Why I Love... Being pwned
Along with PC gaming and alcohol, Winning is generally considered a Good Thing in life. It gives you a buzz, a lift, a boost. And when combined with PC Gaming, it can often be a very uplifting experience. People who play PC Games online are looking to win. It makes sense - you are taught how to win, you are told to win and so you desire to win. Your profile grows ever more magnificent with each victory and your ego in a similar way.
But what I have learnt to love about online gaming is defeat.
You see, when you all play online it's victory or nothing. For some players, literally. Some people are charged enough to actually disconnect their PCs from the internet if they face defeat. But for the average player, they Play To Win. And so do I. I'm not some new breed of gaming masochist who gets pleasure from being rushed, sniped and pwned by anyone available. But when I'm losing I see it in a different way.
The buzz that you all get from winning is from the fact that you know you're better and you know you've outwitted a human being. You are superior, a god amongst your enemies. But if you look at it from the other point of view, defeat can be just as important.
Defeat is humbling. It means you've been outwitted, that the people you're playing against are intelligent and have beaten you. It means that the tactics at work and the weapons in place are something you haven't learnt to counter yet. But it's more than just something that tells you you're not the best - it's majestic. If gaming is an art, then sometimes you have to marvel at the work of other artists. Defeat is so important, so beautiful and so educational. I've learnt to love it, and it's made my games twice as enjoyable.
So don't be alarmed if you're playing Command and Conquer with me and I start applauding the player who just ruptured your front line. Don't start shouting at me if I comment on how artfully the opposing team has surrounded our last base. And please don't hold it against me if, as the nukes begin to rain down, you hear the muffled cry of 'Thankyou, sir, may I have another?'
I just can't help myself.
As the old proverb almost goes, 'It's not how often you win, its the way you lose that counts.'
But what I have learnt to love about online gaming is defeat.
You see, when you all play online it's victory or nothing. For some players, literally. Some people are charged enough to actually disconnect their PCs from the internet if they face defeat. But for the average player, they Play To Win. And so do I. I'm not some new breed of gaming masochist who gets pleasure from being rushed, sniped and pwned by anyone available. But when I'm losing I see it in a different way.
The buzz that you all get from winning is from the fact that you know you're better and you know you've outwitted a human being. You are superior, a god amongst your enemies. But if you look at it from the other point of view, defeat can be just as important.
Defeat is humbling. It means you've been outwitted, that the people you're playing against are intelligent and have beaten you. It means that the tactics at work and the weapons in place are something you haven't learnt to counter yet. But it's more than just something that tells you you're not the best - it's majestic. If gaming is an art, then sometimes you have to marvel at the work of other artists. Defeat is so important, so beautiful and so educational. I've learnt to love it, and it's made my games twice as enjoyable.
So don't be alarmed if you're playing Command and Conquer with me and I start applauding the player who just ruptured your front line. Don't start shouting at me if I comment on how artfully the opposing team has surrounded our last base. And please don't hold it against me if, as the nukes begin to rain down, you hear the muffled cry of 'Thankyou, sir, may I have another?'
I just can't help myself.
As the old proverb almost goes, 'It's not how often you win, its the way you lose that counts.'
posted by FinalSin at 6:30 am
1 Comments:
Hey! just me: bean 18. thanks 4 the comment! I am also crazy about pc gaming.. though none of my friends are, seeing as we are all girls. lol anyway, i like the "level up" post. I' m just getting into D&D so.. we'll see how that turns out.
:)
"That Canadian Chick"
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