Some time ago, I had some friends over. We had been drinking somewhat (just to give some background to the story) and were looking for a simple game to play, and one suggested we start playing Texas Hold 'Em Poker. I tried to sit through the rules, but got fed up and left the game. Acted like an ass, kinda, which is why I brought up the alcohol - and also why I've been thinking recently about why I have such a strong reaction against poker and other gambling games.
I think it's the competition. I play games to have fun with my friends, and gambling - even harmless gambling, like valueless poker chips - puts me in an antagonistic mood. Do you see people at these 'World Series of Poker' games talking to each other, laughing and having a good time of the game? It's all focused on the competition and the payoff. It angers me, because it corrupts our hobby and draws good potential players away, teaching them that the purpose of the game is to win, not to play.
That's how I roll, really. I'll play simple versions of blackjack and poker, and other games, but if chips come out, I'm out. I don't want to sit silent around the table, glaring at my opponents and trying to call their bluff. I want to laugh and have a good time. I do have some games where bluffing and hiding are part of the game, but in those games, the need to bluff is often tied to a specific opportunity or event - not the entire game. With poker, at least for me, there's no room to relax. Because I get into the competition. I get focused on the win. And I hate who I become.
We were playing a game of Twilight Imperium at a recent con, and one of the con staff gave me a TI3 poster as a prize for the winner. Immediately I became cutthroat - I was ready to pounce on a new player's undefended home system - and the game stopped being fun. (I miss that poster, too. While prizes are cool, I miss that the con just sprung it on me without warning, and I'm also annoyed that I didn't get anything special for running the game for 24 hours, while joe random who just stumbled upon the game walked away with an awesome prize.)
So, that's some explanation there, of how a person can love games of all kinds, but loathe competition and gambling. I hope my hobby never becomes mainstream.
1 comment:
I find this interesting. On one hand, you don't want your hobby to become main stream, and yet you want the common man, the average joe, to understand and respect the hobby. I understand that it could happen, and yet in today's society I do think you have to sacrifice one to have the other.
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