The Joy of Darts

A post by C. S. Wyatt started me thinking about what games and sports I enjoy, and why.

I have always enjoyed word-based puzzles, particularly crosswords, and complete at least one cryptic crossword most days - my favorite is the Daily Telegraph which I usually finish in under 20 minutes. What attracts me is the challenge of interpreting the clue in the correct way to construct the answer - it's a combination of an extensive vocabulary, an awareness of multiple meanings of words and logical reasoning.

I occasionally solve Sudoku puzzles but find them much less satisfying because of the purely mechanical methods involved. I found it much more interesting to write a computer program to apply the methods and solve the puzzles that way.

Quizzes in various forms can be fun. I used to enjoy taking part in a local pub quiz but after a while got bored by the consistently variable level of difficulty of the questions - the first few would be insultingly easy, while the final ones would often be so obscure that they just resulted in a random choice of one of the multiple options provided. I enjoy playing Trivial Pursuit now and again but get frustrated by the element of luck introduced by rolling a die to determine where I can move my counter.

I have played card games in the past - blackjack, poker - in social settings for chips rather than "real" money in a casino. While I did very much enjoy studying and designing strategies to guide my play (I bought a copy of Hoyle as a reference), I found that the random turn of the cards and the unpredictability of other players meant I did not get nearly as much pleasure from actually playing the games.

I play pool (8-ball) on occasion - I used to captain a pub team - and ten-pin bowling, but the sport I play most has to be darts. In all of these sports, how well I do depends on my individual skill - there is no significant random element apart from the very small variation in ambient conditions - these being indoor sports - which affect all the players equally. I also enjoy the fact that, unlike in team sports such as rugby, I can play at whatever pace suits me.

In summary, I have a strong preference for games of skill rather than chance. I much prefer turn-based games. I enjoy puzzles and other activities that exercise my mind. I prefer games where it is only my individual performance that affects the outcome, although I have played pairs matches in both pool and darts. I believe that the individual turn-based nature of these is a much more significant factor than any interaction between myself and my partner in the pair - there is not the depth of strategy and real-time interaction involved unlike a regular team sport.

In fact, having considered the reasons why my preferences lie in a particular direction, I can see strong parallels between these leisure activities and my love of programming. There are the same elements of skill, knowledge, problem-solving and individual effort. Just as I am happiest and perform best when left to my own devices at work, so I prefer those leisure activities that involve solo endeavor.

Mystery Word

My first is in apple but not found in plum,
My second's in sibilant - sounds like that one.
My third is a vegetable, small green and round,
My fourth is a vowel, not a consonant sound.
My next is in rolling but not standing still,
While my sixth may be uttered when getting a thrill.
The next one in seven may be seen twice.
Letter five is repeated; isn't that nice?
My whole forms the name of the doctor from Wien
And also a Syndrome that you must have seen.

Theory of Mind?!

Theory of Mind
Treated Unkind
Not of Mankind
Empathic Blind
Hurting Behind
Aspergers Kind

Word Association

Empathy
 —Sympathy
  —Affinity
   —Resemblance
    —Likeness
     —Image
      —Appearance
       —Pretence
        —Deception
         —Illusion
          —Fantasy