My friends have been getting together and playing board games for several years now. I have been on the email invite list that whole time. Of course, I lived in Kansas, so I was on the email list as a courtesy. (I’m glad I was on it, because the emails get pretty funny.)
I have been going to game night these past few weeks, and it’s a lot of fun. We’ve played lots of board games I’ve never heard of. Some games I have seen and not played. Others I’ve played only a little bit.
We also play Magic. We don’t make decks we do a draft, and play with the cards we draft. Thanks to drafting so that we’re on (fairly) even footing. If I had to make a deck, I would be doomed. I haven’t played magic in years. YEARS! It feels almost like a new game to me. I have to ask what each card does, double check my hand, and think really hard about what’s going on.
Needless to say today’s strip is representative of my frustrations. I do enjoy playing, and I am glad that I am playing with friends. I get frustrated, mostly with myself, for not being very good. For a long time I told myself I’m not competitive, that I just enjoy playing a game to play. However, that is a lie. I like to win. I like to win big. If I had my way, I would crush my opponents so thoroughly that they would never dare face me again. Ender Wiggin style.
I like to win, but I can handle losing. I’m not a sore loser. I just try to get better, and if I’m coming off as a sore loser it’s mostly just frustration with myself. I think the bigger challenge is being a gracious winner. I’ve been to many card and video game tournaments. I see more poor winners than sore losers. It’s amazing how quickly people can go from a devastating loss to being an arrogant snob. The dichotomy is almost surreal.
My gaming buddies are pretty consistant. They’re not really sore losers. They’re fairly gracious winners. If anything, they are spiteful, insulting, and brutally honest. So … good people.
