Once upon a time, some tool was introduced to a game. We all know the game was called Dominion. It was complicated and had a lot of strange decisions to make in, but something about it intrigued the player. The creativity involved in play, the thrill of drawing a hand and seeing what possibilities were there, you name it. A flame had been sparked. He invited other friends to try the game out; they played hundreds of games, developed cool new strategies and discussed the cards they liked and didn't like, even making their own lists and comparing them. It was all enjoyable. They were even slightly competitive with one another, but able to see there was more to the game than their own victories. Dominion is an inherently social game; you play it with other people, and things go more smoothly when you like those people.
One day, things started to change for this group of friends. One of them, him, had started looking up strategic advice and developing in to a strong player. While his buddies thought the game was neat, they weren't as interested, and he got left behind as, one by one, his buddies became less excited about playing and losing to him. Soon, he had turned to playing with random people online since all of his friends refused to play anymore. Sometimes meeting new people is cool, though.
At first, he struggled. Randoms online played the game a lot more brutally and impersonally. There was less silly experimentation, less laughing off bad luck, and everything got serious fast. With no way to enjoy the game as a casual fan with friends anymore, all he could do was get competitive and watch his number rise and fall.
Like the number, of course, the player evolved. He continued to follow the strategy forums, played in tournaments, got into leagues for a bit, streamed videos, and even met up with denizens of the forum for fleeting moments. For a while, this was entertaining, but when he hit a skill wall, everything got frustrating. There were plays he couldn't wrap his head around, scenarios that seemed unfair and led to outrage. After a while, he left the league, not wanting to face those negative emotions, especially not in a format that might as well have been public.
Eventually, he got to help playtest future expansions, and it was some of the most fun he had playing the game. Why? Because the game was fun again. Not because there were new cards, not because he was in a secret club, but because he was allowed to enjoy the game for its pure entertainment value once more. Making silly plays for the sake of testing things out was something he had missed, as was bantering with the other players, not feeling so pressured all the time. Sure, competition still existed, but it was in the background. He began taking a more relaxed approach to the game, and for a while it bled in to his posts in the community. He was having a good time and wanted other people to feel good too; share a few bad jokes, have a few laughs while enjoying the game he loved. The social dynamics of the game were something he had missed.
But this approach could not sustain itself. His way of thinking did not match the direction of the community; he wanted to enjoy the game just for what it was, but knew too much about it to go back. The more he played, the more those competitive feelings returned, and eventually all of the fun was gone. Dominion was just something he did; he felt nothing when he won anymore and anger when he lost. Negative emotions began to seep in to his personal life, and that's when he realized the truth of things: this addiction, not to the game, but to the impersonal nature of competitive gaming, was impacting his world. He couldn't even play the game with his friends on those rare occasions anymore: they were too scared of the person he was when playing. Soon, he was afraid of that person too.
One day, he got in an argument with someone on the forum. Someone he thought was a pretty cool guy and had hoped had mutual feelings. Someone he had met and considered a pal, even if not a very close one. Emotions were running high, probably for both of them, but the player started being judgmental. The next day, when he looked back over those posts he made, he was in shock about what he said. Even if he had made those judgments in his heart, the last thing he wanted was to treat someone he respected like they were just some disembodied husk on the internet; what happened to the guy telling jokes and trying to make the community a more fun place to be? He had already ruined the Dominion-playing community in his personal life, and now he was starting the process of tearing down his ties with the online community without even meaning to. Was it all in his head? Probably on some level, but it still unsettled him.
So he stopped posting on the forums. And reading them.
After a week of blackout, not even playing the game, he gave in and began checking, but not posting anything, and playing some games sparingly too. He watched as the drama on the forums kept getting worse, even without his input. He had found other forums that were hurting him less to visit, but things still weren't the same. He realized he'd been happy for a week and was starting to regret coming back now, and that feeling built up inside every day. Now he doesn't know what to do, but feels he won't be posting very much anymore. He just wants to get all this off his chest so someone can pay witness, and if they've ever had similar internal strife (probably not as crazy as this) to know there are kindred spirits out there. He has no advice, but can recommend a sabbatical.
In summary, Expedition has the best card art in Dominion. It's honestly glorious. Thank you for listening.
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Topic: Some post I expect to be made fun of for (Read 10728 times)