14 hours ago, StevenO said:

Ok, how about your driver just starts using his phone while driving. Sure it's becoming illegal in many states but a lot of studies are showing it's as dangerous as drinking and driving.

Driving while texting can actually kill people! How hard is it to understand? Texting while you play X wing will not kill anyone!

11 hours ago, drathbun said:

Grumpy Old Dude Comment: You realize we survived just fine for years without cell phones in our pockets, right? It is possible.

Scenario: You're on a date. Sitting down in a restaurant. You start to look at your menu. Your date, seeing that you're occupied (and having already set her dials made her dinner selection) decides to pull out her phone and start texting with someone else. How do you feel?

In my opinion, it's not that much different. Two people, sitting across from each other in a social situation. Should I be expected to tell my date that I would prefer she not get on her phone? Isn't it a reasonable expectation?

If you're going on a date, you're deciding whether you like each other, whether you're compatible as people, etc, etc. If you aren't happy with her doing that, then don't go on another date. Personally, I don't care. I'm not saying anything to her - I'm not even paying any attention to her, so why should I care? Again, this is in moderation (I wouldn't be happy if they ignored me throughout the entire meal & wouldn't make conversation, but I haven't said that the X wing equivalent of this would be OK at any time).

Again with the poor examples which all can be dealt with easily and don't actually hold any parallels with X Wing!

Annoyed Gen Z comment: Why would I want to not have my cell phone in my pocket? It contains most of the world's information, immediate contact with loved ones, and X Wing related info that allows me to understand the game. I don't have to bother my opponent and can understand their list easily. Cell phones don't inherently have any drawbacks to their use, so why not use them?

This is common sense type stuff, guys, and not worth getting your panties in a knot. I know I shouldn't expect much from these forums anymore, but come on.

I'm in the camp that thinks that heavy phone usage during a game of X-Wing is rude. Fortunately, my FLGS is full of guys who are old enough to remember a time when people interacted with each other and not with their phones. I keep my phone on during games, but will only answer it if it is my wife. She knows that calling me during a game is not ideal for me so she will limit her calls to important matters. When I take a call from her I apologize to my opponent while doing so, explaining who it is. I keep the call as quick as possible. I've never had anybody complain, nor do I have any problem with an opponent taking an important call, esp. during a casual (non-tourney) game. In fact, I do like having a phone available because I've had my opponent look up a rule/FAQ entry while I'm considering my dials a couple of times now.

If I ever encounter somebody who uses their phone too much for my comfort, I will simply say, "Come on, man, put down your phone and play X-Wing." If he persists, my response will depend on the circumstances. If it's a tournament, I'd call over a TO to complain. If it's a casual setting, I will either make a point not to play with this person ever again (and say so during and after the match), or if it's bad enough, I'll start picking up my stuff and either leave or play with somebody else.

I've had other games ruined by phone-users before, and without exception these guys are socially awkward at best. They have always sheepishly mended their ways after being admonished. Anybody who does that and then has the balls to defend that behavior can f*ck right off, as far as I'm concerned.

But hey, if both people playing the game are of a like mind and are perfectly happy being phone zombies together, then at least they aren't bothering anybody else. Then when they're done not playing X-Wing, they can go to dinner with their significant others and be THOSE people... you know, the ones who sit at restaurants and eat together but don't speak to each other, because their heads are buried in their phones. I've always felt sorry for those folks.

This gets dumber by the minute. Unless your comparison is 'what if they were using their phone during a game of (any tabletop game)?' your comparison is pointless. Stop it. Whoever posted the big list of phone etiquette links exactly proves my point- different people have different expectations, if someone's behavior is not meeting your expectations in a social setting the respectful thing to do is communicate- full stop.