If you are not currently nor ever have been heavily into the Legend of the Five Rings CCG, the below pathetic whine will make no sense to you. Choke it down at your own peril
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It's not that I don't play to win; obviously, the goal of each individual game is to win that particular match, so I try to play to the best of my ability. The difference to me is the goal of playing itself.
Am I playing to win, such as in a tournament, where the goal is to be the last player standing? I can do this, as I said, but it's not nearly as enjoyable for me. In a tournament setting, be it L5R, DBZ, or Warlord (the three games where I've played in tournies), the pressure is on, and it takes a mental and physical toll on me. My hands start shaking, especially as the game goes on. My fingers get cold, and I can hear my pulse pounding in my head, and all my attention is focused on my opponent's moves and my options. At the end of a round, win or lose, the first thought through my mind is, "God, I'm glad that's over." If I do manage to win, the sigh that goes with that thought is only slightly more relaxed.
On the other hand, if I'm playing just for the sake of a good time, I'm more relaxed. I'm still watching my opponent, but I don't feel so stressed. I can kick back, exchange smalltalk and jokes, and not take the game so seriously. There's still a competition of sorts between me and my opponent, but it doesn't feel so cutthroat; there's nothing riding on the resolution of the game, so the playing itself gains more focus. For me, getting there is more than half the fun. It's also an environment that lends itself well to playful experimentation, like hidaman's "Initial D" Spycraft deck. Yes, it's a deck that would get slaughtered at a tournament, but it's a deck that he has together for when everyone is just interested in playing something a bit silly (and he still wants it to be as good a deck as he can make it without sacrificing the theme).
At the end of the day, it all has to do with goals. Is the goal to win, or just to play? For me, it's the latter, and while the former is nice, and competition is important, for me, it's far from the most important thing.
Am I playing to win, such as in a tournament, where the goal is to be the last player standing? I can do this, as I said, but it's not nearly as enjoyable for me. In a tournament setting, be it L5R, DBZ, or Warlord (the three games where I've played in tournies), the pressure is on, and it takes a mental and physical toll on me. My hands start shaking, especially as the game goes on. My fingers get cold, and I can hear my pulse pounding in my head, and all my attention is focused on my opponent's moves and my options. At the end of a round, win or lose, the first thought through my mind is, "God, I'm glad that's over." If I do manage to win, the sigh that goes with that thought is only slightly more relaxed.
On the other hand, if I'm playing just for the sake of a good time, I'm more relaxed. I'm still watching my opponent, but I don't feel so stressed. I can kick back, exchange smalltalk and jokes, and not take the game so seriously. There's still a competition of sorts between me and my opponent, but it doesn't feel so cutthroat; there's nothing riding on the resolution of the game, so the playing itself gains more focus. For me, getting there is more than half the fun. It's also an environment that lends itself well to playful experimentation, like hidaman's "Initial D" Spycraft deck. Yes, it's a deck that would get slaughtered at a tournament, but it's a deck that he has together for when everyone is just interested in playing something a bit silly (and he still wants it to be as good a deck as he can make it without sacrificing the theme).
At the end of the day, it all has to do with goals. Is the goal to win, or just to play? For me, it's the latter, and while the former is nice, and competition is important, for me, it's far from the most important thing.
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