Competition

Babbling at the Counter #34 – Game Theory

Competition

Join us next week for a special review. All thanks to Dazzling March!

Short thought today. As you may know, I’m a big fan of Pen and Paper RPGs. And when I play a video game with multiplayer options, it’s usually co-op.

Why? Well, I just don’t like to play against other people. Mostly because I suck. Big time.

Still, I realize that competition is a healthy part of games. I may not enjoy having to spend hours to master a game in order to stay competitive, but simple ones that are easily learned can be a blast.

I offered both Uberleben and 0Space, which are competitive video games, but even in pen ands paper you can have that.

While playing BADASS, some characters started trying to up-stage each other. Soon, it devolved into a semi fight between them. Even though they all wanted the same thing (recover a MacGuffin for the party) two players started spending Badass Points to surpass their teammate’s roll and make the other look bad. Fun times were had.

Healthy competition is great. I find it hard to foster at a gaming table, and it can be hard to make a competitive and casual game, but it’s worth the try nonetheless. It’s been done before, you know?

- The Storeman