Subject: Fun or not to Fun Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 01:05:56 -0600 From: "Scott Marshall" To: Frank: I have a hard time accepting that there's a distinction between "fun" players and "serious tournament players". Some of the best players I've lost to (and there's been many, believe me) are extremely fun for me. Part of that is because I'm learning while losing, and - to me - nothing is more valuable or fun than learning. I realize, however, that some players have a hard time externalizing their fun. They probably enjoy the game as much as I do, but because they concentrate and don't laugh as much, they may seem to be "un-fun". I also find that these people are, with only a few exceptions, also susceptible to outward displays of fun. If I'm having fun and they know it, then pretty soon they're showing it, too. Then, of course, there are those select few who play tournaments to prove their manhood, or whatever weak excuse they have for being so intense and sincerely "un-fun" that they annoy all those around them. In this group, I have to include those arrogant elitists whose DCI ratings are more precious than my opportunity (and God-given right?!) to learn. It's a shame that players like me are often deprived the chance to lose to the best, because they're not willing to risk losing to the "worst" (from a DCI ranking point-of-view). I've only played Magic for 18-20 months, but I've played it fanatically since I got hooked. One of the reasons for getting hooked was its similarity - bear with me on this analogy - to golf, perhaps the greatest game of all, and one that I've enjoyed much longer than Magic. I've learned many things from golf that I can apply to Magic(!)... Golf is you against the course, you against the elements, you against the pressure of your own expectations and frustrations. Even when matched one-on-one with an opponent, it is still those basics of the game that you struggle with most, not the opponent. Throughout it all, I have more fun playing golf (or Magic) than most anything else - either one certainly beats the best day at the office! There are many parallels. You control the equipment, building the collection of cards or clubs that you can best combine to excel. The equipment is always changing, often improving, and those of us deeply hooked are always "investing" in the latest tech. The variables are many, as are the partners and opponents; there are formats for everyone, and play can be with nothing or "everything" at stake. And in either game, the more you practice the better you play. The environments seem radically different, yet are similar in that you control so little of either. For every time you tweak your deck for the metagame that's changed without you noticing, or lose every coin flip and dice roll, or get mana screwed 2 of 3 games all day, there's a day on the links where every bounce goes into the rough or the hazards, the ladybug on the green deflects your putt away from the hole ... OK, I'm rambling. Anyway, my point is that the people I've watched suffer the most while playing golf were those whose only objective was to score well and win. The people who I've had the most fun with were those who enjoyed the walk in the sunshine (or rain and wind and sleet and snow) more than the number of strokes counted, or the standings at the end of the day. It's no coincidence that the miserable players often give up the game - and improve the quality of life for the rest of us by doing so. I agree with Cathy (and others), that you can & should have fun while playing this game of Magic. I disagree that "losing is *not* fun". I've lost to infinite squirrels, and won with my eternal tim deck. I've come OhSoClose to victory, and I've lost without denting my opponent's blood pressure. In all of it, it is, and must remain: a great mental exercise made more enjoyable by the fun that everyone has. OK, that's my 2c worth, even though no one asked... d:^=)3 Scott Marshall marshall@paradigmtech.com