Lessons from Games

I hope to polish this up, but i want to get it started. i was playing solitaire the other day with a brand new deck of cards, and i was enjoying the game.

i realized why, though. it is a game of chance, there is no guarantee you will win.

it doesn't mean that you realize there isn't always a prize at the end, so you should give up. it enforces the idea that you should try, and try again. and keep practicing, even though you can never know you are perfect.

solitaire
you may be the best solitaire player in the world, but you will still lose games.

probably a fairly large percent of games, to be honest. which got me thinking about how solitaire seems harder in person than in windows.

i don't know this to be true, but i was wondering if microsoft had tipped the odds. and why. the only benefit i see is increasing the times played, and enjoyed, because you win more often.

the downside is it doesn't enforce the idea that you may be great at the game, but you still can't win all the time. even if you cheat and start dealing 1 card at a time. you can tip the odds in your favor, but if you stay within variants of the rules, you will lose often.

i worry about the impact something like that would have on people's attitude toward giving up, when things seem too hard.

chess
talent will not guarantee a win... expand

euchre
much like solitaire and chess, but it involves a team, as well as a clear winner. expand

sudoku
no win or loss, a game against you and you alone. beating your average time to solve a puzzle, with certain conditions. you can compete against others, but there is no need.