Games
Hmm ... games. As a competitive person who likes challenges, I find
all sorts of games entertaining.
Board Games
I learned the Oriental game of Go (known as Weiqi in China and Baduk in Korea)
while I was a student at UW, and I have been fascinated by the game ever since.
This game, involving the simple idea of surrounding territory with black and
white stones, is wildly popular in Asia. Every time I play, I am reminded that
patience and humility are as important as strategy and tactics in determining the
winner. Playing the game for 4 years has only made me realize how much knowledge
there is that I have yet to learn. Anyone who wants to learn a challenging board
game should give Go a try.
If you play Go online on the Internet Go Server (IGS), give me a shout. I'm
hane, 2d.
Card Games
I'm interested in most forms of poker, including Hold'Em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud,
and the occasional variant like Lowball Draw. Good poker players must be
experts not only in psychology, but also in mathematics and probability.
I'm a horrible poker player, though.
The Chinese card game of Big 2 is one of my favourite card games. In which
other card game can you collude with opponents to bring someone down, then
turn on them the very next game? It's backstabbing at its finest! (Of course,
no tabletalking is allowed, which is what makes colluding so difficult and so
rewarding when it does happen!) Props go out to my bosses at GA Ltd. who put
up with all my trash talk.
Bridge is also interesting, but I don't really have the time to learn all those
complex bidding conventions.
Video Games
There aren't too many video games out there these days that involve thinking,
as every developer in the industry has sold out, putting graphics ahead of
gameplay. Therefore, I'm not surprised that I've stopped playing video games
altogether. Games I enjoyed back in the good old days include Final Fantasy
Tactics and Vagrant Story, both by Square.
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