Longtime tabletop sports gamer and collector Giorgio Salvadego gives us a rundown on the state of gaming in Italy from his home region of Veneto (think Venice). He has played in numerous leagues, including the Happy Gilmore Golf Association with APBA luminaries Steve Kanehl, Royce Sleighter, George Gerney and John Wright, as well as the APBA International Bowling League. He's even traveled to the U.S. and Canada to play, first visiting Long Island, New York, in 1987 to play in his Strat-O-Matic hockey league; he also attended SOM's 40th anniversary event in Akron Ohio. He visited Vancouver in 1998 to play his bowling finals face to face with Wright.

When he's not gaming, Giorgio contributes to the hobby in other ways: He has written a chapter on tabletop sports for a Roberto Chiavini book, as well as designed a Swiss course for Plaay's Red, White & Blue Racin'.

With a collection of 300 to 350 games, one of Giorgio's passions is soccer games; he has 15, including Dice United 2, which he playtested for Gary Brown. National Pro Hockey by Canada’s Sports Action Game Company is another favorite of his.

Here, Giorgio tells us about how he became interested in games, played in leagues internationally, and how he stays in touch with a group of about 20 gamers using WhatsApp. We even touch on his favorite cricket games and the football game Raymond Burr used to think through solving crimes in the "Ironside" series that ran from 1967 to 1975. Oh, and being Italians, of course we can't help but talk food!

Interview conducted May 25, 2023

Happy Gilmore Golf Association Page:
https://cs4001.tripod.com/hgga.htm

Giorgio's main Tabletop Sports site:
https://cs4001.tripod.com/index.htm

VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/2xkkSa3MDyE