Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Lesser Players Have More Fun

Lesser players have more fun playing the game, at least that is how I see it.  I could be wrong of course but from the appearance of it they sure seem to enjoy their time playing more than I do.  There is never any stress on someone that just doesn't care or just isn't that good, as long as they can embrace the fact they are a lesser player skill wise.

I am jealous of those types of players.  When a fight is over when raiding, even if we down the boss, no matter what role I play I usually think what I could have done better.  I did 120K DPS but if I had not messed up my timing a few times I could have pulled 130K.  There were a lot of people that got really low on life a few times, if I used my healing cooldowns better they might not have been in danger so often.  I took a few big hits I could have avoided because I was not watching my timers and did not have an appropriate cooldown ready making my healers life harder when tanking.

Yes, I enjoy the fact we downed a boss but I also am always looking at what I could have done better whereas the lesser player will just revel in the excitement that they downed the boss and not give a crap if they did not do as well as they could have.

Ghostcrawler said last expansion that less than 50% of subscribers have a max level character.  I find this hard to believe only because for me that would mean I am not getting the most out of the game.  Isn't the idea to get to the end, even if you never raid or do anything end game.  Isn't the whole concept of any game to max out your character?  I don't think I could fully enjoy my game play knowing that I could not even do the single easiest thing to do in game, get to max level.  But those 50%, more than 5M subscribers, are probably having fun doing what they are doing because they just don't care.

There is something to be said about those people that have the attitude that they just do not care.  They can enjoy any part of the game to a much greater extent than I do because they just do not care.  Caring brings stress and while you can still enjoy the game no matter what, that stress reduces it some, that stress is something the lesser players never need to worry about.

Someone said to me about a year ago, "I bet he is having a lot more fun than you are because he is just having fun and you are trying to get better all the time and not taking any time to just have fun".

Is that really true?  I do have fun, if I were not having fun I would have quit a long time ago.  Like during the Zuls when I almost quit, it was because I was no longer having fun that pushed me to the edge.  I have fun or I would not be here.

I just have my fun a different way.  My fun is in doing the best I can do at whatever role I choose to play.  That is my fun.  Seeing the progress as I get better and finally seeing the results when I reach that 80% potential threshold I aim for as the minimum. Then I try to inch that up more and more to continue my growth as a player.  I will never be a 95%er, but I can surely be an 80%er on anything if I try hard enough and put my mind to it.

And then it occurred to me, that is where the difference is.  While we both have fun I am working, trying to get better, practicing my skills, etc.  The lesser players just play.  That is how.  How they do does not matter.  Getting better does not matter.  Reaching their potential does not matter.  All that matters is playing and having fun.  So they have fun 100% of the time whereas I only have fun after I have spent my time practicing, reading, and running stuff trying to get better all in my effort to have fun seeing the results at the end.

So while we both have fun with the game, I am working to see the result and then consider it fun seeing the result.  They just take it as it comes and have fun from the get go.

Lesser player have more fun, because they do not care how they do.  I must admit, I am a slight bit jealous of people that can play and just do not care.  I don't think I could ever do anything in my life half-assed like that.

Remember, the next time you are playing and wipe or lose in PvP and think to yourself that if only you had done "this" maybe you could have won that fight there is a lesser player out there having more fun at that moment because he does not care that he did not do "this", he was just having fun playing.

7 comments:

  1. Sure we do!

    -roo "exceptionality at its finest!"

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  2. Try something - next time you run LFR as a dps, turn off your dps add-on of choice and see if that increases or decreases your level of enjoyment. I'm guessing you're competitive enough that it would decrease your enjoyment (it would mine - when I run LFR I compete against my previous results, not really against other dps in the run... this is the same way I play golf, I play more against myself than the other guy since I have no control over how well he plays) but at least that would give you the feedback that you're actually playing the game the way you want to be. If it increases your enjoyment, though, you might consider just leaving it off for non-progression content and have some more relaxing runs occasionally. :)

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    1. I am the same really. I compete against myself always trying to get better. While I do look at what others do, that just tends to bother me because I see people doing a lot less then I know they are capable of.

      I guess that is why I like leveling. No need for anything but leveling. It is its own reward. And I can always level another character. It is a development of a character I enjoy. Once you reach max level it becomes a new game, trying to be the best I am capable of being. And that is where the stress comes in.

      I guess if I did not see how I was doing I wouldn't care. But I am not sure I could play with an "I don't care" attitude.

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  3. This is exactly why I love being hunter. Well, sort of.
    I never started doing dungeons until well into Wrath. I didn't think I was good enough to run them and I didn't want to let everyone down. So I soloed stuff mostly. Because that way, the only person I would let down is me. I had fun, but could still continue to hone my craft and skills. Eventually, I started running dungeons and heroics. I remember doing Cata heroics before they were nerfed - wiping over and over until we got everything timed perfectly. I actually miss those days now.
    For me, its two different kinds of fun. When others rely on me to know my character, know the fights and know how to react to everything - I'm constantly pushing. The other fun is when I attempt tanking on a paladin. I'm horrible, really horrible. My friend is an amazing healer and usually he ends up helping me tank cause I'm so bad. I'm learning a little bit, but in that role - I'm definitely a lesser player. I don't care that I suck dead air; I'm just enjoying the game. I'm just grateful the boss died and most of the group is still alive.
    For me - I like the balance. Being a lesser player at times and being a pushed-to-the-limit hunter at other times.
    Its important to remember to just have fun either way. :D

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    1. I understand what you are saying completely and I agree with it. That is why I sometimes like playing alts in guild runs. I know I could be better, but we are just doing an alt raid for fun. So no pressure. But like you, when in group content, I usually feel as if I should always give my best. So unless it is with guild and they know I suck on that character and am still learning, I won't play that char. I can't unless I feel I can contribute to the best of my ability.

      You nailed it with a hunter however. Best class in the game to have fun with because there is so much you can do solo. Not to mention doing it solo does help you boost your skills for later as well.

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    2. amen to that brothers and sisters, amen to that!

      -roo "hunters before others"

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