dtgreene: 1. The thing is, there doesn't need to be competition with other people for the term "winner" to have any meaning.
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2. For example, we can look at a very difficult single player game; I'll use Tetris the Grand Master 2 PLUS, and T.A. Death mode (Death for short) as my example. This is a single player game, so not every game will have a loser. However, this game, and in particular this mode, is so difficult that it will take a typical player years of practice before they're able to clear it even once.
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3. Winning is an accomplishment, but it doesn't require you to be better than any other player, and therefore, in any group of people, it is (at least theoretically) possible for all of them to win.
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4. Also, I would say that if everyone is good enough to earn the awards, everyone should be given those awards; the problem comes when one who is good enough to earn an award is denied an award just because someone happens to be better. (An example of this is class rank in college admissions; it punishes people who happen to be in the same grade level with more smart people; there's a reason colleges have moved away from it, and I believe many schools stopped reporting it.)
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5. Another thing I could mention, that's more relevant to the "sore winners" comment in my post (which you did not address at all), is the fact that many people feel that they don't have permission to lose. This can cause all sorts of mental issues. When there are sore winners and you lose, the sore winners bully you for that, and it feels like you don't have permission to lose.
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6. As for your last comment, I consider any suggestion to grow thicker skin to be quite offensive, and therefore I don't see that statement to be in your favor.
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7. Also, when there are sore winners, losing can actually result in emotional damage.
1. Yes, there does indeed have to be some form of challenge/competition to make "winning" have any meaning.....elsewise where's the specialness of it? Where's the value? If everyone is a winner, then is winning more than just "fluff" and basically worthless?
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2. Technically there is a loser, as usually not everyone will beat such a game the first time throiugh oir in their first session. Also,m in those cases the AI/PC/programming of said game to make it challenging is the fellow competitor.
Also, in your case people feel good(presumably) by beating the game and
WINNING. If everyone won by just pushing tthe start button I doubt it'd be as fulfilling.
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3. It IS an accomplishment, but there is always another player/some challenge that makes winning more than just a pointless gesture(be it an AI opponent or just the challenge of the game). Also, in those games you mentioned...i.e. the AI/PC opponent.......and people will always
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4. If there are enough spots/prizes to be awarded as per the rules/structure of the event, then fine)such as some races where everyone is placed according to their time/etc). If an event/sport has one set winner(usually among two teams/players) according to points scored/time spent, then no.....not everyone can or should win.
Sometimes someone will be better at something than someone else. That's life and nature. One can either better themselves and try to win again or find something else they're better at(if they choose to move on).
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5. I'm sorry if I missed that bit of your comment(busy with many things IRL an d online, sadly). As for "sore winners", I admit that is a proiblem and I pity those people(they were pressured by society/parents/etc to excel at something(usually something the one pushing them is part of or interested in).
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6. I'm sorry you found it offensive, but truth be told I find it a good character trait/solution to one's problems(Over obsessing over fairness in various aspects of life/whatever else is bothering me at the moment). :\]
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7. This can happen and is sad, but(andn this may sound callous, but) why should it be anyone's problem if they didn't actively choose to harm said person mentally & said person let themselves reach such a state instead of trying to better themselves(through counselling/taking with others/trying new things/medication/etc)?