Why are people that play tabletops (mostly card games and wargames...

Why are people that play tabletops (mostly card games and wargames, but to some extent RPGs as well) so obsessed with winning? I legitimately do not understand this. Is it not enough for people to just have a fun time with others playing a game? Why do people get some sort of perverse pleasure for watching others suffer and lose? It boggles my mind. Please explain this to me Veeky Forums because I do not understand it.

Ask yourself, "why do people who play sports want to win the game when they play?"

Then consider, why would someone who plays a competitive game but instead of exercise instead devotes thousands of dollars of disposable income into being able to play the game at a competitive level want to win the game?

It's because a high percentage of tabletop gamers have poor social skills mixed with crippling insecurities because of their own lack of personal control over their lives.

They can't 'win' by being funny or attractive, so the only thing left to them is their hobby, which they can control. THey can control it so well that they can only find pleasure in crushing their opponents, rather than enjoying a game. It's the reason you have That Guy rules lawyers.

I mean I'm an autist myself with poor social skills as well, but at least I recognize that my own enjoyment at winning in a game is less important than everyone else having fun. When people say "winning is fun" that seems very self-centered to me because you are literally prioritizing your own enjoyment over that of your opponent or everyone else. It just seems very counter intuitive to me.

This. Insecurity + this is their only "thing" = Win At All Costs. Losing means you have absolutely nothing else left to be proud of.

Different people play games for different reasons. I always felt Wizards of the Coast's archetypes of "Timmy, Johnny, and Spike" did a good job of explaining it.

>WotC makes a list of player archetypes
>meanwhile MtG has one of the most cancerous fanbases in all of tabletops
Gets me everytime.

That's just stupid though. You don't need something to be proud of to have self-worth.

Pretty much this

I had poor social skills in public school, and once I went to university I met a gaming group that wasn't awful and it helped because most of them were relatively stable and normal.

The problem is most neckbeards never really get past this, and their hobby becomes their only point of self-reference.

I have a friend like this who plays magic. If he loses he gets really depressed for like, 3 weeks and needs to build cancer decks and win to feel better. It's the reason we play rpgs not tcgs.

Yup
It is stupid. It's incredibly stupid. And it's really sad more than anything, because you can tell when someone's self-worth is tied into it. A lot of That Guys and douchey players are like this. If they 'lose'(be it a draft or tournament or even not getting their way in like DnD or some shit) it becomes their pride being damaged. It's the reason a lot of groups break up to be honest, because they're the ones that usually cause problems when they sperg out.

Holy shit this thread.

Every single person in it.

What the fuck.

Why is this thread a thing?

Jesus fuck Veeky Forums is such a shit place.

I fail to see why you're so mad.

i play for fun so dunno

that's because you grew up, they didn't.

>Troll thread saying "lol why peepl like 2 win? Y not just hav fun lol?"
>Whole thread of "Yeah, anyone who likes to win is clearly an autist with no social development. Not like me, of course. I play games, but I never try to win."

This thread and everyone in it is cancer.

don't reply to shitposters

>troll thread
How is this a troll thread in the slightest? Think before you speak bub.
>cancer
The only cancerous one here is you, shitlord.

It's like I'm on /v/.

Because winning makes people feel powerful, and many people love to have power. Many people also have little control over their lives and so these games give them that want for control, which can make them aggressive if they feel like they are losing it.

It's not about winning at all costs, or even whether or not you actually win.

It's about trying your hardest to win, within the confines of the game and proper sportsmanship.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes a game ends up getting a little silly with a player making ridiculous gambits, or doing something "because I had to, the opportunity was there". But what these have in common with a game where all parties are trying to win is that it's a good game. The feeling that you've truly earned a victory is just as gratifying as taking that 1 in 100 chance and having it pay off, or pulling a hilarious stunt because the stars aligned and you got to do a very amusing thing in a game.

You don't have to hate losing to want to win; I've had plenty of competitive games where I lost but still had a good time playing because it was a game that was engaging and fun, which was because all players were trying their best and it was a well-played game.

Naw lad, what I think OP is talking about is people disregarding sportsmanship

Which brings me to my question. People like power, sure, I get that. But what sort of pleasure is derived from making someone else feel bad? Some sort of wish fulfillment/self-gratification? If so, that's extremely self-centered and quite honestly a dick move imo.

The pleasure is the fact that they had a significant and visible effect on the person. Through their actions they essentially got to decided how that person would feel. And, as they perceive it, their actions were not easy so that makes them feel a sense of superiority.

You can literally get that same reaction by creating art or success in literally any other field. You don't need to beat someone to have an effect on another person.

While that is true, these people don't have the skills or drive to do that. And remember, people love feedback. Its much more rewarding to see someone visibly react to something you have done then read words of praise.

>Its much more rewarding to see someone visibly react to something you have done then read words of praise.
True, but if these people are able to put a large amount of effort and resources into being extremely skilled in one thing just to make themselves feel better in the eyes of others, couldn't they just help others instead of just making them feel bad?

Now we get to the problem of what gives them happiness. While helping and benefiting people can be rewarding to some, to others it does not matter or is less rewarding than alternatives. This gets tricky as their can be a number of reasons for this. They don't care, they are not as empathetic (which is linked to people who are care givers), or they get more enjoyment out of exerting negative control just to name a few.

This also starts to go into the "cycle of ___" stuff. Generally if someone has been shit on repeatedly they tend to like to shit on others.

Have you never seen a high school football game or a children's little league baseball tournament? It doesn't matter what it is, if there's a winner and a loser, people are going to do everything it takes to show their superiority.

I remember watching a tee-ball tournament for kids 6-8, the parents in the stands were some of the most angry, vile people I'd ever dealt with, only rivaled by the dota/lol communities.

Going off your picture, it seems you have a lot of experience going to FNM and similar events. The sorts of people who go to those are going to be more interested than average in winning because they're explicitly giving up some of their free time to go to a tournament (probably with some kind of material prize if you do well enough).

As for TTRPGs, I would expect it's partially because a lot of the sorts of people from above will also play them, and partially because of power fantasies. I'm sure there are some other reasons mixed in there, but those are probably the main two.