Friendly Competition

I like team games. I like cooperative games where the players can work together and win together. That's part of why I like D&D. Nobody "loses" a game of D&D. It's not Player vs Player, or even Players vs DM (or vice versa). Everyone is working together to tell a fun, interesting story and have a good time.

And then there's Mario Kart.

Today, I played Mario Kart with some of my siblings and my best friend, and some of us really got into it. We challenged each other, attacked each other (usng only in-game items, of course), and genuinely tried to defeat each other. And after each race was over, we spent maybe half a minute feeling proud or upset, and then we congratulated each other on a close race or a strong victory, each acknowledging the role luck played in the outcome of each race. Sure, we each tried to defeat each other, but we always raced fairly and with friendship and respect.

Thanks to how well tonight went, I'm starting to rethink my position on friendly rivalries. I didn't use to think that was an actual thing. I didn't realize how rivals could also be friends, especially considering how much emotion each person invests into trying to win. Yet, we had some friendly rivalries today, and win or lose, everyone seemed to have a good time. We're planning on having some rematches when our schedules permit, and I'm looking forward to beating and being beaten by my friend and siblings again. Today, I experienced friendly competition, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.