I've never been a fan of Blizzard style RTS games, but ages ago when I played Kohan with the old crew, figuring out build orders and company matchups never was a matter of telling myself I needed to do it otherwise I couldn't play. Rather, it was because I took so much enjoyment from playing that I naturally wanted to know how to add the satisfaction of crushing my enemies underfoot to that enjoyment. Tinkering with the game system enhanced my appreciation of how the game was set up, because while certain combinations of units could normally stomp other combinations of units, there was ALWAYS other considerations to be made like positioning and terrain that could render the outcomes taken in vacuum meaningless. EviLore and I used to exchange ideas back and forth on this all the time and it was always cool to take that knowledge and apply it in an actual match. It's really no different from any other game in that if you love playing it enough and push yourself to be a little better now and then, eventually you're going to get really good at it, maybe not best in the world, but still damn respectable.
When I compare that experience to my experience with fighting games, I don't think the issues of tension are directly comparable. As mentioned, RTS games engage you in a slow buildup of tension that finally ends in some last clash of units, while fighting games, especially when played in a tournament setting, give you a quick shot of adrenaline and an extra shot if both players end up with low hp and it all comes down to one last exchange that decide who gets to keep playing and who has to kill time before driving home. The tension is acute and the feeling of "OH SHIT IF ONLY I HADN'T FUCKED UP THERE" is just as present but without any time lapse. Yes, sometimes the other player earns their victory by doing something really cool, but sometimes you simply gave it up.
In either case, I think the issue of rage and rage quitting arises when the feeling of "Why do I even bother?" crops up. If you're only marginally interested in the game to begin with, it's pretty easy to feel this way after being handed a resounding defeat, even more so if it was through mechanics you're not aware of and have little interest in figuring out. You get angry, sometimes saying the other player is cheap or has no life, and walk out. Of course, this can also arise from having to deal with other people, as asshole teammates will make you wish you weren't playing with them pretty damn fast, no matter how much you normally like the game.
Anyway, Doug's Indefensible defense bursted at the seams with his actual hatred from the very beginning. We've chided him for backhanded compliments before, but the barely contained rage was hilarious. :lol
Oh, and thanks for finally letting me stop second guessing myself whether Blackadder is really worth writing the Himu-chan entry I had in my mind.
