Week 4

Read the following from Sirlin's Playing to Win:
http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/more-on-losing.html
http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/how-far-should-you-go-to-win.html
http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/what-should-be-banned.html

How do you feel about "soft bans"? Do you feel that this contradicts "playing to win"? Also, how do you feel about the Street Fighter community's decision to outright ban Akuma from Super Turbo? Is this hypocritical? Do you feel that bans are ever warranted?

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Soft bans, in the most technical sense, contradict "playing to win." However, it is completely understandable to have a tradeoff between playing to win and making the game interesting. For instance, the government exists to protect the people. The more control the government has, however, the less freedom the people have. Which is more important, security or freedom? Both are important. Thus, you must find a balance between the two. The same is true for soft bans. If something like Akuma makes the game far too ridiculous and not fun, and eliminating the element could still keep the game competitive and interesting, then a soft ban is permissible. One not need enforce "play to win" to such extremes that practical adjustments should never be made.