My friend can't decide between games

Pretty much all I do these days, when I get out of work is sports. I met my friend a long while ago, when still a child, coming up in chess tournaments.

These days, we mostly play snooker unless we get a group of chessplayers to play bughouse.

Anyway, he used to win against me playing Brazilian snooker until I adapted to the equipment (I've played 9 ball competitively in New York). I've always won in chess against him, so it was a nice balance.

Now I win against him in both games, and he wants to expand and play soccer. Which, I'm sure, I'm going to play better than him as well.

What to do? I can't offer him a handicap, I think that's rude. I have to beat him enough times that he asks for one.

But I'm afraid he'll just stop playing and boom, I'll have to go on searching in these cold Saturday night streets in a strange city.

Edit: That's always the problem with playing games for free. Were we betting, he would have already asked for a handicap. But we are 'friends', and therefore can't bet.

 

Well it's a relief to see someone participate in healthy activities but I've got to suggest buying a wii and competing in games like Mario Kart.

 

lulz

 

tell him he's shit and find some real competition

 

Why not find a game that you have not played before.

At least that way you will be equally matched.

 

That's what I'll do.

I don't like switching games all the time and having no chance to go in depth into any of them. Which, is actually, the reason why my friend loses in all everything we play. He plays everything, but he's also not so good in anything.

 

i say BASKETBALL!!!!!

 

Just beat him. If he can't deal with it then it's obviously his fault and not yours.

 

We did some of that too. Ha!

 

That is a tough one.

If you find a solution let me know.

 

Vide:

I could bowl. I'm sure he would win, but it's one of those incredibly uni-dimensional games (like golf) that I can hardly get into. I can play it as a past time, not a sport.

 

May I ask what is the motivation for you playing?

Why do you?

 

I don't follow the question. The reason for playing snooker and bughouse, or the reason for playing against him?

If it's the latter, I would say it's because I'm new in this city and we were friends before, and had played before.

I was also adapting to variations in rules and equipment, and am only now feeling up to making initial forays into formal competition and gambling.

So, he was a natural avenue. He's also a good friend, though we are situational friends. We don't really share much aside from playing.

Why do I play in general? Well, sport and competition has always been my major passion. It's when I feel alive the most.

Edit: I've also been working 50+ hours a week lately, so I don't really have time to invest in any sport. I can only play friendly matches.

Which, I hate. I like to get in the ring and give it my all at all times. Let that killer instinct out real good. I feel ill-equipped to do that in a friendly scenario over a large number of sports and games.

 

I think if you read your answer to me, then you have the answer.

You need the competition and killer part of that. The friendly is not cutting it. There is nothing wrong with that as in many that is a motivator.

Maybe you need more than one person to interact with on that level. One that you can just allow that part of you to compete. That does not mean that you can not maintain the friendship that you already have developed and continue to have more friendly matches.

 

I will definitely keep the friendship going. But I'm also not going to be playing a different game every week. That gives me the same feeling as sitting down at a bar doing nothing. (Which, incidentally, is what I wanted to avoid in contacting him again, after years of living far apart.)

I guess that is ok, now and then. But I don't want it to be the bulk of it.

I wouldn't mind bowling once or twice with him, though. Just don't want to spread myself too thin in my hobbies. Knowing myself, I would quickly want to find out about the intricacies of the game and dedicate myself to it. And that's just too much.