The Importance of Rivalries in the VHL

[jacobcarson877 2,563]

Instead of listing off a bunch of people who I think are my rivals, which spoiler alert, is mostly just a list of people I’ve competed against that inspire me, which is nearly the same list as the list of people I wrote about for that other Theme Week where we talked about who we appreciate.

 

Instead I want to talk about the value of rivalries in a sim league. With sims coming daily, and roughly 2 games a sim, we pump out games quite quickly. A quick check of the boxscores and boom, you can have seen everything you needed to see in a couple minutes. It can be pretty easy to fall into that trap, and begin to lose interest in the details, and just focus on the goals and assists. But what makes sims interesting, and what makes the league structure as a whole interesting, is seeing how each individual action shapes the events that lead to the outcomes we get. At some point the switch turns on and we all start watching other people’s results to try to see how they affect ours. But something I try to do, as I continue to get to know more members, even if it is from just seeing their PTs, or seeing messages on Discord, or hearing about them from their GMs, is try to begin to pinpoint the people involved in each game. At least a few of them, to keep things interesting. I try to form a little rivalry, sometimes it only lasts for a game, sometimes for a long time, just to bring some narrative element to the sims.  

 

We need someone to compete against, and feel like it isn’t our AI vs their AI. We need metaphorical faces for the names we see. When I see someone on the other team score multiple goals, that should stick. We are our own commentators in these games, we make the stories and tell them through our content. How boring would sports be if no one found and reported the stories? Who would make those cool intros for Hockey Night in Canada? Even when 2 completely unrelated teams play each other, there is always some story, and for us to enjoy the VHL those are the stories we need to tell. We need to pit ourselves against each other, not in anger, but in cooperative narrative enjoyment. We need to build ourselves a series of bits, that every day we can foster and check in on.

 

The best rivalries are mutual ones. When both people commit to making each other’s experience more interesting, and wanting to beat each other out in fair competition, it inspires both people to work harder and be better members in the league. When whole teams form rivalries, it can be fun to watch people come out of their shells to earn a little more TPE for the contest. Thinking of past playoff matchups or blowout games, or teams that have eliminated you from the playoffs, and maybe even won the draft lottery. Those make up quite a large list, and I encourage everyone to find something or someone on every team that they can be a rival against, even just for a game.

[Dack 46]

Review

 

This article focuses on the importance of rivalries in a sim league. Jacobcarson877 argues that in order to keep the interest in the games alive, it is important to have a rival to compete against. Jacobcarson877 suggests that by knowing the individuals involved in each game, it helps to bring a narrative element to the sims and makes the league structure more interesting. Jacobcarson877 also mentions that the best rivalries are mutual ones where both parties work hard to make the other's experience more enjoyable. Jacobcarson877 encourages everyone to find someone or something on each team to rival against, even if it's just for a game, to bring some excitement to the games.

I would grade this media post a 98% out if 100% because Jacobcarson877 makes a strong argument for the importance of rivalries in a sim league and how it can add to the excitement and enjoyment of the games. The idea of adding a narrative element to the games by knowing the individuals involved is a unique and creative approach that can help to keep the interest alive.

[eagle_3450 278]

Jacob do we count as rivals or are we too nice to each other?

[jacobcarson877 2,563]

1 hour ago, eagle_3450 said:

Jacob do we count as rivals or are we too nice to each other?

Oh we're rivals, but that's a good thing in my books!