue!
As you’ll hear, Samantha is a highly intelligent and diversity-aware individual, but more importantly, she is also a wargamer steeped in the hobby since an early age. A former police officer and now IT genius (my opinion!), she is married to Mike Stockin, and together they created and run The Wargames Website, one of the friendliest places on the wargaming web.
Who better, then, to discuss this sensitive topic with me? Be warned, we do express some opinions (you may be shocked to hear that we call for reasonable and considerate behaviour), and call upon the community to think about the subject matter discussed in the show and for each of us to take responsibility for how we greet others interested in participating in our amazing hobby. I have no doubt that my wonderful patrons are amongst those most committed to encouraging others to join the hobby, regardless of their background.
Henry
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