Play as competitive
I have been playing games of all sorts as long as I can remember. My uncle Robert was accidentally responsible for this I think. He taught me chess when I was five. From then on, I was hooked.I love gaming. It is a great way to interact with friends and think about problems. What I don't really like is being overly competitive.
It's a general trait with me that I don't like competition. This is partly because of my idealogy. I believe that people can do more and succeed better in almost every arena by working together. I've written in other forums about the unquestioned primacy of competition and the Agon that the Greeks admired so much. I won't bore readers here with the details on how the West consistently promotes competitive models of excellence. I have advocated a new paradigm in which cooperation is the driving principle of organized behaviour. I don't think it's catching on.
Gaming is generally a competitive exercise, with winners and losers. Role-Playing games offer an alternative to competition, and I've always liked RPGs as a result.
Now, there are more cooperative model games. My lastest board game purchase, Shadows Over Camelot, falls into this camp. I can't wait to play it with my gamer friends and see if we can get the same satisfaction working together we get trying to screw each other over.
Well, I'll have to wait a little, because the game is not here yet. Anyway, here's hoping it's a hit. My ego can't take being troused again in another game!
posted by zditty @ 8:57 AM
3 comments
