Competitive Fun

Anyone who knows me well knows that I like to play Magic: the Gathering. Several years ago, I was able to play frequently with my friends, but that just doesn't happen any more. Instead, I play the online version. Usually, I play in leagues -- 4-week long sessions with a limited card pool. I enjoy the challenge of building a deck or two from the cards I get, and facing other players online to match my strategy and tactics against theirs, with a decent amount of luck involved.

I tend to be average. In the 4-week period, each player has the chance to play 20 matches (a match is the best two of three games), with the opportunity to play more matches for "tie-breaker" points. I don't have time for much more than the 5 matches per week, typically. So, I usually win about 10 and lose about 10.

When I start each match, I tell my opponent "Good Luck and Have Fun." And I mean it. I like Magic a lot, but the worst part of the game is when unlucky draws make a game one-sided, in either direction. So I really do want both of us to avoid bad luck. And I play the game for fun. There are a few people online who are poor losers and/or poor winners, and people who seem to take the anonymity of the online environment as permission to be nasty or at least rude. But most of the players like to have fun.

This past few weeks I've found myself with a bit more relaxation time to devote to playing, so I've been in three leagues (each starting a different week.) In the league which will end soonest, I just finished my normal matches and have a record of 15 wins and 5 losses. I am pretty sure this is as well as I've ever done. During that stretch, I've played with a couple of grumps, but for the most part my opponents have been nice and gracious.

I have enjoyed myself greatly, and while I don't doubt that some of the enjoyment comes from having won just a few more matches than I normally do, I also can honestly say that the majority of my satisfaction comes from the experience of getting to play this wonderfully designed strategy game with people who are also playing for the fun of it.






This will be my last entry until I return from visiting Mike in Seattle. To anyone who has been dropping by to read my daily scribbles, they'll resume next Tuesday.