What makes a "game"? Enlighten me please.
Discussion
Enjoying the Games immensely, but it has struck me that there's a fundamental difference between, say, boxing & volleyball on one hand, and the 100m sprint & the shot put on the other. Bear with me...
In the former, you're up against a competitor, and everything you do has a bearing on them & vice-versa; your tactics & strategy (and theirs) have a massive effect on the outcome, and it's not just about your skill, strength & stamina.
In the latter, you're trying to be the fastest, or throw the farthest (or jump the highest or whatever) and nothing you do has an effect on your opponents, except maybe mentally if they feel they can't beat you or whatever.
So my point is (I think) that group 1 activities are proper "games", while group 2 activities are just activities - you can be the best at the thing you do, good for you, but any "competition" at a given occasion is, in a way, pointless. Racing/throwing/jumping against others shows you're better/worse than them & you can set records for your club or country, but could almost be done at different venues & at different times (I appreciate different conditions at different places/times weakens my argument significantly, but hey, just trying to start a discussion
).
Some sports fall between the two, like running - I'd say sprinting is in the second group, but longer races can be tactical so fall into group 1. Swimming seems like its group 2, most cycling in group 1, even though they're both racing. Name your sport & see which category it falls into.
So, am I talking b
ks? Probably. What do you think?
Sorry if it's been covered before btw.
In the former, you're up against a competitor, and everything you do has a bearing on them & vice-versa; your tactics & strategy (and theirs) have a massive effect on the outcome, and it's not just about your skill, strength & stamina.
In the latter, you're trying to be the fastest, or throw the farthest (or jump the highest or whatever) and nothing you do has an effect on your opponents, except maybe mentally if they feel they can't beat you or whatever.
So my point is (I think) that group 1 activities are proper "games", while group 2 activities are just activities - you can be the best at the thing you do, good for you, but any "competition" at a given occasion is, in a way, pointless. Racing/throwing/jumping against others shows you're better/worse than them & you can set records for your club or country, but could almost be done at different venues & at different times (I appreciate different conditions at different places/times weakens my argument significantly, but hey, just trying to start a discussion
). Some sports fall between the two, like running - I'd say sprinting is in the second group, but longer races can be tactical so fall into group 1. Swimming seems like its group 2, most cycling in group 1, even though they're both racing. Name your sport & see which category it falls into.
So, am I talking b
ks? Probably. What do you think?Sorry if it's been covered before btw.
I'm not so sure.
Take running. Your tactics have a massive effect on the rest of the field. Usain Bolt was pretty much guaranteed to finish in the top 3 simply because he's Usain Bolt & has that enigma. He had won the psychological battle before the start gun even fired, which is at least 50% of the competition. In the longer distance running events, your positioning on the track has a big influence on the outcome of others, as you can try to box them in, stall their break, run them down at your speed if you know that you have a higher average cruise speed but a poor sprint etc, etc.
Take running. Your tactics have a massive effect on the rest of the field. Usain Bolt was pretty much guaranteed to finish in the top 3 simply because he's Usain Bolt & has that enigma. He had won the psychological battle before the start gun even fired, which is at least 50% of the competition. In the longer distance running events, your positioning on the track has a big influence on the outcome of others, as you can try to box them in, stall their break, run them down at your speed if you know that you have a higher average cruise speed but a poor sprint etc, etc.
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