Why Play?

In a couple of hours I will be headed to a "Fantasy College Basketball Draft."

I've been involved in fantasy football for years, and sometimes I'm pretty good at it. [This year, I stink.] Fantasy football is pretty involved because you have to know a great deal about teams and individual players.

The Fantasy College Basketball is much less involved. We each choose six teams, and we get points for wins. Big deal. Not much preparation needed. Ans since I just use cheat sheets Dad creates, it's very easy for me. I'm not particularly good, I just play the game.

So, why do I play?

I play many games, for many reasons. Some of them are purely for personal enjoyment (HoMM3) or diversion (Spectromancer), but for many of them, social interaction is a big part of the fun. That is certainly the case for role-playing games, for example. For Fantasy Basketball, it's basically the only reason I play. This is something I can do with my father, brother and uncle. I'm getting to know a few of the other "players" as well, and they are nice people. But the biggest reason to do it: a shared experience with Dad, Eric & Wayne.

I'll get a couple of hours in a car with Dad & Eric -- that's always a fun drive. Then I'll get a couple hours with the whole group, eating, chatting and making uninformed selections in the draft. Silly fun. Then two more hours driving back and re-hashing our selections. Still more fun. Then, right through the end of the season, the four of us will have something to discuss, bemoan, cheer, etc.

Tomorrow, I will be tired. But tonight I will draft, eat too much, and stay up too late. And I'll do it while bonding with the guys.

That's a good time, and a good reason to play.