I didn't catch any of the XFL games in their entirety, but having worked in the wonderful world of college sports information, I concur that, in the XFL and all other organizations, most athletes and coaches don't have anything interesting to say before, during or after the game. In fact I'm in favor of banning sports audio completely.
I mean, part of the XFL's whole pitch was to recapture the glory days of the NFL. Well, part of that glory is that you *didn't* have cameras everywhere. You were only concerned about the game. I'm sure that the emotions on the field are interesting, but that's a task best left to NFL films, and best enjoyed long after the game is over.
There is a lot of crossover between football and wrestling, and Vince wanted to capitalize on that opportunity. His timing couldn't have been worse, because the NFL is as good as it's ever been right now. In spite of that, you can't deny the ratings, and you can't deny Vince's marketing genius.
Still, I'd personally enjoy the XFL more if they focused more on the game itself - of course the talent won't be on par with the NFL, but there's a lot of it on the XFL roster that isn't immediately apparent. I watch games in the comfort of my own home so I don't *have* to sit right behind the drunk middle-aged guy painted red and purple and screaming his head off. Don't try to put him in my living room and call it "interactive."
A lot of good "fun" examples have already been mentioned. Twister, Jenga, You Don't Know Jack, the multitude of party games so entertaining and asinine that all the joy is in the playing, not the winning. Strategy games with luck and/or cooperation/coercion: Monopoly, Illuminati, SoC. Any game that distracts from the actual playing of the game.
When you get into pure strategy games like checkers and chess and Go and Abalone and Othello and countless others, there's a much higher immersion factor. Everything is concentration and intensity. Much like any competitive sport, your success hinges entirely on *your* performance. There is true measure between you and your opponent, and that is where your instinctive competitiveness kicks in, and it makes the game that much more intense, particularly in games where every piece you lose makes it harder for you to win.
However, this is also a test of sportsmanship. The ability to realize that you are playing a game just like any other. And that is something that should be taught early on. Sometimes you have to lose a whole lot before you can win.
As far as the connection between games and "mentality," I believe the games we play are a reflection of *us*, and not the other way around.
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I mean, part of the XFL's whole pitch was to recapture the glory days of the NFL. Well, part of that glory is that you *didn't* have cameras everywhere. You were only concerned about the game. I'm sure that the emotions on the field are interesting, but that's a task best left to NFL films, and best enjoyed long after the game is over.
There is a lot of crossover between football and wrestling, and Vince wanted to capitalize on that opportunity. His timing couldn't have been worse, because the NFL is as good as it's ever been right now. In spite of that, you can't deny the ratings, and you can't deny Vince's marketing genius.
Still, I'd personally enjoy the XFL more if they focused more on the game itself - of course the talent won't be on par with the NFL, but there's a lot of it on the XFL roster that isn't immediately apparent. I watch games in the comfort of my own home so I don't *have* to sit right behind the drunk middle-aged guy painted red and purple and screaming his head off. Don't try to put him in my living room and call it "interactive."
When you get into pure strategy games like checkers and chess and Go and Abalone and Othello and countless others, there's a much higher immersion factor. Everything is concentration and intensity. Much like any competitive sport, your success hinges entirely on *your* performance. There is true measure between you and your opponent, and that is where your instinctive competitiveness kicks in, and it makes the game that much more intense, particularly in games where every piece you lose makes it harder for you to win.
However, this is also a test of sportsmanship. The ability to realize that you are playing a game just like any other. And that is something that should be taught early on. Sometimes you have to lose a whole lot before you can win.
As far as the connection between games and "mentality," I believe the games we play are a reflection of *us*, and not the other way around.