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Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Play with my body, not with my mind
Everyone has played a game at some point in their life. Whether it be a solitare, a board game, a sport or something as simple as "Duck Duck Penguin", all of us have participated in some kind of recreational gaming activity. Not all of us, however, approach games in the same manner. There are two basic types of game players in this world: the casuals and the hardcore. The two different types of gamers are polar opposites, and don't generally mix very well.
A casual gamer is one who will pull out a board game maybe once a year and push the pieces around without really considering what they're doing. Sure, they'd like to win, but if they don't it's not really a big deal. They derive their satisfaction from the mechanical portion of playing the game and if they lose then at least they had fun playing.
The hardcore gamer, on the other hand, carefully considers their moves and the moves of the other players in order to gain some kind of advantage. Winning is the ultimate objective and mercy is not an option. The mechanical aspects of the game are just there to enable them to crush the opposition, and they are disappointed if they ultimately do not achieve victory.
Shocking, I know
For the majority of my life I have been of the hardcore persuasion. When I play a game, I play to win, and I must say that I'm pretty darn good. Without sounding like I'm tooting my horn too much, I must say that I have a natural aptitude towards gaming, especially strategy gaming. This has not always gone over well with those around me. I used to play a WWII simulation game (no, not Axis and Allies, it was "Command Decision") and, being as my name and heritage are German, I played the Germans.
Dear reader, imagine if you will the following scene: A group of WWII afficianados get together to play a WWII strategy game in which they will recreate some of the great British and American victories. A young lad would like to play, and he'll play the Germans, which is great because the Germans always lose and nobody wants to play them. The terrain and units are set up in accurate historical detail and everyone is ready for a German slaughterfest.
Only, it turns out that the British commander doesn't manuever well. His spotter and general have raced ahead of the batallion along with a troop carrier, wanting to establish an early vantage point on a nearby hill. The troops and the general race out of the APC and encounter light resistance from the german infantry. Then the mortar stirke is called in.
You can't make an omlet without ham and cheese... or something like that.
"Wait! You can't mortar your own troops!" Ha. Watch me. I'll trade five grunts for your general any day. Goodbye British command, and welcome to panicville. The British flank rolls up under the onslaught of the dreaded King Tigers while entrenched infantry sacrifices themselves against the American armor long enough to collapse the rear and ensure a decisive victory for the Germans.
I'm not sure if it was the fact that the American's lost or the constant barrage of German trash-talk ("Vill you surrender? Vhy so quite? Deutschland uber Alles!"), but the group only played once or twice more before I was curiously not invited back.
I try to be fair. I will help out a novice player for the first few games, but after that it's no holds barred. My philosophy is that if you continue to enable them to play weakly, they have no incentive to get any better. Besides, it's funny to watch a four-year-old cry.
She turned me into a newt! ... I got better...
Ok, maybe I'm not quite THAT terrible, but it is close. I have made a concious effort in recent months to tone this down as much as possible. It's been difficult, but I think I'm getting better. Just the other day I was playing "Lionheart" and I completely resisted the urge to jump up and do the "Medieval Victory Dance" when I won. See? That's progress!
Posted at 11:25 am by plki76
 | | | Momab
July 21, 2004 04:57 PM PDT
Now you know why we always let you win at "Candyland" (until you were 5 or 6) We couldn't stand seeing or hearing you cry!!! Don't be angry, it gave you the insentive to go out and kick some a**, right???
Love,
Momab | |
| | | Big Daddy
July 21, 2004 03:39 PM PDT
Tone down your game playing I think not. It would be like actually agreeing with a parental unit and admititing that they do know somethings in this world. | |
| | | Low_Emissions
July 21, 2004 08:31 AM PDT
Lovely story... :) I've been playing a strategy game lately, although nothing like what you're playing it's a lot of fun. Starcraft. I keep getting my ass handed to me by my online friend. I don't know why, either. It seems to me like we do the same things, but for some reason, his army is always twice as big as mine. I don't understand how he does this because I'm always pressed for resources as I research, build, and construct my army all at the same time. I don't know where I'm going with this. :| :P Just thought it might be almost interesting...
Keep up the good work with the blog! | |
| | | nicjanjon
July 20, 2004 12:21 PM PDT
I thank you for that... :P | |
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