The Games People Play

Some days I feel that life really is just a big ol' board game. Move 5 spaces forward, move 3 spaces back. Miss a turn. Being unable to move ahead because your bad luck won't let you roll the right number on the dice. What I find funny though, is how people everywhere complain about how they don't like playing games, they despise mind games, and they claim that all they want from someone is for them to be 'straight up', to the point, and honest. In this busy day and age where people say they just 'don't have time for bullshit', I find it quite amusing how 'bullshitting' and 'game playing' are actually quite evident in more ways than one.
Games are constantly being played everywhere you look. Not just in some of the more obvious ways, but in less obvious ways or ways that maybe you haven't even thought of.
So, the other day I got to thinking about this topic for today's blog post over some wine with my good friend. We were having our awesome girl chats as usual, and she came to the conclusion about her kryptonite crush being that she only likes him as much as she does because he simply does not want to be with her in a relationship. Sure she loved a lot of things about him, his personality, charisma and all that jazz, but at the end of the day.....he doesn't want her. Naturally, as human nature would prove time and time again, this theory of 'wanting what you can't have' usually is quite right. So ladies and gentlemen, I bring you 'The NO Factor". Someone says 'no', you naturally want it, or want it more than you did before. This is a game played on so many scales, from taking an ignored toy away from a child to which then the child responds by wanting it even though he/she wasn't playing with it in the first place.....to even being denied entry to a snooty private party or some bar - No, I don't want to attend your lame party, but now that you aren't allowing me to go, I'm now upset and badly wanting to attend! Funny, right?
What about the games being played when we call in to a call center, whether it be a utilities company, a travel agency, or your cable/internet/phone provider? I'm sure most of us have been there when we get all riled up before our phone call, rehearsing exactly what we want to say to ensure we get a deal, or the best price out there otherwise we're quitting! That's right, if you don't give me what I want or give me a better discount then I'm going elsewhere, and you will lose my business! Ohhhhh but it's all about the bluff calling, isn't it? People will call in , make a demand, and threaten to discontinue service, basically trying to call the other person's bluff on who will crack, or who will stand down and submit. I used to work in a call center, and this happened alllllllll the tiiiiiiime. It was always a game to see who could squeeze what out of who, and calling each others bluff.
How about on the road? Yeah we play games on the road all the time, but this one always cracks me up and really just makes me shake my head. So you have driver A driving 110km in the left lane. Driver B driving 90km in the right. As Driver A gradually catches up to Driver B and needs to switch lanes in front of him, Driver B suddenly decides that he's going to speed up and match the speed of  Driver A, AND prevent him from switching lanes into his....for no reason at all. Just to be an idiot. Just to play a game.
Maybe that's just what keeps things interesting. I know and have learned that in relationships specifically, it is all about the chase. Women have to be careful not to show too much emotion, get too 'clingy',or be too available otherwise we get labels like 'psycho' or 'obsessed', or 'too attached'. Men too can get the same labels if they aren't careful about how they conduct themselves in the beginning dating stage, along with 'creepy', or 'desperate' labels. Then there's all the ridiculous rules such as waiting a certain amount of days before you first call your prospective man/woman. Or what about the rules of paying when on dates? It's like a showdown of who's going to step up to the plate and pay! But you have to make sure you play the game right otherwise you may end up hindering your next chance. If you really like someone, naturally it shows, and naturally you will want to let that person know, or do things to show that person you care and are interested............Yet we're not supposed to, for fear of turning them off , therefore meaning the less we show we care, the better? And the more we show we care, the worse? Man we have it so ass backwards here. Me personally, if I'm really interested in someone, I can't help but make it known. Really, I will! I even remember one time dropping off a red rose and a love letter for a guy in Junior High. Would I pull that move now? Umm no, definitely not. Rookie move Amanda, rookie move.Sometimes though, even when you don't want to be a part of the game, you might realize you're already in it. Even when you try hard not to. Admit it if you want to. Deny it if you have to but men and women love to chase and to be chased, and people in general like to be challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally. And the games people play, are just about everywhere you look. It's what people do, and well.......I guess you could say that it keeps things interesting in the game of life. "Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her, but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game" - Voltaire