In the not-so-distant future, gambling (with real money) on the popular (but at times super frustrating) video game League on Legends has been internationally approved and sanctioned.
Here’s how this thing works.
You queue up on your computer and get matched with 4 team mates to play against a team of 5 opponents. You have to put 1,000 USD on the line (as does every player) every match. This forms the pot for the game. If you lose the ensuring 5 v 5 you lose 1,000 USD. If you win, every person on your team becomes 1,000 USD richer.
Each game takes 30-50 minutes to play out and due to the nature of the game (you depend on your team mates to win, there’s huge amounts of in game toxicity and trolling, frustrating luck factors, obnoxious champion designs and massive skill differentials) it is very possible to feel extremely angry and upset.
Even without there being money lost involved, it’s quite possible to become... quite displeased with the experience.
Matchmaking is based on skill (the more you win, the better your opponents become while you get worse team mates... the more you lose... the weaker your opponents become while you get better team mates)
...
Now this Play League To Get Rich thing becomes trendy and so you play too. Some people take the gambling to excessive levels and skip school, quit their jobs, or cast their loved ones aside to play this thing 24/7.
A few celebrities and pro players emerge, glamorous twitch channels are set up where players are seen in live time crushing their opponents and pocketing over ten thousand USD daily...
However, millions of lives are also destroyed because most people are either bad at the game or can’t get into the right mentality (if you lose 2 50 minute games... it’s very hard to pretend that didn’t happen and play the third game with a non-angry mind)... however, they are addicted.
...
Now you have been playing for a few months. You’ve lost a fair bit of money over this but you are addicted. You want to win, you want to become like your heroes.
You want to find an incentive to keep playing so you turn on YouTube and you see this announcement from the company that runs this gambling:
“A lot of you are saying... “It’s not me it’s my team mates holding me back. The system is rigged, I’m never going to climb. I’m never going to make money.”
Don’t be discouraged. Our ranked system is fair. Here’s how it works.
In 30 percent of games, assuming you don’t try to lose intentionally... you will statistically auto-win. Your team is just too good.
In another 30 percent of games, assuming you don’t try to lose intentionally... you will statistically auto-lose. Your team is just too bad.
In the last 40 percent of games, your performance is the key. If you play better than your division, you will climb and make money. If you let those auto-losses get to your head, then you don’t deserve to climb.
You see? You can climb and make money. Focus on those 40 percent of games, accept some games are out of your control. Work hard, fix your mistakes, climb.
Good luck!”
...
Please assume this disclosure of the 30-30-40 rule is new information.
Are you encouraged... or discouraged by this?
Are you encouraged by the fact that by simply improving your mentality (accepting some games are predetermined) and focusing on you and not your team mates... that slight wins in the 40 percent if all games will push you towards a climb?
Or are you discouraged because now you feel more than ever like a puppet? As in... what kind of game allows your performance to ONLY matter in less than half of games?
Well... which is it? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Why?
Would this hypothetical 30-30-40 rule encourage or discourage you?
Please try to imagine you are already something of a gaming addict.
