Every few months a group of ravenous, garrulous gamers descends upon La Pentola restaurant in Pretoria, South Africa. If you're a savvy waiter, you realize just how receptive this audience can be to quests -- or requests -- coming from a stranger.

"I heard you're going away soon," he tells me as we shuffle out. "Good luck!"

"Same to you," I say. "I hear you're going to Skyrim."