Thank you for your reply, Marc. The sudoku example you give in #3 helps me understand.

I’ll try to explain better.

1. The desire to be witnessed can be viewed from a number of angles, but in this context it’s about sharing in success with others at the table. I know when I play a computationally heavy game and I see an opponent figure out a clever move, I’m impressed by that and let them know. It’s about struggling through the rigors of the game alongside each other.

2. Figuring out a good move is about simplifying the math, taking a number of different figures and incentives and simplifying them down to “is A better than B or vice versa?” I think there’s some pleasure in that.

3. When I watch people solving puzzles on youtube (I’ve been enjoying sudoku recently), they’ll often comment that a particular puzzle or aspect to that puzzle is “beautiful”. That’s something I’ve experienced myself–a puzzle so clever and subtle that it seems to be a thing of beauty.

But i find it important that beyond this, there shall be a luck factor. I don’t want to play games, where the hardest longest analysing player wins in the end.

Then go on, play chess. It is the emotional part in gaming I calculate my chances. Then i draw 2 cards. Two outcomes. The right cards come, how great was my calculation, it works. Or…the wrong cards, shit my plan don’t work. Highly emotional.
For me the best way of gaming.

So, calculation ? Absolute !
Calculation the only way of winning ? No.

Regards
Ralf