International communication.

This title whilst accurate in some ways is not the stuff that dreams are made of...it's much more down to earth.
Several of the games I play are international. They show the nationality of our opponents by showing their national flag. The Facebook games come into that category and sometimes there is the ability to chat.
Chat isn't quite free flowing though. There are several greetings, clearly in different languages which you can use. This makes for some interesting exchanges.
If I meet someone I've played before I can say "Hello" and then presumably it then comes out as "Bonjour" if your opponent is French.
Where it gets interesting is when your opponent is also English speaking as in Australia or America.
If I press Hello it comes out as "Howdy" but occasionally as "Are you feeling lucky?"
"Sorry " is often expressed in flowery language, "I beg your pardon" or "My regrets" This is not easy. "Please accept my regrets" feels a bit much for winning a five minute game.
This method of communication has its problem but at least we can speak to each other to some degree.
There is no way of swearing in the list of phrases which is just as well...damm it often comes to mind if I lose at the very last minute.
I've used this way of talking to my opponent on a Gin Rummy site but recently the Backgammon site has also adopted it. It is at least an attempt to bring the game players of the world together in friendly communication.
I enjoy playing and the chatting is just as extra which you don't have to use....but if I could I would occasionally say " the seasons greetings" or even "God bless...."
But it's just as well that these phrases are not attempted , they could lead to all sorts of complications this world is not ready for just yet!

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