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Re: Wanted for a BG server, ratings?

Posted By: Bryce
Date: Friday, 18 May 2007, at 2:29 p.m.

In Response To: Wanted for a BG server, ratings? (Stick)

Caveat: I am easily the worst kind of BG site patron. I've really only played at GE, TMG, and XG, I didn't make deposits at any of them, and I play for minimal stakes. So even though *I* don't really like ratings, catering to people whose preferences are like mine is probably not your best move.

Back when TMG did not have ratings, I kind of liked the surprise of *not* knowing the skill of my opponent when I sat down to play. With ratings, it's harder for me to look at someone with an astronomical rating and say, "Gee, I think I'll put down some money and try to beat them, even though I'm an intermediate player at best." This is partly because I am selfish, and partly because I am a mathematician. Oddly enough, I'd probably be willing to play experts in real life because I like the excitement of playing over a real board, and I could actually talk to them. Is that weird? Playing online is a lot more impersonal, so if I'm going to be losing money to the rake or higher-rated players, I'd have to *really* like the interface or the player interaction.

I think people may stratify themselves by skill anyway based on the stakes they choose; I don't play in $100 matches because I don't consider myself good enough to do so. (Does this happen in poker too? All I know is that the .01/.02 tables where I play are filled with people who do hilarious things.)

I understand OpenWheel's argument that playing for money makes you concentrate and appreciate the game more, which is certainly true. This is probably the majority opinion, and certainly a lot of people like gambling for the sake of gambling. Plus a lot of people probably have the idea that "Sure, I may be rated X, but I'm really better than that, so I don't mind playing people of that rating."

So in the end, yeah, maybe you should have ratings. I think they are silly but probably necessary if you want your site to succeed. Though I seem to remember TMG having more players before they instituted ratings...maybe I am wrong? (Way back before the TMG-XG merger, I mean.) -Bryce

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