March 9, 2022
In the short run, we lost; the deck’s stacked against you, the house always wins, and the dealers are in cahoots. We can’t outrun time. In the long run? Personally, I’m religious, but what works for some doesn’t quash it for the rest, and anyway, we don’t encourage conversions. What’s the point of playing a game if you know the outcome?
If you’re of the deterministic persuasion, the game is all Candyland, where the deck was shuffled before we began to play, and we’re all just drawing our appointed cards with the illusion of choice. I don’t think we’re playing a game for children, but I can’t convince you of that. Instead, we’re in Cataan, Dungeons and Dragons, Skyrim, and open world games. You know the outcome: in Cataan, someone’s going to win at the expense of everyone else; in D&D, you’re going to win (has anyone actually lost a campaign?); and in Skyrim you’ll become the dragonborn or whatever (no idea – don’t play videogames that often). But we still play though the outcome is appointed. The same ought to apply in the long run; though you know the outcome, there’s no reason to be defeatist about it.
If you’re not going to win the game, you can still cause mischief; make the game one worth playing with good memories. So go write things; make memories; drive across the country with a faint idea in your mind; travel; read; sing; and do whatever you can with only the faintest idea of what happens next. Plan ahead, make this game an enjoyable one – it’s the only session you’ve got. But, a game is a game, and don’t get caught up in the rules – no one likes a rules lawyer.
On February 27, 2022, I thought it would be a great idea to create some sort of content - writing, art, coding, etc. - every day of the next month. Luckily, the alliteration worked out. This should be the ninth post in the series.