"Diversity in the gaming population leads to a diversity of playing preferences."
Each and every gamer plays for individual reasons and approaches play with individual preferences. The diversity of players and approaches leads to some players enjoying and seeking what others dislike and avoid. Accordingly, claims of "good" or "bad" when attached to approaches are purely subjective and relatively meaningless--what is "bad" for one person may be highly desirable for another.
The diversity rule is also referred to as the difference rule on RGFA. As can be readily seen, all it really involves is a restatement of the old adage "different strokes for different folks." "To each his own" and "your mileage may vary" are also phrases that come to mind.
The diversity rule bears repeating--and is included in this collection--for the simple reason that it seems to be forgotten a great deal during discussions of games. A good many gamers seem to believe that the way in which they prefer to play is somehow better or more desirable for everybody and take an antagonistic approach in discussion that serves no useful purpose. The Threefold appeared as the result of an effort to provide an explicit example of diversity in gaming circles.
When it comes to games, there is no One True Way and all the bluster and pretense in the world will not make it so. We, the gaming public, are a diverse body of people and we have diverse tastes.
Copyright 2003 by Larry D. Hols. All rights reserved.