This post may just be “guy writes into the void” in the end. Be warned.
A lot of people who play this game play it for the goal of the victory, and honestly that’s kosher and all good. Even in QP, which I personally think of as somewhat casual. But when I’m playing with my buddies (one’s on PC so we can’t play comp together) we’ll have a short discussion as we load in.
“We playing for fun or the win?”
Of course we do want the win irregardless of the answer, but basically it’s loading in our mindset for the match. Are we playing this match like we have skin in the game, or are we going to pick our off heroes and try to force it to work? Honestly, I feel like doing this makes the game more fun, especially because it primes us to either feel good about victory when we were playing for fun, feel satisfied that we performed when we were sweating, and makes a lot more funny things happen.
Of course though if I’m playing Tank (which I usually am) and the enemy goes full tank counter comp, I will counter cringe with cringe and go the cringiest hero I can find in the moment. I will then ask my friends to join me in the cringefest, for we are the only ones allowed to abuse the cheese like I abuse my router.
You have the right frame of mind.
But what many QPers don’t understand is that if you don’t fundamentally play to win then you break the most basic rule of any game, from the filthiest of casuals to pro.
If one side doesn’t play to win then there is no game.
You can not care if you lose. You can have poor skill. You can be practicing a new hero. You can be sticking with your favourite tank trying to beat your counter, that’s fine.
But if someone starts charging in 1vs5 all the time. If they ignore their team. If they start throwing the game for the lulz then that is just scummy and they shouldn’t be in competitive, quick play or even many arcade modes.
People who are looking for, for the want of a better term, ‘casual’ games should be welcomed in quick play if they can understand the difference between casual and screwing around.
Custom exists. And if all people want is an aim training game then there’s also custom codes for that. People need to realise that being a team should be part of practising too.
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Sigma Rule #1228: We don’t play to win, we play because we can.
“UpYoGrindSet”
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Yes! I agree. Victory is always a factor in this game because it is fundamentally PVP, and while having fun is the point of gaming (if not for the win) then playing an off-hero you’re not very good at is okay.
But then doing complete general noob moves isn’t, like 1v5 ing or charging without a supp jammed into your cheeks.
Which is why “play for fun v play to win” is kind of funny, because either way we aim for the W. The only discernable change seems to be how we approach it.
As a filthy casual, you have given me at least some new ways to think, or at least recontextualising my own thoughts
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