After dropping with a competitive group a couple of times in CW matches, I started to think about competitiveness and it's affects on people and the game.
What is competitiveness?
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Competitiveness, at it's root, is a desire to improve oneself. To become better. There is nothing wrong with having a competitive spirit. Being competitive is not a bad thing on it's own. A desire to improve yourself is a good thing. It's how we get better.
Competitiveness is also a desire to win. Taken in measure, this can also be a good thing. Compounded with the desire to improve, winning is the end goal. You try to improve yourself so you can win. This creates a cycle as more and more difficult challenges become presented.
Competition can be fun, enjoyable and rewarding and as a whole helps to improve all involved. As each person's competitive spirit drives each other to improve, the challenges rises. Rivalries can come up and adversaries rise to be overcome.
In it's proper proportions and perspective, competition and competitiveness are good things for the individuals and the communities.
Competitiveness, what problems can it bring?
Competitiveness can be a good thing, but like any good thing too much can be bad. Just like eating too much food can kill you, or drinking too much water can drown you, so can to much competitiveness.
When taken too far, it can be like a poison. It can affect you and those around you.
Now, I'm sure you are wondering, after all the good things about competition I've already mentioned, how can it possibly be bad? Good question and I hope I can provide a reasonable answer for you.
Competitiveness, in moderation, leads to improvement. When the drive to win overrides the desire to have fun, improve yourself and others, it tends to start to become a problem. An overabundance of competitiveness can lead to pride and obsession.
Often times, the competitive scene collides with the more casual players. Most times, there aren't any problems from this as each group often share similar goals: To have fun. To win. To improve.
Problems arise for over-competitive spirits, who expect everyone to play as they do, often with the concept of victory no matter the cost. These people, who have over-competitiveness poison, don't stop to consider fun anymore. They expect everyone else to play as they do, your feelings meaning nothing. They will tell other players how they must play.
Often times, those who suffer from this over-competitiveness poison don't see the affect they have on others around them. They often not only demand others to play the same way as them, but also will blame others for any losses or problems, even when they are the problem because they aren't communicating properly their plans or they over extend themselves and didn't get backed up from a group that didn't know what they were doing.
These people will try to win, no matter the cost. Honor. Integrity. Respect. All are but wheat to a scythe when it comes to victory.
Wait. Are you saying winning is bad?
Not at all. If that's what you got from this so far, then I'd advise you to read this again.
Winning is not a bad thing. Neither is losing either. When people face other people, there are going to be winners and there are going to be losers. There should be no shame in losing. It's going to happen to someone. No reason to be upset when it happens to you.
In any game, winning is the goal, fun should be the objective. If you are no longer having fun, maybe you need to re-evaluate your competitiveness?
Hold on a moment. Are you telling me I should enjoy losing?
Actually, I guess I am. You should have as much fun on a well fought loss as you do for any victory. A loss should be used as a learning experience. Though a loss is rarely caused by one person, as you win or lose as a whole team, you should be able to take something from it as well.
I'm not going to say every match, win or lose, will or should be fun either. There will always be matches that are frustrating or even boring. That's when you either jump right on into the next match, or maybe it is time for a break from the game in question.
Anyway, no matter the outcome of a match, it is never good to blame other people for a loss, and it is never alright to insult them. If anything, try to provide points and tips. Encourage your other teammates. You should try to help them, because when you improve their sills, if they end up back on your team again, their skills may have improved and you'll end up with a better match. Even if they end up on the enemy team, having opponents with improved skill levels will improve your game, as it improves your challenge and thus increases your own skills.
To Summarize:
- Competitiveness and competition are not bad. It is healthy and normal.
- Respect, honor and integrity should never be compromised for competitiveness. This doesn't mean not to use everything you can, it means to treat others respectfully. I'd rather people know me as a helpful person rather than "that jerk".
- Be helpful to others. This not only can improve your future teams and opponents, but also improves new/other player experiences.
- Have fun. Never forget it's just a game. Try to make it fun for yourself and for others.
Edited by Tesunie, 30 January 2015 - 10:41 AM.