Do you let kids win when you play video games with them or do you try hard?

[marvelvscapcom2]

Hello everyone

 I noticed something pretty subtle that not many people think about and wanted to touch on it with everyone to see what everyone thinks about the topic .   It seems their are two very different types of people.  Some who let a less skilled opponet win and some who try to humble them by whooping them lol.   This happens with everything and not just gaming and it's a sort of moral dhilhema.   Although I put kid which is the most common occurance, I more so mean anyone who is not as good at the game as you by a large margain like a non gamer girlfriend who doesn't play much or a old man who never played.  And wanted to know how you'd handle facing them .     


One time at my brother's house we were playing Marvel vs Capcom 3 ultimate, and we were getting into some heated matches.  It was a epic fun night of tournament style pass the controller if you lose fun. .    But then my brother's friend's daughter who is about 6 wanted to play,  so they gave up their controller and had her play against me. 

I let her win without giving it much thought, because I didn't want to beat her or make her sad.   I guess that's the decision I usually make.  But it surprised me that many people do the opposite, and i've seen it in arcades especially when I was a little kid.  I was wondering if I was doing the right thing by letting her win without earning it.   But then realized it wasn't so important.   


I remembered when I was a kid,  my dad and older brothers would beat the living crap out of me in games,  especially madden until I got good enough to beat them at them.  I bet many of you also have older brother stories of older brothers being epic at games.  Which all and all made us more passionate and just better at games and also at accepting defeat. Which is a good trait to teach kids.  It was fun times growing up the ranks to finally beat your brother in a game. 


I also want to add that I'm not saying all lil kids are helpless or bad at games, I have a 10 year old nephew who completely whoops me at Star Wars battlefront  .   He's more braggy with his challenges, and says he'll whoop you and stuff.  So when we play COD I have less regrets of trying hard and beating him because I know he's very good at games.  I'm more so referring to people who are obviously very new to games in general.


Which type would you be in the scenerio of facing a kid or maybe a old man who's never played?    Would you hadooken them into oblivion or do you let them win to make them happy?     

[burningdoom]

I beat the hell out of them, then tell them: "Suck it up buttercup. The real world isn't all butterflies and participation ribbons! If you ain't first, you're last, loser!"


Honestly, I don't play video games with any kids other than occassionly with my 3-year old daughter, who doesn't even understand what the hell she's doing on the screen.

[rayne315]

there is a definite skill differential present between "try harding" and "letting them win" if they are old enough to know the controls and understand that it is a competition then I will go all out but if they do not yet have a full understanding of the controls then I will play at a level that is their current skill (not let them win but not destroy them either).

for example my nephew has been playing games for 3+ years (never shooters because parents rightly so think he is too immature) so if we are playing something like Mario party or a racing game (which he knows the controls) then I will not let him win. but he has a friend his age that occasionally is over and I will dumb down my skill for him because he always forgets things like slowing down to steer better/more effectively or never quite determines when to start turning.

[emporerdragon]

I don't let them win, but I don't go full out (unless of course, they're boasting about their skills and need a dosage of reality).

What I wind up doing is either putting limiters on myself like weaker items or using characters I'm not as good at or by using the gaming session as a sandbox and trying out various things I wouldn't normally do.

[pizzasafari]

I have to win. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself if I was beaten at a game by a kid.
I'll go easier on them if it's a game I'm good at though.

[98dgreen]

I don't let them win but I don't go try hard either.

[furysstylez]

Hey take it from your ol' buddy Fury S.! If kids are the future, we need to stop 'em today!!! 

I kid, I kid...But no seriously it depends, I might not let them win, but I'll probably play at like half strength. 
 

[kamikazekeeg]

50/50 split as it seems to be for others also.  Unless they are just like...toddlers who don't know any better, then I'll let them win to have fun, but if they are abit older, I'll make them put in a little work.  Haven't had to do this in a long time, but it doesn't hurt to go light on someone.  Maybe it helps them learn the game more and get better, but it also doesn't squash them and make them hate the experience.

[kypherion]

Sometimes.

[oldgamerz]

I will let them win (sometimes) when I am trying to show the person how to play the game . most times kids are quick at least in my family and they started beating me as much as I beat them

If someone has a problem with you winning you can tell them this in quotes

"If you want to get better then you must continue to play  with me or someone else better then yourself"
or
"If you want to help master a competitive video game then you need to at least practice with someone better then yourself (just like in real life martial arts )"

I do go easy at first but I still give them a fair challenge also tell your opponent to be patient

[soera]

I always let my kids win.

[oldgamerz]

I always let my kids win.

In all honesty I don't like to compete against my friends or family  because it causes me some tension. But occasionally I don't mind competing against lets say an adult. By the way
Cooperate aka Coop  is a lot of fun does any on VGcollect even you Soera? do you ever try to beat a game by being on the same team as your kids?

[hoshichiri]

It depends, really- if the person (kid or otherwise) is a new player, or not a regular gamer, I do my best to let them win... or at least lose by a small margin (sometimes they're really, really bad!) it's very easy to discourage someone just starting out by overly hammering them down, and they may not play again. I don't want that.

If the other person is a regular player, but just isn't as good as me, I'll try to handicap myself a bit. This is more appropriate for an older child who knows how games work, just maybe not this game specifically. You want them to have time to practice their moveset, so they can play on your level in the future. It's ok to win here, but throw the occasional match as a confidence booster.

If the other person is clearly more experienced, just be yourself. Some kids are pretty darn good at this stuff, no need to dumb down in that case- even if you are usually winning.

Oh- if the person/kid is being a snot, bragging about how amazing they are at games, hurling insults at players they can beat, etc.- then all of the above goes out the window. Grind that brat into the dirt & teach them about humility & good sportsmanship!


One last thought- I know some people claim they're just 'too good to lose to a kid', and that's why they go full-bore at six year olds. I've never understood that. The best players don't just win, they control the whole game. Nothing says control like purposefully setting the other player up for victory without them realizing it. You want me to believe you're just too good? Prove you can convincingly throw a game- it's harder than it seems!

[ferraroso]

I don't need to let children win...
I believe the only competitive games I play with kids are Splatoon, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. and, in these games, I don't stand any chance against them anyway...

[instantreplay]

They're kids so I go easy on them.