Appreciation post: The guy at the Portland game cafe who taught me how to lose

I was at Guardian Games last month, trying out a new deck builder with a friend. I got super mad when my whole plan fell apart on turn five... I was about to flip the table, honestly. This older guy at the next table, who was running a game of Root for six people, just looked over and said, 'The fun is in the mess, not the win.' He then spent maybe ten minutes after his game ended showing me and my friend how to spot cool moves our opponents made, even when they beat us. It changed how I play everything now... I look for those little smart plays instead of just getting upset. Has anyone else had a total stranger at a game night give you advice that stuck?

4 comments

4 Comments

jamie_adams4mo agoTop Commenter

What about learning from a kid's simple joy?

daniel_gonzalez4mo ago

Learning from a kid's joy? I could use a lesson in that lol

angelarivera4mo ago

My nephew spent twenty minutes yesterday just watching ants carry a crumb across the sidewalk. He was totally amazed by it. It made me realize I haven't looked at anything that closely in years. There's something about that kind of focus that we totally lose as adults.

pat_moore1mo ago

That older guy at Guardian Games sounds like a real gem... he basically gave you a cheat code for enjoying games more. But here's what gets me about your story - you say it changed how you play everything now, but did it actually change how you feel when you lose? Like, do you still get that hot flash of anger and then have to remind yourself to look for the cool moves, or has that initial frustration just kind of faded away over time? Because I've had moments where someone gave me advice that made total sense in my head, but my gut reaction stayed the same for a long time after.