Fun and Discipline

 Sometimes I get pretty hipped on the idea of discipline being important in games. In these times it will seem like accomplishing something (like even just finishing the video games I start) requires some kind of discipline. This is because, getting my mind to focus on something over a longer span is like herding cats. It is just difficult for me to stay on task. I don't think I have ADD because I can focus on something for a few hours no problem. It is more when it comes to extending over several days, weeks, or months. I often try to set up projects like this and I really admire people who can follow through on stuff. I just seem to have some deep personality characteristic that prevents me from doing that most of the time. That is not to say it has never happened but those cases are definitely exceptions rather than the rule. So when I am feeling some stronger desire to accomplish things then the bugbear of discipline will crop up.

But after my previous post on this topic I got to thinking some more. And today on a walk I asked myself the question, "Why is discipline pleasing to the God of Games?" And when I put it that way I didn't really have a great answer. I had some general ideas like "Discipline means effort and all Gods appreciate effort on their behalf." That's not a terrible argument but it doesn't seem to really hit home about the God of Games. In that moment it seemed like "fun" is much more the operative virtue.

But then I have been thinking a bit about fun and discipline being opposite sides of a coin. Particularly with games. There is always discipline in terms of following the rules of the game you are playing. And when skill comes into question then there is definitely discipline. But at the same time, discipline without fun is drudgery.

 Then later I was thinking back to a triad that I had created that I could place games in the middle of. Fun, discipline, and creativity. I imagine these as the three vertices of a triangle. Games can be placed in the triangle according to their distance from each of the three vertices. So I was imagining something pretty simple and entertaining as occupying the fun angle. Basically simple games that you can enjoy without too much effort. Crazy eights would be one example but maybe also like candy crush or something. In the discipline angle would be games like chess and go. And in the creativity angle would be pencil and paper and imagination roleplaying games. But the cool thing is that really all of these have all three aspects. They aren't completely in one angle or the other. So there are elements of creativity in chess and go, and all games should have some fun aspect. And as I mentioned above, just following rules takes a small amount of discipline.

So really all three of those are pleasing to the God of Games. But somehow there seems to be some sense in which fun should predominate. But I think this comes down to your reasons for playing. Cho Chikun the great record breaking title holder in go said at one point that he hated go. I think I heard a quote from Tom Brady that playing in the NFL wasn't fun at all or something like that. If you are playing for a living and the pressure is on then maybe fun isn't even on the radar. But when you are an amateur like me then fun is the predominate thing.

I think that is why although I have a certain desire to try to make a living from games somehow there seems to be a sense in which I would prefer fun to be the main the consideration. A reviewer needs to review certain games regardless of how they are feeling. It becomes a job. In some ways professionals are admirable because they have knowledge and skill. But to some extent or another they have to make compromises with the spirit of fun.

But even amateurs are divided into people who really care about discipline and getting good, and other people who are more casual and willing to try things out that may not work in the name of fun. I think part of being a gamer is finding your place in that triangle I mentioned above. Some people are naturally more drawn to the creative aspects and some people are more drawn to discipline, and some people are more drawn to easy-going casual fun. Part of being a gamer is finding the mix of those three that you prefer.

That is why I kind of feel conflicted about naming one of the angles "fun". Because it seems like really fun is the specific synthesis of those three things that you enjoy. Of course one of the nice things about gaming is that there is such a wide variety so you don't have to always play the same kind of games. But there is clearly a sense in which people gravitate towards certain kinds of games.

I guess the answer is just that I am still in the process of finding my mojo or my niche. Of course it may vary. But I would like to find my main comfort zone.