Living in China as a foreigner can be like living in an RPG. Let me count the ways…

1. It offers an escape from an ordinary, monotonous existence.
2. It appeals to nerds.
3. Rules of the road… just don’t hit anything.
4. Money is counted in “pieces” (块)
5. The fast way to do things is “on horseback” (马上)
6. Dragons are real (恐龙, lit. “terrible dragons”)
7. Players usually enter the game with special abilities (e.g. English, foreigner charm).
8. It’s really fun at first, but can get old pretty fast.
9. It takes place in a magical world where people believe in mystical concepts like qi and fengshui.
10. The people take legends very seriously (even 5,000 year old ones).
11. The word “peasant” doesn’t seem out of place.
12. There are plenty of barmaids in the taverns and women of ill repute on the streets.
13. The background story: a legendary kingdom has fallen under the control of a powerful, malevolent force, and heroes are nowhere to be found…

(Source: sinosplice.com)