The Basics: Getting Good Part One

Part One
Why would I want to be good?

When you're talking about the mechanics of a game, you're talking about those mechanics being pushed to their limits. Gameplay does not refer to the play of the average player, but rather the play of the professional, the game at its top level. This is most obvious in Massively Multiplayer games (even if only a handful of top tier players understand a certain powerful exploit, that exploit will affect the entire server) but is true for any multiplayer game.

Take, for example, a game like starcraft. Even though you may not be trying to be the best player in the world, the moment you enter the game you are trying to win; that is the very definition of a game. Although you may not be aiming to be the best, you are trying to win and therefore are, in order to win, trying to become a better player, even if only in the short term. Everyone playing in your game is trying to become at least a little bit better.

Now, imagine there is some critical race imbalance at the very highest level of play. No one but the highest level players are affected by this imbalance, because it only rears its ugly head when both players are very skilled. This imbalance essentially ruins the game for the high level players, restricting them to playing mirror matches tirelessly, until they turn their interest to a different game.

I can't do this, but there's someone who can.

Now the competition has left the game. The game has been deemed unplayable at a very competitive level, and all that remains are the players in levels below that. As the competition dies out, most players who were nearing competitive levels will lose their drive. If they are going to have to stop playing when they get better, there's no point in getting better at all. If there's no point in getting better, there's no point in trying to win. If there's no point in trying to win, there's hardly any point in playing the game at all, is there?

As these near-competitives start to file out, everyone else will realise that the game cannot be a competetive game, and only those who play occasionally and casually will remain. No serious multiplayer game can survive solely on the interest of a small casual base, and so the game dies.

Thus, the most important kind of gameplay is play amongst high level players, and the most important game mechanics are those which are implemented at high level play.

If you truly want to explore a game's mechanics, or appreciate the gameplay of a game, you'll see the value in getting good. As you get better at a game, you'll see the game's mechanics in a whole new light and, as you discover what mechanics are important and which are superficial, you will rediscover the game entirely.