While trying to get to sleep I got to thinking about the game of Go. Specifically, the philosophy suggested by the gameplay mechanic. The object of Go is to capture territory and your opponent's pieces by surrounding them with your own pieces. As your territory grows relative to your opponent's, your advantage increases, and as your advantage increases, the chances of your opponent gaining an advantage diminish. But with no specific end goal, it's up to the losing party to concede defeat once it's clear that drawing play out longer won't change the situation. Thus it's a game that teaches the player these things: humility and honesty to accept defeat rather than have it forced upon them, cleverness to know how to press an advantage and to take advantage of an unclear situation, and the analytical skill to determine when a situation is winnable. It's a game whose construction acknowledges that it's pointless to continue playing if there's nothing to be gained, unlike the many other games that force both sides to play to the end even when the victor is clear. Many games hold open the possibility of closing the gap between scores, or pulling off an unexpected victory. This dangling carrot gives the losing player hope, and forces the winning player to stay cautious. But in Go, one's position is apparent at a glance: if your opponent's pieces and territory are much greater than yours, and you don't have anything to learn from continuing to oppose them, you should bow to their superior position and acknowledge their victory. And then play again if there's time.
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